Field Of Distance Education Research Articles

The Efficiency of Distance Education Considering the Spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Universities

The study aimed to verify the efficiency of distance education in light of the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi universities from the students’ point of view. The study reviewed the elements of the effectiveness of distance learning through the verification of the elements of the efficiency of distance education. It used descriptive curricula based on a questionnaire of 29 items distributed over six axes and applied to a random sample of 380 Saudi university students. The key results of the study were as follows. The efficiency of distance education in light of the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi universities was achieved with a degree ranging from medium to very high from the students’ point of view, as the necessary elements for distance education were achieved. In addition, the part of policies, regulations, and ethics in the field of distance education was completed to a high degree, reaching an average of 4.006. Providing the appropriate technology to accomplish the tasks required was achieved to a high degree as well with an average of 3.846. The study recommended that Saudi universities provide training programs to clarify the policies, regulations, and ethics of distance education through electronic education platforms and the Deanship of University Development.

DESIGN THINKING COURSE EXAMPLE IN THE STUDENT INTERACTION IN MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSES

The applications of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which are increasingly common today, are developing within the framework of student needs and these contents require different educational approaches in time. The social pattern in the focus of the social constructivist theory, on which applied education is based, differs in distance education compared to face-to-face education. In particular, the need to investigate the forms of student interaction has arisen, with the transfer of social constructivist applied courses, where the interaction of the student with the teacher is important, to the MOOC format, which reduces teacher interaction. This research aimed to explore the ways in which students interact with teachers and students in MOOCs given in the example of Design Thinking (DT) course which is an increasingly common and applied education today. In this context, 15 DT MOOCs given in October 2020 were analyzed and it was concluded that student-student interactions took place in three types of interaction: messaging, forum and assignment, and evaluation methods were listed under two headings as quiz and assignment. All of the examined courses have a forum tool and they have been actively used throughout the course. In the courses, the messaging and assignment interaction tool between students was not preferred much in the course structure, but the potential of these tools for reflections on the basis of applied education was emphasized. As for the assessment method, assignment was used in most of the courses examined. In this context, how the forms of interaction affect the educational structure and educational materials, and the relationship of the online platforms where the courses are given with the learning experience are discussed. The importance of student interaction in the field of distance education is increasing and it has been emphasized that it greatly affects the learning experience. With this study, the interaction between MOOC learning experiences in the focus of TOD was investigated and potential topics for future studies were identified.

민간 주도 에듀테크 육성을 위한 이해관계자 갈등구조 분석

Objectives In the distance education field, education data are easing as the education paradigm shifts to personalized education courses, while the government is still focusing on data collection, and fast-changing edtech companies are experiencing difficulties. Methods This study examines the main issues through a focus group on the use of data in the field of distance education, where conflicts between various interests are occurring at the time of institutional transition in the field of distance education, and attempts to analyze it using the Q methodology to find conflict points and cooperative alternatives was derived. Results The analysis results are as follows. First, the government should prepare legal and institutional alternatives so that various unstructured data of students can be used as educational data. Second, it is necessary to set clear usage standards for the scope of data related to education data. Third, institutional supplementation is needed so that data can be collected from the stage of data collection to meet the purpose of use by stage so that Edutech companies can use it for their business models. Conclusions This study is meaningful in that it provides relevant implications by analyzing the conflict structure between stakeholders that occurs in the process of using educational data in distance education in preparation for the transition to the digital age.

민간 주도 에듀테크 육성을 위한 이해관계자 갈등구조 분석

Objectives In the distance education field, education data are easing as the education paradigm shifts to personalized education courses, while the government is still focusing on data collection, and fast-changing edtech companies are experiencing difficulties. Methods This study examines the main issues through a focus group on the use of data in the field of distance education, where conflicts between various interests are occurring at the time of institutional transition in the field of distance education, and attempts to analyze it using the Q methodology to find conflict points and cooperative alternatives was derived. Results The analysis results are as follows. First, the government should prepare legal and institutional alternatives so that various unstructured data of students can be used as educational data. Second, it is necessary to set clear usage standards for the scope of data related to education data. Third, institutional supplementation is needed so that data can be collected from the stage of data collection to meet the purpose of use by stage so that Edutech companies can use it for their business models. Conclusions This study is meaningful in that it provides relevant implications by analyzing the conflict structure between stakeholders that occurs in the process of using educational data in distance education in preparation for the transition to the digital age.

