E-learning In Institutions Research Articles

Conceptualization of student support by university support staff in an open distance e-learning environment

Student support is seen as a necessity to better students’ progress. For students to succeed when studying at a distance, they need a great deal of support to adjust to the institution of higher learning. Independence theory was used as a lens to understand the role of student support staff in providing services to students. A qualitative case study was employed with a purposive sample of sixteen support staff to explore the role of regional academic coordinators, counsellors, centre managers and librarians, referred to as support staff, in supporting students in an open distance e-learning institution and also to determine their understanding of student support. The results reveal that most of the support staff members were aware of their role in contributing to student success in the institution. They indicated that there is a gap between academics and professional staff where a referral system is lacking to fully support and trace students needing support. Support staff seemed to lack marketing skills to inform and attract students to utilize the services. The results further reveal a lack of technological skills among some of the support staff to facilitate online services for students. The study recommends collaboration among all role players in the institution in order to give holistic support to students and to be trained in technological skills to assist students online.

First-generation distance learning students: can the perceptions of social support and sense of belonging influence academic persistence?

PurposeFirst-generation students (FGS) experience numerous challenges during their studies because of their background attributes and lack of social capital required to navigate institutions of higher learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of perceived social support and a sense of belonging on academic persistence among FGS at a distance e-learning institution in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional quantitative research approach was employed. The sample comprised 240 undergraduate students. While multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the influence of perceived social support and sense of belonging on academic persistence, mediation analysis was used to test for the mediating effect of sense of belonging on the relationship between perceived social support and academic persistence.FindingsThe results revealed that while perceived family support, perceived friendship support and perceived support from others did not significantly predict academic persistence, a sense of belonging significantly predicted academic persistence. The results also demonstrated that a sense of belonging significantly mediated the relationship between perceived family support and academic persistence. Further, the sense of belonging significantly mediated the relationship between perceived support from others and academic persistence.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the study imply that distance learning institutions should strengthen student support mechanisms and institute steps to create learning environments that engender belongingness to enable students to persist academically and reach their academic goals.Originality/valueThis study outlines practical strategies that distance learning institutions could use to enhance support and bolster belongingness among students to help them complete their studies.

Student Support for Incarcerated Females in an Open Distance e-Learning Institution

In South Africa, higher education is a constitutionally enshrined basic human right and one of the cornerstones for accomplishing the ideals of offenders’ rehabilitation and preparation for life beyond bars. However, acquiring higher education whilst serving a sentence in a correctional centre is compounded by many institutional challenges especially towards incarcerated female students. Framed by the transactional distance theory (TDT), the qualitative study from which this paper emanates, used purposive and snowball sampling to recruit twenty-nine female distance learning students incarcerated at four female correctional centres across three provinces in South Africa. Based on the thematic content analyses of the data, the findings indicate that there is restricted access to learning resources, and that online participation in both learning and assessment is affected by erratic internet connectivity caused by UNISA-DCS hubs (computer laboratories) due to the security-focused nature of the correctional centres. Furthermore, the lack of direct access to the internet, smartphones, or internet‐enabled devices exacerbates the digital marginalisation and exclusion of incarcerated students which engenders feelings of despondency against a system that is meant to empower them. Thus, owing to these findings, the paper recommends that practitioners, researchers, and policymakers must endeavour to design not only inclusive, but correctional centre-friendly student support. This entails acknowledging that incarcerated students do not have 24/7 access to the internet, the technological gadgets that make online learning possible and some incarcerated students having limited digital literacy. There is a need to design learning policies and strategies that are flexible to enhance the learning experiences and graduateness of incarcerated students.

The impact of information technology for online learning with the implementation and involvement of students in the creation of conditions and environment

Adaptive e-learning is considered a stimulus to assist learning and increase student engagement. Hence, building suitable adaptive e-learning environments helps to individualize education to reinforce learning goals. This work aims to create an adaptable e-learning environment based on students' learning styles and examine the effect of the adaptive e-learning environment on student engagement. This study also contrasts the suggested adaptive e-learning environment with the standard e-learning strategy. The suggested adaptive e-learning strategy and findings may assist e-learning institutions in building and implementing more individualized and adaptable e-learning environments to increase student engagement. The work is based on mixed research methodologies used to examine the effect in the following manner: The adaptive e-learning environment is designed using the development technique, a quasi-experimental research methodology for performing the research experiment. The student engagement scale measures the following affective and behavioral factors: skills, participation/interaction, performance, and emotions. According to the data, the experimental group is statistically substantially higher than the control group. These experimental findings suggest that an adaptable e-learning environment can motivate pupils to learn. This study makes many practical recommendations: how to develop a foundation for adaptive e-learning based on learning styles and how to execute it; how to improve the impact of adaptive e-learning in education; and how to boost the cost-effectiveness of education.

