Comparing factors influencing enrollment and learning preferences among prospective and current open and distance learners (ODL)

Technological advances allow open and distance learning (ODL) providers to offer all kinds of interaction opportunities for their students. In Turkey, different institutions adopt different interaction types in ODL services mostly because of legal procedures and a shortage of experience in ODL. Learning more about students’ preferences and needs might be helpful for achieving better satisfaction and deeper learning. The scarcity of research on distance learners’ preferences of interaction type was the main motive for this study. Thus, this study aims to investigate the interaction preferences of ODL learners and explore the interactions between these preferences and their demographic characteristics. An online questionnaire based on the Interaction Equivalency Theorem was implemented to the 696 ODL learners in one of the major ODL providers in Turkey. The results revealed that learners mostly preferred to interact more with the content in their distance courses while they asked for more interaction with the instructors in the face-to-face courses. Analyses showed no statistically significant relationship between interaction type preferences, and gender, number of children, and marital status. However, a statistically significant relationship was observed between the interaction type preferences of the learners and their age, occupation, admission type, and place of residence.

Social media plays a significant role in career exploration and professional networking, yet its use by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) genetic counseling students remains underexplored. This study examines the use of social media by BIPOC genetic counseling students and its potential to increase diversity in the profession. As part of a longitudinal study using a constructivist grounded theory approach, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 25 current BIPOC genetic counseling students. Through reflexive thematic analysis, themes were conceptualized; these revealed a desire, as prospective students, for more social media content made by BIPOC genetic counseling students and increased awareness of existing resources. Barriers to posting genetic counseling‐related content as current students included time constraints, perceived lack of credibility, and concerns about damaging professional identity. Despite these barriers, some participants expressed a desire to post more actively after graduation, particularly about advocacy related to the field. The findings highlight a noteworthy reliance by prospective genetic counseling students on social media for information, contrasting with a low supply of content from current students and professionals. To address this gap, we suggest implementing training and mentoring practices focused on social media use, promoting paid opportunities for BIPOC students to create content, and encouraging open discussion about social media engagement within training programs. By fostering a supportive environment and highlighting successful examples of social media use from current genetic counselors, BIPOC students may feel more empowered to share their experiences and insights, enhancing awareness of genetic counseling as a career option for BIPOC individuals. This study underscores the importance of addressing barriers to social media engagement among BIPOC genetic counseling students to promote a more diverse and inclusive profession.

This paper presents a case study on implementing support system for large and diverse groups of open and distance learning (ODL) students, based on the specific experience of Universitas Terbuka (UT) in Indonesia. The paper begins with a brief introduction of UT, its context, operational system, and programs, followed by discussion on what, why and how support system is crucial in ODL. Discussion on ODL support system includes core businesses of ODL related to student registration, production and distribution of learning materials, and provision of services by the Regional Office. Student learning support services in ODL are vital to assist student learning, and this is done through various means, such as face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and academic counselling. Assessment of student learning is conducted using various methods and instruments, such as tutorial assignments, portfolio and performance assessment, semester examination, and program final assignment. Examination can be taken using paper and pencil test and online examination system as alternative. Use of information and communication technology (ICT) is critical to support management and learning support services in modern ODL system. Discussion on quality assurance system focuses on how ODL support system for students meet quality criteria and standards set internally by the ODL institution as well externally by the accreditation agencies and other stakeholders. ODL support system may vary from one ODL institution to another, depending on the specific context and unique needs of students and stakeholders in their respective contexts. However, there is great confidence that each of the ODL institutions generally adheres to common ODL principles and good practices that are universal to an ODL environment. This paper concludes that provision of effective support system is designed in such a way to facilitate student learning and ensure that services provided meet stakeholders' requirements and students' expectations.