CONDUCTING EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS IN ART INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The purpose of the article is to identify and analyze the forms and means of conducting educational webinars in art institutions of higher education that provide effective professional training in the context of distance learning using web resources, and to explore the significance of educational webinars in modern conditions. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary synthesis of scientific methods and approaches integrated from pedagogy and art history; general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization. The scientific novelty of the article lies in highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning in the acquisition of value orientations, aesthetic experience and special abilities in the educational process. The article discusses the method of distance learning ‒ a webinar. The perspective of this method as a form of communicative interaction is indicated, which increases the possibilities of creative activity of applicants for education, acquiring a set of performing, professional competencies aimed at the artistic and creative self-realization of the individual in various types of art, in comparison with traditional teaching methods. The main stages of organizing and conducting webinars are outlined. Ways to improve their efficiency are considered. The problems and prospects of using webinars as a model of social interaction between a teacher and a student in the field of distance education are analyzed. The online method of teaching was studied with a focus on achieving a given level of competence and professionalism in mastering information and communication technologies.
 Keywords: webinar; distance education; blended learning; information; competencies; online learning; offline learning; computer technology.

Exploring teacher–parent relationships in times of Covid-19: teachers’ expectations and parental home-schooling strategies in a Flemish context

ABSTRACT Previous research shows that the lockdown of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic increased the already existing inequalities in education but little is known about the processes underlying these outcomes. In this study we used Bourdieu’s theories to explore how interactions between teachers’ expectations of parents and parents’ availability of cultural, social and economic capital could potentially influence educational inequalities in the context of distance education. The analysis is based on 24 qualitative interviews with parents from different social backgrounds, teachers and school coordinators, sampled from an inner-city primary school in Flanders (Belgium). The results indicate that teachers continue to have standardised expectations of the proper role that parents should perform in distance education, which were difficult for some families to meet due their availability of cultural and economic capital. However, this study suggests that teachers’ exposure to familial issues can result in teachers adapting their expectations and responses so that they are more likely to respond to the needs of parents and students in the field of distance education.

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW STUDY ON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE CASE OF TURKEY

In this study, the purpose was to reveal the content analysis of master’s theses and doctoral dissertations in the field of CEIT between 2018-2020. The field of CEIT could be said to cover the fields of educational technology and distance education. A total of 156 master’s theses and dissertations were examined in order to identify the keywords, academic discipline, research areas, theoretical frameworks, research designs and models, variables and related institutions. According to the research findings, it was seen that quantitative methods were mostly used in the theses and dissertations examined and that mixed methods were used in master’s theses more than in doctoral dissertations. In addition, it was revealed that few of the theses and dissertations had theoretical foundations. K-12 students were mostly preferred as the type of participant, and scales and interviews were most popular as data collection tools. Moreover, the variables of academic performance and effectiveness were mostly used as dependent variables. The present study, which conducted systematic content analysis of master’s and doctoral dissertations in the field of CEIT, is thought to be important in terms of revealing the current situation in the fields of Educational Technology and Distance Education and determining the research trends.

Content Analysis of Theory-Based Graduate Theses Published in the Field of Distance Education in Turkey between 2008-2020

Purpose: To examine the trends in theory-based graduate theses published between 2008-2020 in the field of distanceeducation in Turkey.Methodology: In this study, which aims to examine theory-based graduate theses published in the field of distance educationin Turkey between 2008-2020, systematic literature review was adopted and content analysis technique was used in theanalysis of data. 483 theses with access permission in the Council of Higher Education (YOK) national database were examinedand 150 theses that were suitable for the research criteria were included in the study. Theses were categorized using the"Thesis Review Form", which has different fields such as thesis type, thesis title, the year the thesis was published, the universitywhere the thesis was published, the variables used in the theses, the science fields of the theses, the theory / model used inthe theses, the sample level of the theses and the sample sizes. The data of 150 theses, which are theory-based, were analyzedwith the descriptive content analysis technique.Findings: When the theses included in the study are examined, it has been determined that one of every three theses publishedin the field of distance education are based on theory. Considering the theoretical basis of the theses, it has been seen that thetheories of Social Presence, ARCS Motivation and Interactional Distance were given the most place. While Anadolu Universityand Gazi University were the universities where the most theses were published, Computer Sciences emerged as the fieldwhere the most theses were published. It was seen that academic success and attitude were the most studied variables in thetheses. It was concluded that the sample group studied in the theses mostly consisted of students studying at undergraduateand primary education level, and 31-100 participants were preferred more as the sample size.Highlights: In the study, 150 graduate theses published between 2008-2020 in the field of distance education in Turkey andmeeting the research criteria were examined and it was determined that one of these three theses was theory-based. Sincethis number has been determined to be quite small, it is thought that the findings obtained from this study will be useful for adeeper understanding of the theses that have a theoretical basis in distance education, by providing suggestions for futureresearch, and to contribute to the thesis work or research planned to be done in the future on this subject.

