Field Of Distance Education Research Articles

Anti-oppressive pedagogies in online learning: a critical review

ABSTRACT Alongside the increasing popularity of distance education is a growing body of literature on anti-oppressive pedagogies (Breunig, 2009). Our critical review of literature explored and critiqued how educators enact anti-oppressive pedagogies in online classrooms. Our search and screen process yielded 2952 studies and a final set of 10 that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Four findings emerged from our critical analysis. Anti-oppressive online educators sought to legitimate students’ epistemologies, foster reflection and discussion, establish expectations of critical awareness, and democratize educator and student roles. We recommend educators and researchers consider how technologies work for and against anti-oppressive aims and ensure their anti-oppressive frameworks are clearly and purposefully connected to pedagogical decision-making. Considering scarce empirical literature on online educators’ enactments anti-oppressive pedagogies and general lack of support in institutions where educators develop their work, the studies in this review constitute an advancement in the field of distance education.

A Review and Content Analysis of the Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Publications Between 2000 and 2015

This paper presents a review of distance education literature published in the Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE) to describe the status thereof and to identify gaps and priority areas in distance education research based on a validated classification of research areas. The articles (N = 784) published between 2000 and 2015 were reviewed for this study. Findings indicated that issues related to educational technology are a popular research area in articles published in TOJDE. Nearly all the articles are theoretical/descriptive, quantitative, or qualitative in nature. According to publication and authorship patterns, TOJDE is an international journal with a special ability to reflect developments in its near region in the field of distance education.

Potential of development of the professional (technical and vocational) educational services market in Ukraine

Potential of development of the professional (technical and vocational) educational services market in Ukraine

Перспективи розвитку технологій дистанційної освіти в Україні

The article outlines prospects for the development of distance education technologies in Ukraine, analysis of the characteristics of the model of distance learning in the education system. The necessity of training specialists in the field of distance education is emphasized. The importance of development of information resources and educational and methodological developments in support of new technologies of distance learning in higher education institutions of Ukraine is noted. Based on the analysis of technological advances that contribute to the improvement of the results of the use of remote technologies in the HEA, the most promising of them are identified: adaptive learning technologies, mobile learning, virtual, augmented and hybrid realities, next-generation learning management systems, artificial intelligence and natural user interfaces. As a result of the analysis of scientific works, the following prospects for the development of distance learning in Ukraine were highlighted: updating of software and hardware base for the introduction of new technologies in higher education; organization of cooperation between developers of distance learning software products, distance education methodologists and teachers of HEA to develop strategies for the use of new information technologies in distance learning; staffing of distance learning, training of specialists in the field of distance education; development and distribution of platforms with an intuitive not complex software interface for creating distance courses; creation or adaptation of information technologies and electronic educational and methodological developments to support new technologies of distance learning in the Defense Law of Ukraine.

DISTANCE EDUCATION IN V.N. KARAZIN KHARKIV NATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN 2030, STUDENTS’ VIEW

The article examines the prospects for the introduction of distance technologies in the educational process of higher educational institutions. The scientific works of leading scientists in the field of distance education were analyzed. The research is based on the use of the Delphi method. The theoretical foundations of the introduction of distance education in universities are considered. The main tendencies in the development of the educational sphere in the world and implementation of the elements of the remote education in it were studied. The special role of students as one of the main stakeholders in education is outlined. The main experts in this study are students as one of the main stakeholders in education. During the study, it became clear that the majority of students of Karazin University, namely 75% of them, are positive about the introduction of distance education. The article places the emphasis on defining the benefits and revealing the weaknesses of the distance form of education. It should be mentioned that some of the respondents believe that distance learning alienates people from society, adversely affects cultural development of a person, can lead to deterioration of communication skills, and reduce the level of social activity. However, the overwhelming majority is convinced that distance learning will in no way affect the socialization of people in society. In accordance with the results of the survey, a convenient study schedule was developed for students who combine work and study. A range of distance learning tools were reviewed in order to specify the most convenient ones as related to the principle of clarity when acquiring new knowledge. The main trends in the development of distance education at Karazin University in 2030 are highlighted.