Open educational resources as the panacea for the decolonisation of e-learning content in South Africa

Higher education institutions have been following the global trend of advocating open educational resources (OER) for tuition and learning. In the South African context of higher education, there is also an increasingly strong call for decolonisation in educational content. However, there is a lack of knowledge and theories for the decolonisation of learning content. This study sought to establish the possibilities of decolonisation of OER in digital learning. To employ the appropriate lens for the decolonisation of content, the study opted for contextualised theory, contextual knowledge world views, and the African indigenous knowledge frameworks, while following the Transformative Learning Theory. This theory made it possible to follow the decolonisation elements relevant to low-income contexts. Consequently, the decolonisation lesson guided the appropriate systems for the decolonisation of the tuition content. After decolonisation, the concepts of Africanisation and transformative learning were considered by using the Technology Appropriation Model as a guide for adopting and developing OER appropriate for the African context. The study employed the qualitative approach and case study strategy by focussing on one of the largest comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODEL) institutions in South Africa and on the African continent. The study established that CODEL encourages the use of OER for the decolonisation of tuition content. However, there is still a lack of strategies, models, policies, and practical guidelines for the decolonisation of OER. Therefore, the study proposed the decolonisation of an e-learning content model that academia can use to advance the decolonisation of e-learning content.

Utilising Artificial Intelligence Chatbots for Student Support at Comprehensive Open Distance E-learning Higher Learning Institutions in the Fifth Industrial Revolution

Abstract Artificial intelligence chatbot technology holds tremendous potential to be deployed as a student support service automation platform in comprehensive open distance e-learning institutions of higher learning in the Fifth Industrial Revolution. Inadequate support service provision to students at comprehensive open distance e-learning institutions of higher education has prompted this investigation into the use of artificial intelligence chatbot technology for the provision of student support services at comprehensive open distance e-learning higher education institutions in the Fifth Industrial Revolution. This qualitative study adopted content analysis as its research methodology, which is grounded in a literature review that incorporated insights from the researchers’ experiences with utilising artificial intelligence chatbots for student support in comprehensive open distance e-learning higher education institutions in the Fifth Industrial Revolution. The findings of the study indicate that artificial intelligence chatbot technology may be able to provide support services to students in a comprehensive open distance e-learning setting. Artificial intelligence chatbots can be utilised in the administration department to respond and make calls to students, as well as provide information about the application and registration processes, and assist students in this regard. Students could also use the artificial intelligence chatbots for learning and to conduct research. The study recommends a framework for the use of artificial intelligence chatbots for the provision of support services to students at comprehensive open distance e-learning higher education institutions in a new and emerging phase of industrialisation, namely the Fifth Industrial Revolution.

Perceptions and innovations of academics in an open distance e-learning institution

The issue of academic support remains a significant area of concern within open distance e-learning (ODeL) institutions. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceptions and innovations pertaining to academic support, specifically in the academic language and literacy in English module (ENGX). Grounded in the social presence theory, the study investigates the pivotal role of social presence in promoting students’ engagement and academic success in ENGX module. The findings reveal that while lecturers generally hold a positive view of academic support in online higher education institutions, there is room for further enhancement, considering students’ expressed dissatisfaction. The findings also shed light on students’ apprehensions regarding limited engagement, accessibility challenges, and the pressures associated with misusing chat generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT). In contrast, lecturers emphasized the significance of fortifying presence and engagement to mitigate issues such as plagiarism. The pedagogical purpose of the paper is to enhance the understanding of academic support within the context of ODeL and explore innovative approaches to improving the educational experience in such a context.