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.

Formation of professional competencies of a future foreign language teacher in the field of distance education

The aim of this study is to evaluate the opinions of teacher candidates and teachers related to foreign language teaching through distance education and to make forward-looking recommendations in line with these views. The study group consists of 30 teacher candidates who studied foreign language teaching at various universities in Kazakhstan during the 2020–2021 academic year and 35 English teachers who teach English in secondary schools in Almaty. The study was carried out within the scope of qualitative research and research data were collected with two semi-structured interview forms created by the researcher. The data obtained from the research are categorised by content analysis. As a result of the study, teacher candidates found distance education more inefficient in education than formal education and inadequate to provide distance education. Teachers, on the other hand, saw distance education as advantageous in terms of saving time and space, disadvantaged by student motivation, teacher inexperience and technical glitches. As a result of the research, it has emerged that urgent solutions are needed to eliminate the need to provide a separate education on distance education to teacher candidates and teachers, student motivation and technical problems.
 Keywords: distance education, advantages of distance education, disadvantages of distance education, foreign language teacher candidates, foreign language teachers, teacher opinions

СПЕЦИФІКА ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-ТЕХНОЛОГІЧНОГО ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ УКРАЇНИ

The article focuses on the peculiarities of the introduction of information technologies in Ukraine. On the one hand, Ukraine has a recognized image in the international arena in the IT segment, and on the other hand, the insignificant introduction of high technologies in the real sector of the economy, the growth of patent migration and low digital literacy of the population. It is established that the active development of the IT sphere in Ukraine is determined by: the growing global demand for programming services; high educational level of Ukrainian programmers and "Ukrainian specifics" of the environment; formed territorial IT hubs; international incentives / assistance in the process of digitalization of the country. It is proved that the country continues to have significant spatial differences in Internet access and IT use. The level of Internet penetration has stimulated the development of the electronic financial market and its infrastructure. Increasingly, IT is used as a means of communication between local and state authorities and the public, as a tool to promote business growth and its promotion in the markets of other regions. In the public sector, including education, digital progress has accelerated due to the pandemic. Software in the field of distance education is now quite diversified: Moodle, iCloud, learning site with IT arena, Skype, Viber. Recently added: Google Classroom, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex Meet. The information and technological challenges facing Ukraine and the demands of society, the response to which will help achieve most of the national goals of sustainable development, are considered. Тhe problems facing Ukraine at the present stage are the growth of cybercrime; the need to build an infrastructure for innovation; reforming the sphere of intellectual property, implementation of a comprehensive state program to overcome the digital backwardness of the population. In Ukraine, interregional and intraregional differentiation can be traced in terms of the level of informatization and the results of the functioning of the IT sphere, which will be further intensified by the Russian war against Ukraine. After all, IT companies are relocating to the West and Romania, the population of some areas loses access to the Internet and IT, and other areas, on the contrary, master new information technologies and actively use them to study, work and create optimal conditions for development. Thus, a completely different spatial configuration of IT hubs and generation of IT users is formed.

Covid-19 effects on distance education in higher education: A comparison with bibliometric analysis before Covid-19 pandemic and the Covid-19 pandemic periods

The Covid-19 pandemic, which emerged in the last months of 2019, spread rapidly and has affected the whole world. The pandemic also affected higher education significantly, and face-to-face education in higher education institutions were suspended. Most universities have changed the teaching method from traditional to online education. Thus, more and more researchers focused on COVID-19 and distance education in higher education. The aim of the research was to examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on higher education studies in the field of distance education. For this reason, the changes in distance education research in the pre-pandemic and the pandemic period were analyzed in terms of some performance variables. Two different meta-data sets, consisting of 1322 articles for the pre-COVID-19 period and 2103 for the COVID-19 period, obtained by querying the Web of Science database, were used for analysis. Vosviewer software were used for bibliometric analysis, while Harzing’s Publish or Perish software was used for h-index calculation. Publications from the two different periods were compared according to researcher(s), publication, journal, institution, and country criteria using citation analysis. The citation analysis showed that the most cited researchers of the pre-pandemic period were A.Bozkurt, B. Rienties, and D. U. Bolliger, while the most cited researchers of the post-pandemic period were C. Herodotou, J. C. Bonk and M.Y. Doo. Computer & Education ranked among the most-cited journal in the pre-pandemic period, while in the post-pandemic period, the most cited journal was Education and Information Technologies The most cited studies in the pre-pandemic period were conducted by researchers working at King Saud University and the University of South Africa, while in the post-pandemic period Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Indiana University were in the leading position. The results clearly show that Covid-19 has given a new direction to distance education.