Educación a distancia y aprendizaje personalizado adaptativo

The present work is situated in the field of virtual distance education and more specifically in one of the technologies, whose use has increased exponentially. They are the recommendation systems, which are now used in education as a complementary support in the platforms designed to provide learning resources in a more personalized way. The way in which students perceive, codify, remember, understand and solve problems is different between each one. This task has proved a real challenge, both logistic and theoretical, and the arrival of new information technologies is emerging as the most promising option to project and carry it out. The investigations that have been carried out specifically in the subject show a very marked methodological problem. The way in which its effect has been evaluated, especially in relation to the learning process, has not been from any point of view, rigorous or exhaustive. In general, they only resort to obtaining opinions from students about how they perceive that the use of such systems benefited this process. It seems important to know in greater depth and precision the way in which learning is enhanced with this specific form of technology.

Active methods in Distance teaching and Learning of Foreign Languages

Active teaching methods are widely used in the pedagogically organized cognitive process in various educational disciplines. This article aims to analyze how active techniques can be integrated and effectively used in the educational process in a foreign language in the conditions of distance education at a higher educational institution of Qazaqstan. The study is of a qualitative nature of the documents analysis (lesson workshops) in professionally-oriented English, collaborated on the Moodle LMS for adult students-translators who studied in the information and communication environment (remotely) in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years. The article describes and explores some possible techniques for the active work of students studying in the university system using distance educational technologies (DET), modern methods for enhancing the educational activities of distance students in learning a foreign language, such as Kolba Method, discussions, criteria table for discussions, intelligence maps. This paper demonstrates the fundamental possibilities of teaching foreign languages remotely in an active form, allowing one to effectively learn a foreign language, to develop professional and intercultural-communicative competencies. The practical significance of the article lies in the idea of teachers using active teaching methods in preparing classes in a foreign language for distance students. Considering the complexity of organizing distance learning in foreign languages, which requires the active participation of students, we hope that this article will contribute to the development of distance technologies for the purpose of teaching foreign languages and will be useful to teachers working in the distance education field to develop high-quality and effective teaching materials and electronic courses in order to optimize and improve the competencies of students. Key words: Active methods, distance teaching & learning, e-learning course, foreign language (FL)

The Challenges of Distance Universities in an Increasingly Digital Context

The number of people interested in distance higher education has grown significantly in recent years; and, at the same time, there has been an increase in the educational offer available on the Internet, with a significant growth of high-quality online courses at ever lower costs. However, most of the courses available on the Internet does not come from the traditional agents in the field of distance education. Rather, in the case of distance universities that are not entirely digital, there seems to be a negative balance, as their enrolment figures are decreasing. This apparent contradiction — the demand for distance higher education increases, but enrolment in traditional distance universities decreases — indicates that these institutions are not taking advantage of the growing interest in the type of studies that they themselves represented exclusively. As this trend consolidates, it is worth asking about the position of distance universities in a context in which, in the medium term, most universities will offer a significant part of their courses fully or partially online. There is no doubt that all universities are affected by increased competition and the multiplication of courses and degrees available on the Internet. But distance universities also have specific characteristics that make it difficult for them to adapt to the challenges of the digital context. It is therefore appropriate to analyse these characteristics with the aim of offering a prospective of the situation of distance universities in a context in which digital mediation is already a common practice in higher education.

Challenges Faced by Adult Learners in Online Distance Education: A Literature Review

Although online distance education provides adult learners with an opportunity for life-long learning, there are still factors challenging them to engage in educational processes. The purpose of this study is to explore the challenges faced by adult learners in online distance education through the analysis of the relevant literature. The articles (N=36) published in the key journals in the fields of open and distance education, instructional technology, and adult education were reviewed and analyzed through constant comparative analysis in the current study. The findings reveal that adult learners have challenges related to internal, external, and program-related factors indicating the interrelated nature of these challenges. The findings also show that the challenges experienced by adult learners vary depending on their age, gender, knowledge and skills as well as the context in which they study. The findings of this study, which has an exploratory nature, have several implications for distance education stakeholders such as administrators, instructors, instructional designers, and policy makers.