Please click here to download the map associated with this article. The College of Charleston Campus Map project was a student class project designed to improve the accuracy of the existing static map, and to create an interactive online map for the campus website. Campus maps can provide useful information to prospective and current students, visitors, and on-campus groups including public safety and maintenance. The current campus maps at the College of Charleston are skewed for aesthetic purposes, and do not accurately depict geospatial features. The campus map created by the students in this project is GIS based and designed to provide highly accurate, printable static and interactive online maps for the College of Charleston community, prospective students and visitors. The College of Charleston is a public university located on the downtown peninsula of Charleston, South Carolina. The core campus area encompasses approximately a square half mile, and includes academic, residence, and support buildings. Spatial data collected from aerial orthophotos, County databases, and field surveys were integrated into the Student Campus Map. The new map includes all current campus building locations, student and faculty parking lots and campus call box locations. The use of a geographic information system allows this map to be updated more efficiently than the previous maps and permitted the development of an interactive online map for use on the college web site.

The current pandemic significantly prompts rising information gathering activities via the internet associated with a brand story. This phenomenon has considerable impacts in the decision-making process of high involvement services such as higher education. Since prospective students no longer have the opportunity to directly visiting the campus, their effort inclines more towards reading about life activities and experiences’ stories from those who already encounter university life. This study utilizes a qualitative approach to gain deeper insights into this relatively prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation by conducting a netnography and in-depth interviews with current and prospective students. This study discovers that diverse online learning experiences recounted by current students during the pandemic are brand story manifestations, shown as content in social media platforms. Furthermore, the finding emphasizes the importance of the upperclassmen role to the prospective students. They can associate with the prospective students while maintaining credibility as an influencer. Inspiring experiences told in university seniors positive narratives become successful zero moments of truth (ZMOT) and enhance the desire to interact with that remarkable university brand. Conversely, unpleasant encounters would be an adverse stimulus that would dissuade further interaction between prospective students and the particular university brand, revealed either through behavior or attitude. ZMOT brand story is uncontrollable content in social media, and if HE marketers neglect them, it will obstruct the development of the university's image. HE marketers need to be alert with diverse stories derived from personal experiences of online classes during the pandemic. Cooperation with the service provider, aka faculty members, has never been more profound to ensure that the delivery of the materials is enjoyable and memorable.

This paper presents findings of an investigation into the amount of exposure to the speech-language pathology profession that is reported by current and prospective speech-language pathology students. This study investigated both therapeutic and social exposures to speech-language pathology (SLP) as both were considered to play a role in providing information about the profession (e.g., work settings, professional demographics and caseloads). The results showed that the greater majority of both the current and prospective speech-language pathology students had some type of exposure to speech-language pathology either prior to entering or prior to considering entering the speech-language pathology program. Furthermore, both the current and prospective speech-language pathology students reported being influenced by their prior exposure the speech-language pathology profession. Finally, the results showed that parents played a large role in career choice for the current and prospective students, and this may have also included influence through parents' own exposure to speech-language pathology through work settings.

This study is to examine how Wawasan Open University (WOU) ODL students in Malaysia are satisfied. The study examined how learning experience, environment, resources, and evaluation affect student satisfaction in open and distance learning. This survey included 129 WOU undergraduates from five business programmes. Based on earlier research, a series of questions were created to gauge student satisfaction in open and distance learning. The learning experience, environment, resources, and evaluation were used to describe the data. Table 5 shows all four factors affect student satisfaction. The study found that the mean values for learning experience, environment, resource, and evaluation are all higher than moderate (between 4.1 – 4.3). WOU ODL students clearly like the learning components. The paper solely discusses representative states of Malaysia and is generic. The poor response rate limited the sample size to 129. This study will help understand ODL in Malaysia. The COVID-19 pandemic increased ODL use. The study will also assist policymakers map out how instructors and students might benefit from online/blended teaching models in the future. The survey gives WOU and other ODL universities additional insight into student learning satisfaction. This study highlighted important issues and added to the literature.

Choosing the University to attend is an important decision that is made once or twice in a lifetime and has relevant effects for a person’s entire life. In such a process, advice from others, especially current students, is a powerful influencing factor. Therefore, understanding the factors that lead students to become active advocates for their university is strategically important. Social identity theory states that when students choose a university, the image of the institution becomes part of their identity. In case of strong positive identification, the resulting sense of pride enhances their own self-identity and brings positive benefits beyond simply obtaining an education, which are then passed on to everyone. The current study focuses on brand experience and brand reputation and uses a moderated mediation analysis to investigate the mechanisms by which current students can be tools for university choice. Stimulating word-of-mouth (WOM) implies the institution to have and maintain a good reputation and engage students to develop a positive brand experience and pride. This research contributes to the development of a greater strategic awareness of universities’ appeal to better tailor their orientation activities to current or prospective students.