A Critical Review of Selected Literature on Learner-centered Interactions in Online Learning

Interactivity, a fundamental aspect of traditional face-to-face teaching, is a central concern in the design planning and organization of technology mediated instructional settings and online learning, because it is crucial in knowledge acquisition and the development of cognitive skills, and is intrinsic to effective instructional practice and individual discovery. The present paper aims to critically review a set of recent representative empirical studies during the period 2010-2019 focusing on the pedagogical expediency of learner-centered interaction in online learning contexts, to identify which aspects of collaborative learning could successfully be integrated within a structured learning management system environment to safeguard high-quality online learning. Searches for the identification of relevant empirical studies were conducted via Science Direct, EdITLib, IRRODL, SpringerLink, IEEE Xplore Digital Library and Scopus using keywords such as learner interactions, online learning, virtual learning environments, student success, e-learner satisfaction and online education. The search yielded 22 key studies focusing on learner-centered types of online interaction in relation to their contribution to student success and satisfaction in virtual learning environments. Our presentation of relevant research is based on five key types of interactive relationships identified in the field of distance education and culminates in a discussion of potential implications for a successful online learning experience and learner satisfaction.

Speaking Personally–with Farhad Saba and Rick Shearer

ABSTRACT This discussion was recorded on June 15, 2021, with the American Center for the Study of Distance Education and transcribed for the American Journal of Distance Education to capture the essence and depth of the field of distance education from two seminal leaders. Dr. Farhad Saba, professor Emeritus of Educational Technology at San Diego State University (SDSU), has been in the field since 1973 and has authored more than 100 articles and chapters in books. Dr. Rick Shearer has over 35 years of experience in distance education and has served in higher education leadership and learning design roles. Both are Mildred B. and Charles A. Wedemeyer Award recipients and recently coauthored the book Transactional Distance and Adaptive Learning: Planning for the Future of Higher Education. To watch or listen to the complete discussion, please visit: ac4sde.com.

The literature review on changes in research trends regarding distance education before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2020)

In the early periods of distance education when it was considered as a separate field, it was carried out with various communication tools and with scientific and technological developments, computers and internet have also been included in this field. During the pandemic process, even the education - training and evaluation processes have started to be done through distance education. The present research tries to reveal research trends including the development of distance education and the pandemic process. The research was carried out in qualitative research design with document analysis. 333 articles published in the field of distance education between 2017-2020 in the Dergipark database constitute the sample of the present research. These articles are examined in terms of form, methodology and content. Data analysis for the present research was conducted by descriptive analysis method. While the trend of quantitative research was at the forefront in the distance education researches until the pandemic process; in 2020, which covers the pandemic process, the qualitative research trend has come to the fore and the interviews were conducted from afar; there are also studies that try to reveal the problems related to distance education, and the use of online tools has increased. In addition, it has been observed that studies on distance education have started to be published in many other fields apart from the field of distance education, and also special issues of journals for distance education are being published during the pandemic process.

Current trends in the development of Russian higher education in the context of the global economy digitalization

The analysis of current changes in the field of distance education, and, in particular, higher education among domestic and western universities is presented. The additional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sharp increase in the popularity and use of online education in various segments of the educational process, starting from preschool and ending with corporate programs of companies is noted. The key advantages and disadvantages of online education are identified, as well as emerging risks for Russian Universities and the domestic economy when introducing distance learning.

How Greek Students Experienced Online Education during Covid-19 Pandemic in Order to Adjust to a Post-Lockdown Period

Following an unprecedented situation of confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, academic institutions were called to focus on supporting telecommunications technologies. For the first time, Higher Education went completely online. The authors of this research conducted an online voluntary survey where Greek students could answer questions about the distance education, they had experienced during the Covid-19 lockdown, particularly of the synchronous type. The purpose of this research was to investigate the major issues that created impediments to the students, both the technical barriers that made it difficult to communicate, and the teaching/learning challenges raised because of emerging trends. Recognizing the main problems that arose in the educational process during the lockdown period leads to a better communication in the future in the field of distance education. The students were informed about the research by the Student Counseling Center of their universities but also via posts on well-known student content websites. The research results have shown that most students attended synchronous communication online classes (the theoretical and the practical ones) in replacement of their face-to-face lessons. The students pointed out some negative aspects of online education concerning synchronous communication educational practices, but also how their classes were organized and presented. They referred to the main technical difficulties that occurred - on the part of the teacher - preventing a satisfactory communication, as to the practices that stressed them or to the lack of communication between students and teachers they experienced during the lockdown. Nevertheless, despite these problems, most students are interested in continuing online learning in combination with traditional courses in a classroom. Overall, this study provided important, additional information in respect of the students’ perceptions towards online education during the first quarantine.

