Internet-based Distance Education Research Articles

Utilizing the eXtreme Gradient Boosting Algorithm for Artificial Intelligence-supported Learning Analytics Application

Recent technological advancements, including internet-based distance education and artificial intelligence-supported learning analytics, have significantly impacted the field of education. These advancements not only enhance the efficiency of education but also broaden access to learning while mitigating barriers to implementation. AI-supported learning analytics emerges as a pivotal tool for interpreting data gleaned from educational processes and stakeholders, thereby enhancing educational processes and outcomes. This tool streamlines the measurement, analysis, and evaluation of learning processes, encompassing a wide array of factors and parameters. Moreover, it contributes to the development of personalized and adaptive learning environments. In this study, a predictive model utilizing the XGBoost algorithm has been developed to analyze students' academic achievements. The model forecasts final exam grades based on various student characteristics, including age, participation rate, and exam scores. Evaluating the performance of the AI model involves metrics such as Mean Squared Error, Mean Absolute Error, and R² score. In findings indicate a strong prediction performance, with an R² score of 0.819. As a result of underscore the potential of AI-supported learning analytics as an effective tool for predicting and enhancing student academic performance.

Effects of Lifelong Learning on the Readiness for Online Learning

Purpose: Technological advancement, which started with the Industrial Revolution, accelerated by the end of the 20th century. These developments created radical changes not only in working life but also in our social and cultural lives. The need for people to constantly learn new things in order to keep up with these changes created the concept of lifelong learning. In addition, the concept of distance education has been in our lives in various forms for many years. Especially after the 2000s, internet-based distance education, ie., online education, has become quite common. Readiness for online learning emerged as one of the important factors affecting the efficiency of online learning. In this study, the relationship between lifelong learning and readiness for online learning was examined.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: For this purpose, Lifelong Learning and Online Learning Readiness scales were administered to university students. In total, 390 students from different universities and departments participated in the research. 
 Findings: With the data obtained, it was tried to determine if lifelong learning had a significant effect on the sub-dimensions of readiness for online learning. In addition, determining if the gender and the type of education program had a significant effect on these two concepts constitutes the sub-objective of the research.
 Highlights: The findings showed that there was a significant and positive relationship between the sub-dimensions of readiness for online learning and lifelong learning. On the other hand, it was observed that women were better than men and postgraduate students were better than other students in terms of both readiness for lifelong learning and online learning.

COVID-19 Pandemi Sürecindeki İnternet Tabanlı Uzaktan Eğitimin Üniversite Öğrencileri Üzerindeki Etkileri: Kesitsel Çalışma

Objective: This study was designed to examine the effects of the Internet usage time, which increased as a result of the compulsory transition to distance education, on the university students' musculoskeletal system as well as its effects on their perceived stress level and quality of life. Material and Methods: One hundred and thirty nine students, aged 18-25, studying at undergraduate, attended this study. The evaluations were made by sharing the link of the questionnaire form prepared using the 'Google Forms' application. The demographic characteristics of all participating individuals and the time spent on distance education on the Internet were recorded. Musculoskeletal pain, perceived pain and discomfort were evaluated with the Cornell Musculoskeletal Disorders Assessment Questionnaire, stress level with Perceived Stress Scale, and quality of life with the Quality of Life Short Form-36. Results: The mean age of the university students was 19.63±1.3 years. It was determined that the average time students spent on distance education was 5.44±2.08 hours per day. The body parts where the students felt the most pain were neck, back, and lower back; and there was a statistically significant, very weak to weak relationship between the Internet usage time and the pain felt, the level of perceived stress, and quality of life. Conclusion: Internet-based distance education, which is perceived as a sedentary lifestyle, can have negative effects on students. Expansion of the study may be useful in determining the effects of distance education, which has become mandatory in pandemic conditions.