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) students rely majorly on the use of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) tools for online facilitation and other activities supporting learning. With emphasis on ODL students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Oyo Sta te, Nigeria; Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) has being the major medium for online facilitation for the past 5 years. Therefore, this data article presents a survey dataset that was administered to LAUTECH ODL students with a view to assess their readiness to accept and use alternative social media platforms and emerging technologies for online facilitation. The data article also includes questionnaire instrument administered via google form, 900 responses received in spreadsheet formats, chats generated from the responses, the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS) file, the descriptive and reliability statistics for all the variables. Authors believe that the dataset will guide policy makers on the choice of social media and emerging technologies to be adopted as a facilitation tool for ODL students. It will also reveal the challenges that could militate against the willingness to use these supplementary modes of learning from students’ perspectives.

Choosing an academic programme or career path is often challenging for prospective students seeking admission to higher education institutions. Many rely on advice from both qualified and unqualified sources, leading to poor programme choices that result in dissatisfaction, poor performance, or dropping out. This study aims to design an Automated Counselling System (ACS) to improve prospective students' programme and career decisions in an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institution, using the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) as a case study. The ACS was developed using Client Architecture and a mixed-method approach. Data was collected through questionnaires distributed via NOUN desk officers at purposefully selected study centers across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. Of the 240 questionnaires distributed, 180 were returned. Findings indicate that the system was well received, with most users expressing satisfaction in its ability to assist them in making informed, long-term programme choices. The ACS presents an effective solution to the counselling gaps in educational institutions, offering a scalable and reliable alternative to traditional counselling methods. However, further research on how the system can help students manage academic challenges once they are admitted should be investigated. The insights from this study can be applied to other higher education institutions.