ICT Tools for Open Educational Resources Used in an Open Distance E-learning Institution in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era

Open educational resources (OER) are gaining popularity in higher education spaces and more attention in open distance e-learning (ODeL) institutions as they are gradually substituting printed prescribed textbooks in the teaching and learning space. The adoption and development of OER have been researched; however, the roles of knowledge management tools in storing and disseminating the resources are not well articulated. This research explores the use of knowledge management tools in an ODeL learning context. ODeL institutions use knowledge management tools and a host of other information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver and facilitate synchronous and asynchronous learning and bridge transactional distance. Therefore, this study employed a qualitative approach to investigate ways in which lecturers use knowledge management tools to embrace and create OER. A case study approach was used at one ODeL institution. The knowledge management cycle (KMC) was chosen as the theoretical framework of the study. The key finding demonstrates that lecturers utilised a wide range of ICT tools for the storage, collection, and dissemination of OER as part of knowledge production. The study proposes the extension of the KMC from three cycles to four where “system” is added. There is a significant need for policy, impact, and the matrix to be covered under the system cycle. The study recommends that scholars who are investigating any IT artefact opt for an extended KMC where impact and user metrics will be evaluated, as this will enhance academic support.

Juggling access vs retention and academic performance: The experience of a lecturer teaching in an open, distance e-learning institution

In response to the growing number of people requiring access to higher education, the student numbers at distance education institutions grew significantly over the last decade (Unisa 2013; 2020). Unfortunately, many students who enrol at open distance learning institutions are not ready for the demands of distance e-learning. More than half of students enrolled at the open distance learning institution where this study was done drop out and the reasons have been well researched (Joubert and Snyman 2018; Mashile, Fynn, and Matoane 2020). It seems that universities’ responses to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4.3 ‒ equal access to technical, vocational and higher education) (Unesco 2021) may unintentionally have created new vulnerabilities for the very group of people they have targeted for progress to end poverty, hunger and discrimination. As nearly a third of all students in South Africa are enrolled at Africa’s largest open distance learning institution (Unisa 2018), it becomes crucial not only to increase access, but simultaneously to prioritise student retention and academic performance. This raises the question: How can and should lecturers teaching at distance-education institutions optimise the online teaching and learning environment in order to bridge the gap between access targets and academic performance targets? Following an autoethnographic research design, I share my own experiences of teaching two year-modules of the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) Foundation Phase programme offered via a continuous assessment (CA) approach. Two theoretical frameworks, namely the socio-critical model of Subotzky and Prinsloo (2011, 184), and Luna’s (2018) theory of layers of vulnerability guided my understanding of the challenges associated with distance learning as well as my research design. My study reveals that the promise of CA does not always convert to optimal performance, and that contextual factors in distance education have a powerful impact on academic achievement despite the effort made by lecturers.

Students’ Perceptions of the Digital Access Centres at the University of South Africa

This paper sought to investigate the accessibility of Digital Access Centres as a resource for Unisa Students needing to access services away from campus. The Digital Access Centres are available in open-distance e-learning institutions like Unisa in a quest to reach students. Unisa regional computer labs are always fully packed with students queuing to access the computers to access online platforms to write and submit assignments. Students are also expected to use Digital Access Centres to access support services instead of travelling long distances to regional offices or campuses. This study investigated UNISA students’ perceptions and knowledge of Digital Access Centres. A qualitative research methodology was used. Data was generated through semi-structured interviews with thirteen students. The sample was drawn from a population of students who visit computer labs at the Gauteng Regional Service Centre. The data collected revealed that students do not know about Digital Access Centres despite information being available on myUnisa and myChoice brochures. The findings also revealed that few students are accessing Digital Access Centres, and those who visited the centres, indicated that the centres are not fully operational and struggle with connectivity.

Constructs in the Institutional E-Learning Readiness Models: A Literature Review

Learning continuity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is being advocated by many. As a result, many educational institutions worldwide are turning to e-learning or online learning as a solution. Nevertheless, many of them have never used e-learning before. Accordingly, this literature review aims to gather pertinent data about the constructs existing institutional e-learning readiness models. There were 42 models found in various databases between the year 2000 and January 2021, according to the search keywords “(institution or institutionalize) and readiness and (online learning or e-learning).” This review discusses the most frequently cited constructs in various models and other relevant information which are critical for the development of a new model and/or the adoption of an existing model to assess an institution’s readiness for e-learning delivery.

Student Academic Success in Linear Algebra in an Open Distance Learning Environment

Academic success in first year university mathematics in been problematic for decades and mathematics educators keep looking for the causes. What has been universally agreed, is that the theoretical and abstract nature of mathematics plays a role. A module on Linear Algebra at an Open Distance eLearning (ODeL) institution, was identified for investigation due to very high dropout and failure rates. This article concentrates on identifying the types of knowledge (e.g., procedural, conceptual, strategic, schematic and declarative) necessary for academic success in the subject. Using the literature, a conceptual framework is developed to classify students’ answers into the various types of knowledge. The research question asks what types of knowledge contributes to academic success in Linear Algebra. Script analysis is used to answer the research question. The results showed that lack of the necessary declarative knowledge which forms the basis for the other forms of knowledge as well as procedural knowledge were the main causes of the resulting misconceptions and errors. It was established that students were more engaged in surface learning rather than deep learning that results in conceptual understanding and acquisition of conceptual knowledge.

