Distance Education Programs Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INFORMATION AND EDUCATIONAL PORTAL OF DISTANCE LEARNING BASED ON EDUCATIONAL DATA MINING

Currently, there is an increase in demand for distance education programs,which actualizes the problems of organizing the educational process at universities usingthese technologies. The article highlights and describes the characteristic features andprospects of using the analysis of educational data in the information and educational portalof distance learning, in order to implement adaptive learning and learning in accordancewith dynamically formed individual trajectories. The task is to create a fundamentally newinformation system of the university using the results of the analysis of educational data. Oneof the functions of such a system is to extract knowledge from the data accumulated duringoperation. Creating own system of this type is an iterative and time-consuming process thatrequires preliminary research and step-by-step prototyping of modules. The novelty lies inthe fact that there is currently no methodology for developing such systems in Kazakhstan,so a number of experiments were conducted in order to collect data, select suitable methodsfor studying the collected data, and then interpret them. As a result of the experiment, theauthors identified the sources of educational data available for analysis in the informationenvironment of the university. The data of semester academic performance obtained from theToraighyrov University information system, data obtained as a result of independent work ofstudents and data obtained using specially developed Google-forms were taken as a basis. Aninformation and educational portal was created for the automated collection, processing andanalysis of educational data. Based on the study of students’ behavior, it becomes possibleto form recommendations for teachers to improve the content and structure, as well asrecommendations for the training of students. The data contained in the activity logs areexamined to obtain information, search for dependencies by filtering relevant logs, structuringinformation from them and providing data in a form convenient for analysis and drawingconclusions. The data of the main types of events generated as a result of recording useractions in the learning management system and scenarios for using the results of the analysisof these data are considered. The elements of the software implementation of this system aredescribed in detail, conclusions are made about the availability of the data sources used, andconclusions are drawn about the prospects for further development.

A multimodal analysis of college students' collaborative problem solving in virtual experimentation activities: a perspective of cognitive load.

Distance education programs have become the preferred option for most higher education institutions to continue teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the effectiveness of some online courses, especially those engineering courses with experimentation activities, remains disputed. The main challenge is fostering collaborative problem solving skills for novice students as online collaboration increases their cognitive load. This research thus tapped into novice engineering students’ cognitive load to develop a more granular, multimodal view of how cognitive load influences student performance in collaborative problem solving during virtual experimentation activities. The findings of this research provided significant implications for the future design and implementation of virtual laboratories in computer science engineering education.

The Sudden Shift to Distance Learning: Challenges Facing Teachers

This study explores challenges facing teachers in distance education programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants in this study are teachers from 8 intermediate schools in Kuwait. A convergent parallel mixed methods research design was used to collect survey and interview data. The study generates survey data from 215 teachers and interview data from 8 teachers to determine teachers’ perceptions of the challenges they face. The findings of the study suggest that teachers are willing to use technology but lacked technological and pedagogical knowledge and were not prepared for making the sudden shift to distance education. The study highlights the importance of teachers’ professional development in distance education. This study has implications for schools and policy makers who are forced to suddenly revert to distance learning during a pandemic.

The Reality of the Primary Schools Principals in Jeddah Practices of Management by Walking Around Remotely from Teachers’ Point of View: واقع ممارسة قائدات مدارس المرحلة الابتدائية في مدينة جدة للإدارة بالتجوال عن بُعد من وجهة نظر المعلمات

This research study aims to identify the reality of the primary school principals in Jeddah practices of management by walking around remotely from teachers’ point of view. The researcher used the descriptive method to achieve this objective. A questionnaire was created consisting of (33) items and distributed among randomly intended sample consisting of (216) teachers in the primary public education schools of (central Jeddah). The results of the research concluded that the reality of the primary school principals in Jeddah practices of management by walking around remotely from teachers’ point of view gained an overall average (4.18 out of 5), which indicates a (High) degree of practice. At the level of the research dimensions, the dimension of motivation gained the highest average (4.31), then the dimension of improving communication with an average (4.26), and the third dimension of development and creativity with an average (4.21) which all indicated a (Very High) practice. The fourth dimension is feedback, gained an average (4.14), and the fifth dimension is finding the facts that gained an average (4.00), in which both indicated a (High) degree of practice. The researcher presented recommendations and suggestions based on the results above, some of the most important of them are as follows: the inclusion of the concept of management by walking around remotely in the digital education process, designing specialized training courses to develop the practices of school principals for management by walking around remotely, diversifying the motivational methods used in walking around remotely, activating virtual meetings periodically, and making further improvements to distance education programs and adding some features to them; To facilitate the role of the school principal in practicing all dimensions of management by roaming remotely to fulfill the objectives of the remote virtual educational process.

