In-class Courses Research Articles

An Opportunity amid Crises: E-Learning at the Faculty of Dental Medicine at the Lebanese University

Background: Nowadays, the internet revolutionized the way people communicate. The research was no longer limited within libraries, individuals can now obtain any information with a click of a button. With the Covid-19 and the lockdown, the Lebanese educational institutions shifted to Online Learning. Aim: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the success of online learning implementation at the Faculty of Dental Medicine and the students’ satisfaction with online courses. Material and Method: A cross-sectional observational study is performed. An online survey is sent to 165 students of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at the Lebanese University. They answered a questionnaire prepared and adapted to the context of the study. Data was collected and analyzed using the SPSS 21.0, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA version. Results: The results are statistically significant (p< 0.0001). The majority of students who did not give essential importance to the instructor’s physical presence (# 106), considered the E-learning method (# 97). The number of students who exclusively prefer in-class courses (#71) corresponds with the number of those who find the instructor's physical presence crucial (#59). For 159 students, surrounding noises during confinement did not disturb them. The majority of the students (#153) did not encounter serious internet cuts and 24 of them weren’t enthusiastic about E-learning. Conclusion: Despite the pandemic, socioeconomic, geographic, and educational difficulties, our results showed that the majority of the students in the Lebanese University, Faculty of Dental Medicine, embraced the rapid transition to E-learning classes. Implementing the online learning mode did not influence participants’ satisfaction towards education.

Comparative Study on the Effects of Online Courses and In-Class Courses

The outbreak of COVID-19 at the beginning of 2020 has formulated a totally different teaching situation for most of Chinese Universities/Colleges, because inevitably online courses took the leading role in teaching by replacing in-class courses at the beginning of that semester, then in a parallel teaching mode after students' returning to school. This research conducted a comparative study on teaching quality of online courses and in-class courses under this specific background from Chinese college students' perspective by using in-depth interviews and the online questionnaire. This study finds that the quality of online courses is not as good as in-class courses at present, but with a small gap to improve, indicating a positive affirmation and encouragement of improvement for online courses. Furthermore, teaching paradigms have significant impacts on imparting knowledge. Teaching paradigm is the "catalyst" and "accelerator" on the basis of the teachers' own professional knowledge, which facilitating both teaching and learning. Finally, different learning atmosphere (online courses / in-class courses) is a significant factor in explanation of different effects and influences on both teachers and students. A more advanced network technology is needed to create a more interactive and communicative "learning atmosphere" of online courses, thus gradually improving the effect of online courses.

Media Use Among Students From Different Health Curricula: Survey Study.

BackgroundMobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers enable users to search for information and communicate with others at any place and any time. Such devices are increasingly being used at universities for teaching and learning. The use of mobile devices by students depends, among others, on the individual media literacy level and the curricular framework.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore whether there were differences in media use in students from various curricula at the Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University.MethodsDuring the 2015-16 winter term, a survey was conducted at the Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, in which a total of 705 students (out of 1091 students; response rate: 705/1091, 64.61%) from 4 schools participated voluntarily: medicine (346/598), dentistry (171/204), psychology (142/243), and nursing science (46/46). The questionnaire developed for the study included 132 questions on 4 topics: (1) electronic and mobile devices (19 questions), (2) communication and organization of learning (45 questions), (3) apps/programs/websites/media (34 questions), and (4) media literacy (34 questions). The questionnaire was distributed and anonymously completed during in-class courses.ResultsStudents from all 4 schools had at least two electronic devices, with smartphones (97.4%, 687/705) and laptops (94.8%, 669/705) being the most common ones. Students agreed that electronic devices enabled them to effectively structure the learning process (mean 3.16, SD 0.62) and shared the opinion that university teaching should include imparting media literacy (mean 2.84, SD 0.84). Electronic device ownership was the highest among medical students (mean 2.68, SD 0.86) and medical students were the only ones to use a tutorial (36.1%, 125/346). Dental students most widely used text messages (mean 3.41, SD 0.49) and social media (mean 2.57, SD 1.10) to organize learning. Psychology students considered mobile devices to be most ineffective (mean 2.81, SD 0.83). Nursing science students used emails (mean 3.47, SD 0.73) and desktop computers (39%, 18/46) most widely.ConclusionsThe results show that almost all students use electronic learning (e-learning) tools. At the same time, different profiles for different degree programs become apparent, which are to be attributed to not only the varying curricula and courses but also to the life circumstances of different age groups. Universities should, therefore, pay attention to the diverse user patterns and media literacy levels of students when planning courses to enable successful use of e-learning methods.