Proctoring as a human substitution for online summative assessments in a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution: Opportunities and obstacles

At a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) university in South Africa, assessment practices were converted and offered online during and post COVID-19. Innovative proctoring methods were applied to secure the authenticity of online summative assessments. However, the use of such proctoring tools to ensure ethical behaviour of students during summative assessments remains questionable, as these tools are not infallible. A qualitative approach was applied to explore ways in which online proctoring tools can contribute toward ensuring authentic summative assessments. Through the application of collaborative autoethnography, the researchers obtained insight into opportunities and obstacles that may influence the effective use of online proctoring tools to support summative assessment activities. Findings indicate that students would go to great lengths to consult unauthorised material and share answers during summative assessments. Therefore, to enhance perceptions of ethical conduct in higher education, it is recommended that ethical principles are expanded through extended training and guidance with revolutionised proctoring technologies.

Technology-Based Support of Final Year Bachelor of Education Students in a South African Open Distance e-Learning Institution

Throughput rates are a cause for concern across South African universities. Acceptance at university does not guarantee success for students, particularly the historically and economically disadvantaged majority. This challenge is exacerbated in Open Distance e-Learning institutions such as the University of South Africa (UNISA). Through a case study, this paper discusses key issues affecting students who were on the brink of completion, requiring one or two modules to complete their Bachelor of Education qualification at UNISA. The two hundred students who were part of the study were enrolled in the second-level English module, Genres in Literature and Language: Theory, Style and Poetics. The sampling was voluntary and purposeful from students in this module, who either sought assistance with the module content via email or who qualified for the FI Concession, which is an additional assessment opportunity for final-year students. The study identifies existing barriers to successful study using Keller’s (1987) ARCS Model of Motivation. It offers a glimpse of support efforts provided to these students using the myUnisa Learning Management System in combination with the WhatsApp application, short video podcasts, and NoRedInk. The latter is an online learning site that seeks to develop writing skills through grammar and writing activities. These digital platforms and resources were used as part of the Lecturer-in-the-Pocket (LiP) approach, which underpins the intervention. The success of this cohort provides another approach to improving throughput rates in Open Distance e-Learning institutions.

Online Modules Discussion Forums: A Pedagogical Platform Facilitating Learning in DE Environments

Student support in an open distance e-learning (ODeL) institution takes different forms and shapes. These forms and shapes are used in defining the nature of ODeL institutions. Bridging the distance gap between students in ODeL institutions, different platforms to facilitate interaction among students, students and their instructors are developed and made available. These interactions assist students by reducing the feeling of loneliness in the learning process. Loneliness is one of the experiences associated with dropout rates that negatively impact students’ success rate. The question is, are students making use of these platforms as they were designed for, which is to facilitate the process of learning by interacting with other stakeholders such as with fellow students, students and instructors, students and content? The other question, given that students are from diverse backgrounds, is whether the platform is equally usable and accessible to all students. Are the other social challenges, such as poverty, low technological skills, inequality, network coverage, and loadshedding among factors, considered when introducing and rolling out these platforms to students? Leading the pack in these platforms is the online discussion forum, which is embedded in learning management systems (LMS), available on each online or blended or hybrid module registered for. For example, if a student has registered for two modules, each module has its own discussion forum. There is a concern whether participation in online discussion forums is related to students’ success. The study determines whether participation in online discussion forums is related to a student’s success in the module. Two modules were conveniently selected and used for meeting the purpose of study. The modules were offered using the blended or online pedagogy. The students’ posting on the discussion forum was extracted and statistically analysed to determine whether it relates to success or performance in the modules. The study reported mixed results, where either participation or non-participation is related to student success. Student success comprises a variety of activities, for which participation by posting in online discussion forums forms part, however, it is not the only solution.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPING AN ONLINE ENGLISH WRITING COURSE FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