Policy for Distance Learning in Education in Higher Education Institutions: Experiences from Sudan

The introduction of distance learning in education in universities has transferred the competition between them to a higher, global level also. However, Sudan is one of the African countries, suffering from many challenges that are related to technology such as poor network, lack of awareness, lack of commitment of institutions and instructors, and lack of network coverage to the remote areas. Therefore, this paper aimed to review the initiative of distance education in some Sudanese universities. In doing so, this paper followed a qualitative research approach to the type of case study research. The information for this study was derived from articles, books, online sources, reports, and documents. The paper reviewed distance education policy in some Sudanese Universities Such as the Open University of Sudan, University of Khartoum, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Al-Neelain University, and Al-Zaeem Al-Azhari University. It was normal that universities in Sudan needed to introduce their teachers and students to such distance education programs to achieve more excellence in teaching and learning. The paper suggests college officials should adopt policies to implement distance education in Sudanese universities.

Transforming Distance Education for Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development

This study proposes a framework for transforming online education for professional development based on prospective teachers' opinions of distance education. One hundred fifty students from Allama Iqbal Open University (Distance Education), from rural and urban areas, were randomly chosen to collect data on several aspects of teachers' professional development, including workshop efficacy, curriculum, evaluation methods, and information and communication technology (ICTs). The data were acquired using a self-developed instrument that was pilot tested. After collection, data were analyzed using means and t-tests. The study found that while AIOU's teacher education programs fulfill the demands of distant students, they do not support prospective teachers' ongoing professional growth. The curriculum of teacher education courses does not completely develop students' creative and professional qualities. There is a lack of balance between theory and practice. The use of ICT in teacher education is not up to standard. The AIOU's teacher education programs also require additional attention to prepare future teachers in remote areas. Distance Education Programs for teachers' CPD requires a lot of focus and excellent tactics. The researchers presented a mechanism to alter distance education for instructors' CPD.

E-Learning and Economic Well-Being of Graduates: Applying the Human Capital Earning Function to Distance Education

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of e-learning in raising the income level of graduates. Based on a sample of the distance education program students in the Bachelor of Business Administration. The study applies the net present value, and regression model to estimate the Human Capital Earnings Function presented by Mincer (1974). The results showed that the NPV of the expected cost and earnings for graduates that the program will cause an improvement of the standard of living of graduates. Moreover, the regression results indicate that the most important factors affecting the expected wages are those objective factors such as experience and job stability, as they are superior to subjective factors such as marital status and age, the technical expertise comes between these two groups. The study recommends more use of modern technologies in the field of distance education, for all societies without restrictions of time or place, in order to achieve the spread of knowledge, to raise the efficiency and income of workers in the economy. Provide the opportunity for those who were unable to continue their university education, due to socioeconomic conditions.

DISTANCE EDUCATION FOR TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM IN RURAL AREAS: A NECESSARY STRATEGY FOR COVID-19 SITUATION

Like other countries around the world, distance education approach has been exceptionally beneficial for the continuation of teaching learning activities in Bangladesh during the covid-19 pandemic situation. Teacher training is a very crucial and integrated part of teaching learning activities as it helps to enhance the quality of teaching. Despite the continuation of teaching learning through online and distance education approach, the teacher training was not happening on a regular basis during this pandemic period. Therefore, this study is an attempt to explain the necessity of distance education for the persistence of teachers training program during and after the covid-19 pandemic situation in order to maintain a continuity in the professional development especially for teachers in the rural areas in Bangladesh. This study was conducted by following the concurrent mixed method research design. Data were collected with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and interview schedule from the secondary school teachers from rural areas, trainers and experts in distance education and teacher training program. The results of this study indicated that distance education can play a significant alternative role in arranging teacher training program for teacher across the country during this covid-19 crisis moment. Moreover, the participants also agreed that the continuation of distance education approach should be paralleled with the conventional approach for teacher training program in the post covid-19 period as it brings more flexibility, accessibility, inclusiveness and responsiveness. However, the study also revealed few challenges which can impair the arrangement of distance education in teacher training programs.
 