Changes in the Ukrainian Educational Field in the Conditions of Social Uncertainty

The article is devoted to the consideration of changes and tendencies in the Ukrainian educational field. The focus is on secondary education, in particular, the growing trend of private secondary education. It is noted that in 2020-2021 academic year the number of students in private schools increased by 174,5% compared to 2014-2015 academic year, teachers – by 89,6%. The situation in the field of private distance education is analyzed. The role of private schools is emphasized, which today play the role of pioneers in expanding opportunities for the entire educational field. It is noted that the growth of options in the range of educational opportunities is a positive trend. Data on the dynamics in the sector of pedagogical education are given. It has been suggested that the demand for certified teachers will increase, however, there will be a shortage of young teachers in public schools. The statistics of admission to higher education institutions are analyzed, which show that pedagogical specialties are not always the choice of the best school graduates. Growth in the field of online education is considered – from individual educational projects such as Youtube channels to government initiatives (All-Ukrainian online school). It is emphasized that the authors of private educational Youtube channels are an example of agents of change, whose perseverance not only increases adolescents' interest in science, but also inspires others to create educational projects, which creates a favorable environment for the development of educational innovations. The course of an important educational reform – «New Ukrainian School», in particular its content and actual implementation is analyzed. Examples of successful reform and difficulties of its implementation in primary school are given; considered threats to further reform due to a change in political leadership; public opinion on secondary education reform is analyzed. It is concluded that the political perturbations and quarantine restrictions caused by the pandemic, in the conditions of unstable institutionality, lead to the fact that in Ukraine both progressive innovations and inhibition of changes are possible.

Learning analytics and collaborative groups of learners in distance education: a systematic mapping study

Advances in information and communication technologies have contributed to the increasing use of virtual learning environments as support tools in teaching and learning processes. Virtual platforms generate a large volume of educational data, and the analysis of this data allows useful information discoveries to improve learning and assist institutions in reducing disqualifications and dropouts in distance education courses. This article presents the results of a systematic mapping study aiming to identify how educational data mining, learning analytics, and collaborative groups have been applied in distance education environments. Articles were searched from 2010 to June 2020, initially resulting in 55,832 works. The selection of 51 articles for complete reading in order to answer the research questions considered a group of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Main results indicated that 53% of articles (27/51) offered intelligent services in the field of distance education, 47% (24/51) applied methods and analysis techniques in distance education environments, 21% (11/51) applied methods and analysis techniques focused on virtual learning environments logs, and 5% (3/51) presented intelligent collaborative services for identification and creation of groups. This article also identified research interest clusters with highlights for the terms recommendation systems, data analysis, e-learning, educational data mining, e-learning platform and learning management system.

ZOOM AS A TOOL OF WEB BASED TEACHING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO STUDENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENTS IN UKRAINE

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic a strict quarantine was imposed from March to May of 2020. Ukrainian higher education faced new challenges caused by unexpected distance teaching and learning implemented in all higher educational establishments during the period in question. Despite the sound theoretical achievements of Ukrainian scientists in the field of distance education, as well as the existing legal framework for the implementation of distance learning in higher education, not all educational institutions had well-established learning management systems. All the above induced foreign languages teachers to search for available technologies which allow delivering their lectures effectively. One of the most popular services was video conferencing, in particular Zoom. The research deals with the specifics of teaching foreign languages in higher educational establishments on Zoom Platform via video conferencing. The research presents the results of the survey conducted among the teachers who used Zoom for teaching foreign languages during the quarantine from March to June in 2020. Based on the survey respondents’ answers, the author determines benefits and drawbacks of Zoom for teaching foreign languages in higher educational establishments, specifies the factors for psychological comfort, as well as the conditions and tools for the development of language skills and speech abilities. Special attention is paid to methodological recommendations aimed at practical implementation of foreign languages online teaching via Zoom video conferencing. The author considers such aspects of foreign languages teaching via Zoom video conferencing as cyber security, discipline issues, creation of psychologically comfortable atmosphere, and Zoom technical tools for teaching foreign language communication.