Introduction This study examines the ways in which students and staff in higher education use and engage in audio, both in everyday life and within the university setting. Specifically, we explore if the increasingly diverse student population utilise audio as part of a personalised approach to learning. Increasing student engagement in online delivery through a personalised approach to learning is a vital area of focus in contemporary pedagogy internationally. The rapid move to online delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed both opportunities and challenges for learners with diverse digital access requirements (Ellis et al. 17). Along with captions – which have been embraced as an accessibility feature by the entire student population (Ellis et al.) – the use of audio has increased (Peaty et al. 7). Digital accessibility has typically focussed on the availability of captions, yet the experience of many students during COVID-19 pandemic-imposed remote learning activities shows that audio also offers great potential for personalisation, accessibility, and engagement. With audio options following the trajectory of captions in both education and entertainment contexts to become recognised as a personal preference (Ellis 167), this article examines whether higher education has responded to the ‘audio turn’. Moreover, it seeks to answer how students, as a diverse population, utilise audio as part of their learning experience. The ‘audio turn’ refers to the recent period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside the increase in (and use of) audio platforms and features. However, it should also be acknowledged that this audio turn is also part of a longer history of technology-enabled audio pedagogy, encompassing transitions from vinyl to cassette tape, and analogue to digital. These specific changes over approximately the last five years have been captured in the literature on the rise of audio description (see for example Peaty et al.; Piñeiro-Otero and Pedrero-Esteban), audiobooks and “listening culture” (Snelling 648), studies on the uptake of podcasts and digital radio (St. Aubin), and popular articles (Forbes). In a relatively short period of time, audio book sales, podcasting, digital music consumption, and audio accessibility (including audio description) have increased significantly. The culmination of new business models (e.g., Spotify’s audio-first strategy; Kilberg and Spilker 156) and the specific remote learning/working, lockdown environments generated by COVID-19 mitigation policies further facilitated this audio turn. The rise of the value and use of audio also extended into the university context, which prompted new literature on audio learning strategies (Wake et al. 30; Jensen and Veprinska). However, the question arises: despite the increased interest in audio, has higher education pedagogy adapted to reflect learning options and preferences? Audio in Higher Education Over the past decade, a body of research has emerged that highlights opportunities for audio in the higher education context; however, there remains a lack of research on the potential of audio more broadly for learning personalisation and accessibility. Most of the existing research on audio supported pedagogy has centred around the value of audio feedback on assessments (Knauf 442; Sarcona et al. 47; Heimbürger 106). With over a decade of publications on this type of audio-supported learning, researchers have found audio feedback to be divisive, in part due to the varied nature in which it is applied and received (Hennesy and Forrester 778), but Sacona et al. (58) emphasise students’ desire for the availability of both modalities of feedback (audio and written). Other audio learning alternatives discussed in the literature on audio-supported pedagogy include podcasts (McGarr; Gunderson and Cumming 591; Gachago et al. 859) and, to a lesser degree, the role of audio description (Pintado et al.), which may in part be the result of the recency of use of audio description in the media more broadly. One of the key features of more recent (post-2020) research into various audio alternatives or audio-supported learning options was the consistent observation that audio is an important part of universal design for learning (UDL) and its value and appeal for an increasingly diverse student population. UDL is an important concept in understanding the role of audio in higher education, as it is not simply focussed on ‘access to the classroom’, but the ways in which access to educational content, texts, and teaching is considered. It is centred on three principles: multiple means of representation, multiple means of engagement, and multiple means of expression (Cumming and Rose 1026). Pertinent to our research, UDL emphasises multiple formats for learning materials, including audio. Moreover, developed in the early 2000s, UDL recognises the role of digital technology in addressing the needs of an increasingly diverse student population (Edyburn 16). It is adapted from Universal Design (UD), which is based on a set of principles: equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space for approach and use (Centre for Universal Design). While acknowledging the broader research literature and debates around cognitive styles, learning strategies, learning styles, and their efficacy in instruction (Cassidy 420), this project uses the term ‘learning preferences’ to capture the preferred, individual approaches to a task or learning situation. Auditory preferences are common amongst most models of learning styles; however, the scope of this study did not extend to other learning preferences or alternatives. Instead, this pilot research project, informed by the ‘audio turn’ and increased interest in UDL, sought to better understand how students and staff in the university context perceive, utilise, and engage with audio, both in everyday life and in higher education. Methodology The rationale for this project is based on UDL theories of flipped learning (Wolf et al.) and the use of captions in teaching and learning (Ellis et al.). UDL seeks to remove barriers and emphasises the importance of creating learning environments that offer multiple ways of engaging with content, and of accessing and representing information (Behling and Tobin 2). Wolf et al.’s research on flipped learning (replacing traditional lectures with online recordings) discovered that students who self-diagnosed attention deficit issues preferred the online option as it allowed them to break learning into small chunks. The opportunity to personalise study experiences to meet individual learning preferences was valued by the entire cohort, including students who preferred on-campus and face-to-face learning. These findings informed the development of a multimodal methodology in which participant responses are gathered from both researchers’ questions and from interaction and engagement with alternative learning formats. Firstly, a survey on the use of audio in everyday life and learning environments was created via Qualtrics and disseminated to students and staff. This was achieved in conjunction with the Digital Student Engagement Team, who promoted the survey via internal channels, Digital Screens, and Instagram stories. Several of the Faculties and Schools taking part in the research also distributed links to the survey via internal emails and the university’s learning platform. The survey was open for a ten-week period in the second half of 2023. Secondly, this project trialled embedding audio in teaching resources within four different units across two Faculties (Humanities and Business and Law), and then obtained feedback from students on their interactions with these new learning formats. Specifically, we added audio description to key resources in each unit, provided the option for audio feedback on at least one assignment per unit, and offered an audio version of the assessment guide. Students in the participating units were then invited to partake in an end-of-study-period focus group that discussed their uptake of and experience with the additional audio resources. The semi-structured discussions were facilitated in-person for on-campus units, and online via WebEx for offshore and online cohorts. The qualitative results from the focus groups and survey underwent thematic analysis. Research Findings Across both the survey findings and focus group discussions it emerged that audio played a pivotal role in students’ everyday life, and that this role had both increased in the past four years and manifested into a desire to utilise more audio alternatives in their learning experiences. There was a clear awareness of individuals’ personal learning preferences and what format they best responded to, as well as recognition that peers may have other preferences. These different types of learning preferences were reflected in the varied responses to extra audio-based learning material; while some students appreciated audio feedback on assessments, others preferred written feedback, in particular for ease of referencing and in order to refer back to it at a later point in time. Through the learner lens, audio does not appear to have replaced written learning material; instead, it is seen as complementary – and vice versa. Demographics Of the 268 survey participants (supplemented by an additional 31 focus group participants), 16.5% were staff. The responses primarily came from first-year students (26%), with relatively similar percentages of second-, third-year, and postgraduate students. In keeping with these enrolment demographics, most respondents were between the ages of 18 and 24 (43%). Students and staff in the Faculty of Humanities were significantly represented (57%), and most participants studied or taught online for some or all of the time (33% stated that they studied or