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A Suggested Proposal to Develop Distance Learning Programs in Border Schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The aim of this research is to find a proposed vision for developing distance education programs in border schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to explore the reality of the proposed educational programs for developing distance education programs. In order to achieve the research objectives, the descriptive and analytical approach was used for its suitability for this research, as the questionnaire was used as a research tool. The research sample consisted of (150) female teachers from border schools. The results of the research revealed that the reality of female teachers ’practice on distance learning programs in border schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is central. And that the use of technology is the most important requirement for developing distance education programs in border schools from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results also showed the achievement of leadership in diversifying and developing teaching and learning methods through the distance education system based on employing modern information and communication technology, equipping schools with all technological equipment, and supporting students with modern equipment and teachers with modern training to achieve the goals of distance education. In light of the results, the research paper presented a proposal for developing distance education programs in border schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Government Interventions in Promoting EducationThe Educational Development in Sierra Leone Since the End of the War in 2000

Sierra Leone’s educational system has made a remarkable recovery in several interventions over the years. The Government of Sierra Leone is firmly committed to building a solid foundation for quality education. With this priority given to the education sector, the Government is firmly committed and puts a premium on resource allocation to the education sector for sustainable development. Representatives of the ministry of education, universities authorities and communities, were also engaged in focus group discussion for an in-depth idea about the topic under review. Additional information was sought from literature published by the institutions, especially the Ministry of education and Universities. The research was limited to the Western Area. The instruments used to collect data include a questionnaire, interview and discussion. The data were analysed qualitatively. Various parameters were analysed, such as compulsory Education by law, Free Primary education, principles of Discrimination, the building of schools all over the country, Distance Education programs, Guidance and Counselling in Schools, Emphasis on Girl child education, and Quality education for quality life in Sierra Leone, Promoting accessibility and many more. This research yielded a very fruitful result in the development of the country over these years to the present. Compulsory Education with the strict conditions attached to it increased the roll of pupils in schools. Today illiterate parents can boast of literate children, wherein such children give birth to children that they can take care of in terms of basic needs such as education, food, morals, shelter, clothing etc. With adult education all over the country, there is a considerable reduction in illiteracy countrywide. Education is made accessible throughout the country, with at least a secondary school in all the chiefdoms. The teachers are made available in schools that are in remote areas. Guidance and Counselling help correctly place school pupils in their excellent careers in life, making education relevant and meaningful. The researcher recommended that the Government maintain continuity in its policies, continue to promote Guidance and Counselling in schools and establish a local languages department at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Effectiveness of distance education program on mothers' empowerment in exclusive breastfeeding: A randomized clinical trial.

Mothers need the necessary skills to be empowered in successful breastfeeding. This study aimed to investigate effectiveness of the distance education program on the mothers' empowerment in exclusive breastfeeding. A randomized clinical trial study was done on 72 nulliparous pregnant women 28-32 weeks with normal pregnancy. The qualified women were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups based on the random-number table. The breastfeeding training packages were sent to women in the intervention group via Telegram every week from 32 until 37 weeks of gestation. The mothers' empowerment in breastfeeding (primary outcome) and the exclusive breastfeeding rate (secondary outcome) were assessed by questionnaires. Based on the repeated measured tests, although scores for all domains and also the total score of the mothers' empowerment in breastfeeding between two groups had increased during the study period, there was a significant difference between the increasing trends of the maternal empowerment domains in two groups (interaction P value <0.001). Also, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (secondary outcome) at 6 months was significantly higher in the intervention group (81.8% and 57.1% in the intervention and control groups, respectively) (P = 0.028). Distance education could increase all domains of the mothers' empowerment in breastfeeding after delivery. Also, exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months after delivery was significantly higher in mothers who were receiving the distance education packages.