COST, ACCESS, AND QUALITY IN ONLINE NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Northwest Technical College researched, planned for, and has successfully implemented a unique delivery of its Practical Nursing Program through the use of Internet technology. This Distance Practical Nursing exploratory paper presents a historical overview of the program, assesses job market needs in the field of nursing, evaluates use of varying delivery methodologies, outlines program successes, and identifies barriers to distance delivery of this health curriculum. The essential components of quality, access, and cost are highlighted and related to the unique challenges they present in the field of distance education.

O Sistema UAB e a Certificação em Larga eEscala: das Determinações do Capital aos Fundamentos da Educação a Distância

O artigo apresenta a gênese e o desenvolvimento da Universidade Aberta do Brasil por meio do Decreto nº 5.800/2006. Para caracterizar a configuração atual da Universidade Aberta do Brasil parto da formação de uma das primeiras inciativas no campo da Educação a Distância que foi a criação da Universidade Virtual Pública do Brasil (UNIREDE), em dezembro de 1999, como um consórcio interuniversitário que objetiva democratizar o acesso ao ensino superior público. Importante observar que a política de formação de professores, na modalidade a distância, foi normatizada na educação brasileira com a Lei n.º 9394/96. Neste mesmo ano, criou-se a Secretaria de Educação a Distância através do Decreto Nº 1.917, de 27 de maio de 1996, no entanto somente em 2005 a educação a distância é regulamentada, pelo Decreto N° 5.622, de 19 de dezembro de 2005. Metodologicamente, foi utilizada a pesquisa bibliográfica. Concluo que a política de formação de professores do Sistema UAB segue a lógica neoliberal ao priorizar a formação imediatista, com foco na certificação em larga escala. A suposição é que as políticas de formação de professores na modalidade a distância pautada em concepções tecnicistas e pelo barateamento, em função da redução de custos, por um lado remete ao fetiche tecnológico e por outro, ao atendimento às condicionalidades dos organismos internacionais, especificamente, ao Banco Mundial e a UNESCO.
 Palavras-chave: Sistema UAB. Certificação em larga escala. Educação a distância.

An Analysis of the Journey of Open and Distance Education: Major Concepts and Cutoff Points in Research Trends

In an effort to understand trends in open and distance education more comprehensively, this study aims to identify the research trends, major concepts, and cutoff points in the articles published between 2009 and 2016. From five major peer-reviewed journals, a total of 989 articles were analyzed through a systematic literature review process using content analysis. The articles were coded based on the following three categories: level, topics, and sub-topics. The results indicated the followings: (1) emerged main themes in the articles were foundations of open and distance education, instructional process, and effects of applications; (2) there was an upward growth in the publishing of the articles on massive open online courses, open educational resources, and students’ perspectives; (3) new pedagogical approaches and online learning design played a triggering role in the research topics; and (4) technological and pedagogical developments between 2011 and 2012 had an influence on the tendency of the articles. In addition, we explored cutoff points so that they may provide insights and valuable hints for researchers to design new studies in open and distance education field. Discussions about the gaps in the state-of-the-art trends and directions about future research were also included.

The Intellectual Structure of Knowledge in the Field of Distance Education Using the Co-Word analyses

Background: Co- word analysis is one of the content analysis methods used in scientometric studies and mapping the scientific structure of various fields. The purpose of the present research is to map the structure of distance education using the co-word analysis. Methods: The research method is content analysis using co- word analysis. The research population are 31607 documents indexed in the field of distance education domain in the Web of Science database from 1985 to 2016. For data analysis, the UCInet and BibExcel softwares have been used. In this research, the symmetric matrix as well as the cluster analysis and the strategic diagram was used for analyzing the data. Results: The findings showed that the concepts of electronic learning and blended learning had the highest frequency in distance education research. The pairs of e-learning- blended learning, e-learning-education and training, and higher education-e-learning with 446, 328, and 302 word co-occurrences respectively, and took the first to third places in the field of distance education studies. Findings on hierarchical clustering led to the formation of 13 clusters in this field. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that based on the co- word analysis, the structure of the distance education is composed of thirteen clusters as follows: “The process of designing e-learning environments”, “E-literacy”, “The role of information and communication technologies in the process of teaching and learning”, “Strengthening the process of virtual teaching and learning”, “Educational scenario”, “educational planning” and “Individual learning style” and “Learning and teaching quality”, “Human interaction in the virtual environment”, “educational feedback”, “Educational system”, and Miscellaneous. Newly emerged fields of distance education include “human interaction in the virtual environment”, “educational feedback”, and “learning system”.