An online English course for computer science students at the B2 level was conceptualized for the E-learning institution Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern between Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Technische Hochschule Nuremberg Georg Simon Ohm. The course consists of four separate modules that cumulatively target writing and language skills relevant to computer science students. Individual assessments at the end of each module serve as a review. Further, students write keystone pieces throughout the course that constitute a writing portfolio. The students’ written pieces are targeted assignments that encapsulate both the writing and the language skills addressed in each module. For instructors, these provide insight into how well students acquired the requisite skills. The writing skills cover online writing tools (COCA, AntConc, OneLook, Quillbot), software documentation, expository text based on pseudocode, and finally, summarizing/paraphrasing tools. These are reinforced through language skills that either have greater prominence in the computer science field or are frequently used for the respective writing skills. Comma and hyphen rules, maintaining objectivity in writing, describing data in figures, and embedded clauses in English are some of the language skills covered. For materials development, a combination of corpus and AI writing tools were implemented to analyse and modify authentic scientific literature. Examples, keywords, and patterns of writing taken from authentic texts were modified to create exercises relevant to topics presented in the modules. The course provides strong didactic support for instructors whose aim is to facilitate a more natural set of writing tasks and students' ability to apply the learned skills beyond the classroom.

Assessment of Students' Perceived Preparedness for E-learning in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic has made software developers come up with different e-learning tools to facilitate distance learning in institutions. These tools have eased the challenges brought about by limited contact among persons during that period and there could be variations in the level of preparedness to use these tools among different populations. This study thus aimed to assess the level of student’s preparedness to use these e-learning tools.
 Materials and Methods: A descriptive design was used to carry out this study among 203 respondents of the Federal Training Centre for Teachers of Health Sciences, in the University College Hospital, Ibadan. A simple random sampling technique was adopted to select the study participants from the population. A semi-structured questionnaire with 4 sections was used in the collection of data. Ethical considerations were adhered to and analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software.
 Results: The results show that a high level of preparedness (71.4%) was recorded and this was evidenced by a greater proportion of availability of e-learning materials (76.8%) with a corresponding network system (82.8%). A majority (73.9%) of the respondents had utilized these e-learning tools for class assignments and virtual meetings in their respective environments. The recorded level of preparedness was reported to be faced with some constraints including poor availability of telecommunications networks (42.4%), lack of functional laptops (17.2%), and lack of e-learning facilities (10.3%).
 Conclusion: E-learning utilization preparedness was found to be good in this study but is faced with certain barriers limiting its use effectively. This research has been able to make a case for the effective development and sustenance of e-learning in institutions in Nigeria. Governments and necessary stakeholders need to prioritize the provision of infrastructure, training, and materials needed to enhance e-learning in the education system of Nigeria.

Why All the Hype about ChatGPT? Academics’ Views of a Chat-based Conversational Learning Strategy at an Open Distance e-Learning Institution

Why All the Hype about ChatGPT? Academics’ Views of a Chat-based Conversational Learning Strategy at an Open Distance e-Learning Institution

Moodle in an Open Distance e-Learning University: Is It a Building or Stumbling Block to Student Interaction and Autonomy?

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa are seemingly staggering under the burden of digital division and exclusion. Due to its perceived flexibility and affordability for students in remote areas, distance education is a popular option for many students at HEIs. One of the e-learning tools introduced is a modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (Moodle) learning management system (LMS), which is designed using web-based applications and provides online learning services to students. The key question remains: how do first-year students experience Moodle? Do they view it as a building block to their learning? Or is it a stumbling block? This article reports on a study that was conducted in a South African open distance e-learning (ODeL) institution with students who speak English as an additional language, in an Academic Writing module. The study used a qualitative case study approach and drew on the theory of transactional distance to understand how Moodle encourages student interaction and autonomy. Although the study findings cannot be generalised on a broader scale, the findings are in line with similar studies, amplifying the critical role of student experiences, interaction, and autonomy in HEIs to bring about the required change.

The Feasibility of Digitalizing Teaching Practice Through Mobile App Development

With the closure of educational institutions during COVID-19, some leadership and management teams resorted to technology for online teaching. However, for the teaching practicum (TP) module, the move to online required specially designed interventions, resulting in a variety of different TP COVID-19 configurations. Fortuitously, at the outbreak of COVID-19, a group of academics at a South African Open Distance and E-Learning (ODeL) Institution were on the verge of launching a pilot-study with a TP mobile app solution. To better develop a mobile app, this article reviews recent literature on the integration of online technologies in the contemplation of TP COVID-19 interventions and ask the research question: What were TP supervisors' responses to the feasibility of a TP app? The literature showed an absence of a comprehensive mobile app, while supervisors displayed enthusiasm towards the proposal, but caution against the uncertainties of technological capacity and internet accessibility. Recommendations for the mobile app proposal are suggested.