M-Learning in an Undergraduate Business Program: Recruitment Promises, Student Perceptions, and Mixed Realities

The purpose of the study described in this paper was to explore student views (n=136) on the use of Apple iPad technology within various in-class courses offered by a School of Business at a small Ontario university as well as the overall effectiveness of a recruitment message focused on mobile learning. The results of the study are as follows: 1) over half of the students had not heard about the offer of a “free” iPad before they had enrolled at the University; 2) students expressed positive and negative views regarding the use of iPads in their face to face classes (e.g., the iPads were helpful in enhancing learning; the iPads were time consuming to use and distracting in the classroom; other devices work better in the classroom); and 3) differences that existed between students’ in-class and everyday use of their iPads could be connected to their frustrations with the steep learning curve experienced by faculty. Key word descriptors: millennials, tablet technology, mobile technology, digital technology, learning transferability, higher education, iPad

Construction of the Course System of Mechanical and Electronic Specialty for Applied Undergraduate Course -- Teaching Direction of Industrial Robot

Under the background of “Internet + Made in China 2025” production and education integration innovation promotion plan. According to the professional uniqueness and social needs of applied undergraduate education. Take the teaching direction of industrial robots in the field of mechanical electronics as an example. The paper proposed the teaching of professional basic courses as the basis, the professional direction of curriculum teaching as the focus, professional quality and innovative entrepreneurship education curriculum as a fundamental, three training courses for the innovation of the curriculum system. All kinds of courses include in-class courses (the first class) and extra-curricular courses (the second class), the two classes with other courses, enrich the entire teaching system. And through the series of industrial robotic laboratory construction and management model innovations, it can achieve the true experience of students’ corporate life and the wide range of students’ second classroom activities; it can cultivate excellent applied talents.

Life101 Enhances Healthy Lifestyle Choices in Pre-Health Undergraduate Students

Stress levels in college students are increasing at an alarmingly fast pace. To combat this rising tide, universities need effective tools to promote student well-being and help them to recognize and manage their stress. One approach is to teach students basic lifestyle skills to cope with stress and achieve wellness. This is important as it not only increases students’ retention within a chosen field of study, but assists them to achieve personal and academic success. To inspire our undergraduate students to adopt healthy lifestyle choices, a once-weekly course titled “Life101” was developed with topics that focused on students’ wellness such as stress management, emotional intelligence, financial management, nutrition, and exercise. Classes were taught through a combination of lecture, multimedia videos, and discussions. Here, we share our observational findings outlining the potential benefits (short- and long-term) for students participating in Life101. Based on pre- and post-course survey data from students, both in-class and online, Life101 had a significant positive impact on the lifestyle of our students. The main outcomes from this study were: 1) both in-class and online courses resulted in positive lifestyle changes in our students; 2) online students showed greater mastery of course topics compared to their in-class peers; and 3) long-term benefits from the course were reported after a one-year follow-up. Although, this collective positive impact may suggest that offering Life101 to undergraduate students can serve to improve students’ mental and physical health, a prospective study is needed to confirm these findings.

Research the Opportunities a Foreign Languages’ Competence for Professional Project Management in Latvia

In the current competitive working environment time has become the key resource therefore universities must be able to satisfy higher education needs by enabling students to obtain as many professional skills and knowledge as possible. One of the solutions is to develop online studies by organising the language courses on the internet and by supplementing in-class courses with online study materials. The goal of this work is to research the opportunities a foreign languages’ competence for professional project management in Latvia. Research materials on foreign language teaching methods and applicable IC technological aspects were gathered, and a survey was completed and its results analysed to find out the opinions and attitude towards learning online from second foreign language students and people studying independently. During the work it was discovered that applying the new technologies positively influences the students’ willingness to study the foreign language independently. Focusing on students’ motivation on autonomous study style, online studies have a potential and opportunity to be applied and developed for higher education study program expansions.

The Chalkboard Versus the Avatar

Increasingly, colleges and universities are relying on fully online classes to teach students. This article investigates how students evaluate online courses in comparison to more traditional face-to-face courses. Data come from undergraduate student evaluations of 118 sociology courses, and results of a series of hierarchical linear models indicate that students feel they have learned less in online courses, believe they are treated with more respect in in-class courses, and rate online courses less highly than in-class courses. Findings also suggest that the negative effects of teaching online are not universal for instructors, as the switch to online classes actually results in better evaluations for teachers who typically perform poorly in the classroom. These findings caution against the broad use of online sociology classes as a strategy for coping with increasing enrollments and shrinking budgets and suggest educators should select the course format that best complements their teaching strengths and skills.

Class Analysis from the Sixth Comparison Study of Teaching Blended In-Class Courses vs. Teaching Distance Education Courses

This paper will share with the members of the conference the findings from the sixth study that related to Class level. This study contains five semesters of analyzed data which compares the retention of students, final grades for students, the grades for five specific tasks that were given in blended in-class courses and in the totally online courses and a comparison of data by Class. All courses were American Politics PLSC 111. Each semester one or two American Politics courses were conducted in the classroom and one American Politics distance education course was conducted totally online. Each time the courses were given, it was during the same semester and by the same professor who was the researcher.