Looking back to look forward: open education in historical perspective

As editor of Open Praxis, the scientific journal published by the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), I would like to thank Distances et Mediations des Savoirs (DMS) and Martine Vidal for her kind invitation to participate in this special issue. The collaboration with other journals in the field of open and distance education in a compilation of selected papers published in the last years is a unique opportunity, thus my appreciation and gratefulness, also on behalf ...

A new phenomenon to support the construction of learning city in the worldwide distance education field

There is a new phenomenon to support the construction of learning city in the worldwide distance education field. So we would like to share the exploration and reflection of China, and look forward to discuss with more readers. And with that goal, we selected the following article from our journal article Open Education Research, A Historical Overview of China’s Learning City Construction: Since the 1990’s, by Ye Zhonghai, Zhang Yong, Ma Lihua, East China Normal University,China, http://ope...

Genre analysis of the “About Us” sections of Asian Association of Open Universities websites

PurposeThis paper is a corpus-driven study of written electronic texts, particularly the “About Us” sections in the university websites of 41 members of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU). This inquiry is important because it will provide an insight as to how AAOU members describe and portray themselves in the World Wide Web, a platform which is highly utilized in the field of distance education. This will also lead to the understanding of conventional knowledge among AAOU members during the period of study. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachGuided by Swales’ (1990) seminal work on genre analysis, the researchers conducted a three-part genre analysis which involved identification and analysis of moves, keywords, and concordance lines.FindingsResults of the keyword analysis were conducted using the AntConc application. Anthony (2017) found that the top 100 keywords with positive keyness exemplified inherent characteristics of open and distance learning institutions as well as characteristics common to higher education institutions and their thrusts. The analysis also found that the use of adjectives and verbs with positive denotations is common in the “About Us” sections. Concordance for several keywords related to the overarching theme of the AAOU 2017 Conference then revealed that the AAOU members are active in the discourse about accessibility, assessment, and quality, while there is not much discourse on openness, inclusivity, and justice. Meanwhile, subscribing to equality and equity could still be a point of discussion among the AAOU members as the concordance analysis revealed more discourse on equality than equity as a goal and principle. Overall, results of the genre analysis resonated with previous studies of the academic genre as the “About Us” sections are promotional in both authoritarian and inclusive ways.Originality/valueThe inquiry will provide the members of the AAOU with an overview of their common communicative purposes, overused or underused keywords, and their usage of these words which they may opt to work on in the future.

El impacto económico y las posturas de los actores principales en un ámbito universitario digitalizado

Substantial insecurity about the future of eLearning and particularly about the future impact of digitalization on the educational sector prevails at present. Those, who were enthusiastic at the beginning are now more sceptical about the future development of teaching with digital media, others maintain their positive attitude and are looking for ways to promote and implement their use in universities. Numerous institutions have published or are publishing forecasts and time frames about the relevance of the upcoming innovations. Less discussed are the economic implications that digitization may have on the universities‘ stakeholders and their decision making. In the field of online and distance education a descriptive approach of the costs and benefits has been so far predominant. Instead we will raise some points to initiate a discussion about the economics of digital educational resources and the possible reactions of and impact on teachers, students and institutions. We will also point out some of the long-term effects that digitalization of education might have on a global level.Concluding that digitization followed a continuous development pulsed especially by universities of distance education and that phenomena such as MOOCs are not as disruptive as some claim. Instead, national policies, economic sustainability and the impact of digitization on different stakeholders will determine the future form of the Digital University in case such a university exists.

Economic Implications and Stakeholder Reactions in a Digital University Environment

Substantial insecurity about the future of eLearning and particularly about the future impact of digitalization on the educational sector prevails at present. Those, who were enthusiastic at the beginning are now more sceptical about the future development of teaching with digital media, others maintain their positive attitude and are looking for ways to promote and implement their use in universities. Numerous institutions have published or are publishing forecasts and time frames about the relevance of the upcoming innovations. Less discussed are the economic implications that digitization may have on the universities‘ stakeholders and their decision making. In the field of online and distance education a descriptive approach of the costs and benefits has been so far predominant. Instead we will raise some points to initiate a discussion about the economics of digital educational resources and the possible reactions of and impact on teachers, students and institutions. We will also point out some of the long-term effects that digitalization of education might have on a global level.Concluding that digitization followed a continuous development pulsed especially by universities of distance education and that phenomena such as MOOCs are not as "disruptive" as some claim. Instead, national policies, economic sustainability and the impact of digitization on different stakeholders will determine the future form of the "Digital University" in case such a university exists.