Socio-pedagogical support in distance learning: reality and requirements for the organization

Based on the analysis of scientific, regulatory and methodological literature and the definition of the concept of "pedagogical support" with its socio-cultural characteristics, an attempt is made to highlight the specific features of the socio-pedagogical support required by students in the process of mastering distance education programs, as well as its principles and means. Various models of the organization of the educational process and components of technical equipment are considered.

Virtual teaching: Teachers' perspectives on online virtual classroom effectiveness during and beyond Covid-19

The purpose was to investigate the Arabic language teachers' perspectives on online VC effectiveness during and beyond COVID-19. Participants were 340 teachers. This study employed cross-sectional descriptive method, with the main focus on Arabic Language teachers' perspectives on online VC effectiveness during and beyond COVID-19. Findings from descriptive analysis of the teachers’ responses on the importance of using virtual classrooms in distance education program shoed that the rank agree comes first, where teachers responded with agree in 17 items, 2 with strongly agree and only one item for disagree. Using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), findings showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the responses of the study sample towards the use of virtual classrooms by gender, while academic qualification and years of experience contributed significantly, where those with higher qualification, and who are experts had positive perspectives on online VCs effectiveness during and beyond COVID-19.&#x0D; KEYWORDS. Virtual Teaching, Online Virtual Classroom, Covid-19

The Reality of Crisis management among public school principals in Hebron Governorate during the Corona pandemic: واقع إدارة الأزمات لدى مديري المدارس الحكومية في محافظة الخليل خلال جائحة كورونا

This study aimed at researching the reality of crisis management among public school principals in the Hebron governorate during the Corona pandemic, and this study was conducted on all public-school principals and principals in the Hebron governorates in the second semester of the academic year 2020/2021 on a sample consisting of (281). As principals, the descriptive approach is used, whereby the study tool that relates to crisis management for government school principals in Hebron Governorate during the Corona pandemic was built: Reality and Obstacles, and the tool’s validity and stability were sure. The study found that the reality of crisis management among public school principals in the Hebron governorate during the Corona pandemic came to a large extent, and the existence of differences in the reality of crisis management among public school principals in the Hebron governorate during the Corona pandemic from the viewpoint of government school principals in the Hebron governorate depending on the educational qualification variable and in favor of the academic qualification Master and above, and according to the variable of the directorate and in favor of the Hebron district, and according to the school gender variable in favor of schools Females by averages. The study found that obstacles to crisis management among public school principals in Hebron Governorate during the Corona pandemic came to a large extent And based on the results of the study, the recommendation: Giving the school director greater powers so that he can cope with any crisis he faces through his work, and work to provide the teaching bodies with training, internet and computers to enable them to work on teaching students according to the distance education programs approved by the ministry, And the participation of school principals in drawing up plans in the directorates and at the level of the ministry, due to their good knowledge of the reality through the nature of their work.

The COVID-19 pandemic: The evaluation of the emergency remote parent training program based on at-home support for children with down syndrome

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of emergency remote training programs for young children with Down syndrome, learning difficulties, and severe health problems and their parents became a requirement. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the “applied emergency remote training program”, prepared to address the needs of parents with children with Down syndrome and to offer them at-home support. It is an evaluative case study conducted with 11 parents of 11-35 months old children with Down syndrome. The findings demonstrated that the program could be conducted in a home environment, it improved the interactional behavior of both parents and children, reduced the number of difficult routines, and was considered as an educational, instructive, and band-aid solution. Issues such as the development of systematic psycho-social support systems that increase full participation and motivation of parents in distance education programs are important during extreme times such as the pandemic. Difficulties in online data collection, the employment of coaching and counseling systems in information maintenance, individualization of the program, the improvement of the interactivity in the program, and the development of applied training programs on different topics still wait for a solution.