Learning where it counts: an ecological argument for online education

The implementation of learning technologies for online instruction and relevant testing raises issues concerning the ready availability and use of external reference materials that students may consult during evaluation but are not commonly found in in-class courses, such as the internet, class notes, and so on. Yet, the presence of such materials may be ecologically valid with respect to daily cognitive performance in any domain (e.g., reasoning and decision-making in everyday life). This paper reviews three related theories of cognitive science as they argue for an integrative cognitive system that includes external artefacts, and thus go beyond |internal| processes as the sole purveyors of cognition. The paper then uses these theories to frame an argument that the use of online learning technologies could be considerably more ecologically valid than in-class testing based on this integrated external cognitive approach. The paper ends with some suggestions on improving online testing and increasing its ecological validity by embracing the view that cognition extends beyond the brain.

ONLINE WEB DELIVERY OF A GRADUATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to in-class delivery of project management courses, many institutions have already started or are beginning to plan the delivery of these courses online. The challenge of offering a course online, especially courses with a heavy emphasis on student interaction and team projects, is well documented in the literature. Therefore, we propose a framework is needed to design and plan an online graduate Project Management course to overcome some of the problems and limitations of online delivery and to take advantage of opportunities online technology can provide. The purpose of this research is to identify components of a framework for online web delivery of a graduate Project Management course by investigating the issues and factors that should be considered in making an online Project Management course effective. The suggested components are based on the literature (which identifies some suggested best practices) and experience presenting an online project management course. Further, a survey was conducted to measure and compare student’s perceptions of online courses in general and project management online courses in particular to traditional in-class courses. Assessment of student work indicates little difference in educational outcomes and the survey results do indicate students had an overall positive experience with online courses. However completing team based projects successfully was somewhat more difficult in the online course

The Art of Online Teaching: Online Instruction versus In-Class Instruction

ABSTRACT This article examines objective data regarding learning outcomes of students who participated in asynchronous online (web-based) instruction versus in-class (traditional) instruction. Data presented suggests a significant difference in the student's comfort using a computer alone, comfort using the internet and learning outcomes between online and in-class courses. However, no differences were found related to comfort with word processing or Power Point. There were no significant differences found between online and in-class students' internal locus of control beliefs. The authors suggest how these findings can be used to improve students' success; however, these findings should be considered tentative based on the small sample size in the online group (n = 5).

Learning at a Distance

WHAT IS DISTANCE LEARNING? Distance learning is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of methods used to deliver courses in anything other than the traditional classroom. These delivery systems range from correspondence courses to classes taught via interactive television (ITV) in connected satellite classrooms. Distance learning can be synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous distance learning (usually online courses) involves connecting all learners to the instructor and fellow classmates at the same time. Asynchronous distance learning can occur at the learner’s discretion, anytime of the day or night. All assignments and coursework have due dates, but students can do their work whenever they please. Some distance learning models incorporate both methods. These classes have some segments that are done together (chat session, etc.) and others that are completed independently. Research shows that students achieve similar learning outcomes across all three domains (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) with distance learning and traditional classroom learning. Students learn as much and as well at a distance as they do in a traditional classroom (Cyrs & Conway, 1997; Deloughry, 1988; Keene & Cary, 1990; Moore & Thompson, 1990). A traditional classroom can be operationally defined as a learning environment where students and instructors meet face to face, 100% of the time, in a classroom or some other type of training facility. A traditional classroom is bound by “traditional” parameters of space and time; students and instructor come to the same place at the same time of the day, on the same day of the week, on a schedule determined by the institution offering the course. Distance learning alters the traditional classroom by freeing students and instructors from the confines of either predetermined space or time, or both. Student participation tends to be greater in online courses than in traditional in-class courses. Everyone must share something. Most students find the anonymity of online classes (i.e., they know their classmates but are not looking at them) makes sharing easier. It is less threatening to give personal examples and share personal histories online than in the classroom (Blonna & Shapiro, 2000). In addition, the quality of work submitted is higher (Blonna & Shapiro 2000). Given the absence of time constraints, better answers are prepared, better questions are framed, and more supportive feedback can be given online than in the classroom. The same holds true for instructors. Instructors are able to think about students’ questions before answering them. They also can edit their responses before sending them. Last, a personal e-mail message is more confidential than a verbal response in front of an entire class. Students and instructors both benefit from this added layer of confidentiality. Despite this, distance learning is not for everyone. Some learners want and need the face-to-face contact provided by traditional classroom-based courses. Distance learning does not provide the same opportunities for this type of interaction. Traditional classes also connect one more closely to the campus or community site.