Constructivism and connectivism in education technology: Active, situated, authentic, experiential, and anchored learning

The main objectives of this theoretical paper are to compare some constructivist-related learning theories and explore how they can be adequately used in educational technology and distance education. After a brief introduction, constructivism is defined as a general philosophy of education encompassing several different learning theories. The article then presents and discusses the following theories: situated cognition, activity theory, experiential learning, anchored instruction, and authentic learning. Connectivism or distributed learning is also presented as a new and important theory, including its pedagogical view and practice in massive open online courses (MOOCs). These theories are then organized in a coherent way, classified under the constructivist umbrella, pointing their common and distinctive features. Connectivism is positioned as a new philosophy of education for the digital age, making Vygotsky’s concept of zone of proximal development (ZPD) more flexible and stretching it to include learning that lies outside the learner, in social networks and technological tools. The text finally proposes further work on how these theories can be properly combined and used as frameworks for constructivist projects and activities in the fields of educational technology and distance education. The article is based on the search and review of peer-reviewed articles on constructivism, connectivism, the other aforementioned theories, and education technology and distance education._________________________________________________________Este artículo teórico pretende comparar algunas teorías de aprendizaje relacionadas con el constructivismo y explorar cómo pueden usarse adecuadamente en el campo de la tecnología educativa y la educación a distancia. Después de una breve introducción, el constructivismo queda definido como una filosofía general de la educación que abarca varias teorías de aprendizaje diferentes. El artículo presenta y analiza las siguientes teorías: cognición situada, teoría de la actividad, aprendizaje experiencial, instrucción anclada y aprendizaje auténtico. El conectivismo o aprendizaje distribuido también se presenta como una nueva e importante teoría, que incluye su visión pedagógica y práctica en cursos masivos y abiertos en línea (MOOCs). Organizamos estas teorías de manera coherente bajo el paraguas constructivista e indicamos las principales similitudes y diferencias entre ellas. El conectivismo se posiciona como una nueva filosofía de la educación para la era digital, flexibilizando y ampliando el concepto de Zona de Desarrollo Próximo (ZDP) de Vygotsky para incluir el aprendizaje que se encuentra fuera del alumno, en redes sociales y herramientas tecnológicas. El texto finalmente propone un trabajo adicional sobre cómo estas teorías pueden combinarse y utilizarse adecuadamente como marcos para proyectos y actividades constructivistas en los campos de la tecnología educativa y la educación a distancia. El artículo se basa en la investigación y revisión de artículos revisados por pares sobre el constructivismo, el conectivismo, las otras teorías mencionadas y la tecnología educativa y la educación a distancia.

Discussion on the applicability of the briefing method on open and distance learning: animated and scenarian expression applications

Purpose- Two basic issues in preparing and presenting presentations in the field of open and distance education are to inform the audience and present a general outline. In addition, it is sometimes necessary to include details the audience needs to a certain extent. This study explains certain issues regarding “briefing preparation and presentation” as a sub-element of “oral presentation”. Based on the fact that to what extent the issues related to “briefing method” match open and distance education presentations, it is discussed that it is necessary to adapt the briefing techniques to open and distance education presentations due to certain reasons such as time limitations of caused by today’s conditions and new generation’s impatience and lack of interest in long presentations. Methodology – In this study features of conventional and briefing presentations are compared. The criteria of this comparison are the methods and goals of open and distant education. The experience acquired from one of the animated and scripted presentations prepared in Anadolu University Open Education Faculty Learning Technologies Research and Development unit is told. Findings- The findings show that briefing presentation method is highly applicable in presentations in open and distant education. Conclusion- This article claims that the main principles of briefing presentation method is highly applicable in presentations in open and distant education.