Using Online Photovoice (OPV) to Understand Youths’ Perceptions of Distance Education during COVID-19

In this study we aimed to investigate young college students’ experienced problems and support resources regarding online or distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used an innovative technique, Online Photovoice (OPV) method to collect data. The research includes the theoretical framework created to understand the factors that facilitate and complicate online/distance education processes for prospective teachers in the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the framework consisted of Ecological Systems Theory (EST), Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), and OPV. In the analysis of the data, we used Online Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (OIPA). The study sample consisted of 153 young university students in three universities in the south and southeast of Turkey. The data collection tool was created as an online form consisting of four parts: introduction, general information, and consent form; questions on the most important facilitator and the most important barrier in your life for your online/distance education during the COVID-19 process using OPV; and demographic questions section. When the facilitating factors obtained from the study data were examined, 11 main themes emerged. These main themes were having online or distance education (37%), technology, computer, internet, and helpful course programs (30%), and private space (10%). On the other hand, 16 complicating main themes have emerged including insufficient technology (32%), problems with online education (15%), and financial issues (12%). The participants attributed facilitators and barriers to EST levels, respectively: individual/intrapsychic factors (47%, 43%), microsystem (19%, 48%), exosystem (36%, 37%), and macrosystem (26%, 34%).

The reality of using Moodle In a distance education program

Using e-learning system (moodle) in distance education in time of the Covid-19 has become a reality, and the study was concerned with revealing the degree of faculty members ’benefit from the Moodle system, as well as the nature of the challenges they faced, in addition to their vision to develop the use of Moodle system in teaching. The study used the descriptive analysis method, and the results showed that faculty members have benefited from the Moodle system for a high degree, although they indicated that there are significant challenges. The faculty members suggested continuing training on using the Moodle system and updating the version of the system available at the university. Results also showed that there are statistically significant differences in the estimates of the study sample of the reality of employment in favor of female faculty members as well as faculty members with low teaching experience, in the youth group. Accordingly, the study recommends training the teaching staff to use educational platforms and face the challenges facing distance education through these platforms&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Distance education - Corona pandemic

Using Grounded Theory Approach for Examining the Problems Faced by Teachers Enrolled in a Distance Education Programme

This study investigated the problems faced by teachers enrolling in a distance teacher education programme offered by India’s Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Instead of review of literature, the study began with the examination of learners’ complaints about various aspects of the programme. Analysis of data extracted from the complaints led to the hypothesis that the inability of the programme’s learner support to address nonacademic problems was affecting the capacity for distance learning. Interventions provided for strengthening the learner support, lessened complaints and confirmed the hypothesis. Thus using the grounded theory approach this study extracted from data, the impact of a weak learner support on distance learning. The study cautions that learner support remains crucial even when distance learners are professionals like teachers; a robust instructional design does not guarantee learner satisfaction if learner support remains weak; and alterations in learner support need to be tried out before incorporating them in programmes with high enrolment.

Exploring the relationship between community colleges’ participation in SARA and enrollment in distance education

AbstractWith the growth in distance education programs and other interstate activities, community colleges increasingly need to be authorized by multiple states. State authorization provides the legal approval for postsecondary education providers to offer credentials and conduct related activities. Participation in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) allows an institution to provide distance education to students in other SARA‐member states by honoring its original state authorization through interstate reciprocity. For community colleges, SARA reduces the administrative burden to participate in distance education. This article examines trends in SARA participation and the relationship between this participation and distance education enrollment. Using NC‐SARA and IPEDS data, we find that participation in SARA has grown rapidly, particularly among colleges with higher online enrollments. Distance education enrollments have likewise grown at community colleges, suggesting that SARA has successfully helped institutions maintain and grow multistate distance education programs.

Effectiveness Of Covid-19 Pandemic Management Distance Education Program

Aim: The current research aims to share the effectiveness of the distance education program designed for interns during COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: It is a program evaluation study in a single group pretest-posttest experimental research design. The Paired Samples T-Test, Independent Sample t test, McNemar's test was used. The effect size was calculated by Cohen analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data were interpreted together for the discussion of effectiveness.Results: The level of satisfaction of students with program was 7.8±1.6 points out of 10 (median:8). The average of pretest and posttest scores respectively referred to 16,6±2,9 (Median:17; Min-max:3-23) and 20,6±3,2 (Median:21; Min-max:10-26). As a measure of effect size the value of Cohen's d was found to be 1.13. At the end of the program, the opinion of the students regarding the success of Turkey and WHO in fighting against virus became clear and showed an increase (p=,000). Also, the number of students, blaming the pilgrims who had visited Saudi Arabia for their faith for the substantial spread of COVID-19, has increased (p=,000).Conclusions: The program is effective considering the quality of its features and the size of its effect. This study can be accepted as a confirmation that effective learning can be realized in limited conditions without any success pressure when the learner needs it.