Capitalising on current students’ preference for learning via technology, this article proposes a genre-based teaching approach for ESP writing employing the technology afforded for language learning. A module was designed to teach ESP writing to accounting students using sustainability reports as the basis. The module includes details of how to guide students to carry out genre analysis and corpus analysis in order to discover the language use in the reports. ESP students are reported to enjoy writing genres related to their disciplines where they are more prepared to participate. This is expected to be achieved with this module.

A survey was conducted of three groups: prospective students, current students, and alumni. Prospective students were asked what benefits (career, on-the-job performance, and personal benefits) they expected to derive from their MBA education. Current students and alumni were asked what benefits they have derived from their education. The expectations of the prospective students were quite consistent with the experiences of the current students and alumni with respect to on-the-job performance and personal benefits, but the career benefits that prospective students anticipated far exceeded actual experiences. This study should help prospective students to have more realistic expectations and should help MBA-granting institutions to understand an important source of dissatisfaction.

There have been concerns about the teaching and learning modes in both conventional and Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions globally. Such concerns emanate from issues of quality and standards in education. In view of such concerns, the study examined the teaching and learning modes in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). These were examined in relation to how they contribute to quality and standards within the the context of ODL. The study focused on the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU), an ODL university in Zimbabwe. It used the qualitative methodology and the case study design. A purposively selected sample of twenty students on the Bachelor of Education in Educational Management (BEDM) programme, another twenty on the Masters of Education in Educational Management (MEDM) programme and and thirty students on the teacher development programmes were selected from a population of one hundred and sixty two students in the Department of Education in Harare region. In total, the sample was made up of seventy students and fifteen tutors who were observed teaching. Data was collected through the use of interviews, open-ended questionnaires and analysis of documents. Data was collected from current students in the Faculty of Arts and Education in the Departments of Educational Studies and Teacher Development. Data was also collected through the evaluation instruments and other related documents used at ZOU. Furthermore, students evaluated the different teaching and learning modes used in the university. These included reading material, modules, tutors and tutorials. The study concluded that whilst students expressed satisfaction in areas such as the work and efforts of their tutors and the relevance of the courses to their jobs and promotion prospects, they were concerns about the non-availability of learning materials in some cases, the coverage of some topics in some modules and the language of instruction used by the tutors. The cases observed indicated that the institution was lagging behind in modern technology. These are concerns that could compromise quality if not addressed.

This article reports a study that investigated prospective and current Vietnamese international students’ motivations to study abroad and their immigration intentions. Analyses of 55 intercept interviews and 313 responses to a survey revealed 12 push and pull factors that motivated students to pursue overseas studies and 18 sociocultural, economic, and political factors that influenced their immigration intentions. Independent samples t tests indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the influence of motivations on decisions to study overseas between groups of male and female students and prospective and current students. The analyses, furthermore, suggested that students’ immigration intentions depended on their personal attachment to the home country and (perceived) adaptability to the host country.