A study on the applicability of in-service hybrid education in food and beverage businesses (The example of culinary trends)

Gastronomy shows a continuous development as a branch of science that aims to meet the socialization needs of individuals as well as their physical needs. Considerable importance is attached to the level of technological integration as the most fundamental variable that can accelerate this development. However, scientific findings on the technological transformation experienced today and the effects of this transformation on sectoral development have not been encountered, especially in the field of in-service gastronomy education. The main purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of in-service training as a dimension of non-formal education in the field of gastronomy education as hybrid. In this context, hybrid training on gastronomic tendencies was given to chefs working as section chefs in cold, hot and ala carte departments in the kitchen units of food and beverage businesses. In the training plan, the study group was divided into two and a pre-test and post-test study was conducted to measure their knowledge of gastronomic tendencies. Teaching about new gastronomic trends was given to one group through mutual training, and to the other group 50% of the trainings were given face-to-face and 50% via internet-based distance education. In this context, the comparative advantages and weaknesses of hybrid education and face-to-face education were compared in terms of gastronomy education.

Uzaktan Eğitimde Ders Veren Öğretim Elemanlarının Uzaktan Eğitim Algısı

Üniversiteler uzaktan eğitim programlarıyla daha geniş kitlelere erişerek, bilginin yayılması ve nitelikli işgücünün sağlanmasında ülke ekonomisine katkı sağlamaktadır. Artan bilgi talebi, zaman ve mekan esnekliği, düşük maliyetler uzaktan eğitime talebi artırmaktadır. Bu nedenle üniversiteler uzaktan eğitime önem vermekte, daha etkili programlar hazırlamaya çalışmaktadır. Öğretim elemanı hem uzaktan eğitim ortamının ilk kullanıcısı hem de sunulmasında önemli görevi olan bir paydaştır. Bu nedenle uzaktan eğitimin sunulması, geliştirilmesi ve planlanmasında merkezi rolü vardır. Öğretim elemanlarını uzaktan eğitime ilişkin algıları sunulan hizmetin kalitesini, çıktılarını, hizmete ilişkin algı, tutum ve bakış açılarını etkilemesi kaçınılmazdır.
 
 Bu çalışmada internet tabanlı uzaktan eğitim programlarında görev alan öğretim elemanlarının mevcut işleyişle ilgili uzaktan eğitim algısını oluşturan boyutları belirlemek amacıyla bir anket geliştirilmiştir. Çevrimiçi anket olarak hazırlanan ölçme aracı, uzaktan eğitimde görev alan öğretim elemanlarına eletronik posta yoluyla iletilmiştir. Çalışma tarama türünde yapılmış ve uzaktan eğitim programına sahip 13 üniversitede gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çevrimiçi ortamda 168 öğretim elemanı anketi yanıtlamıştır. Tamamlanmayan anketler çıkartılarak, 81 öğretim elemanının yanıtları değerlendirilmiştir. Açıklayıcı faktör analiziyle öğretim elemanlarının uzaktan eğitim algısını oluşturan boyutlar araştırılmıştır. Anket, 21 maddeden oluşup, 5’li Likert yapıdadır. Öğretim elemanlarının uzaktan eğitim algısı temel bakışa ilişkin algı, kaynaklara erişim ve eğitim öğretimi planlama boyutlarından oluşmaktadır. Anketin açıkladığı toplam varyans %56,88 olup, ankete ait Cronbach alfa iç güvenirlik katsayısı 0,91’dir. Temel bakışa ilişkin algı boyutuna ait Cronbach alfa iç güvenirlik katsayısı 0,91 olup; kaynaklara erişim 0,81 ve eğitim öğretim planlama boyutu 0,80 değerine sahiptir.
 
 Öğretim elemanları uzaktan eğitim algı puanlarının düzeylerinin de belirlendiği çalışmada eğitim öğretim planlama faktörü en yüksek seviyeye sahipken, diğer faktörler ve anketin tamamında algı düzeyi orta seviyede olduğu gözlemiştir. Son mezuniyet derecesi ile uzaktan eğitimde verilen toplam ders sayısına göre temel bakışa ilişkin algıda; ünvan ve uzaktan eğitimde ders verme süresine göre eğitim öğretim planlamada; en son mezuniyet derecesine göre toplam uzaktan eğitim algısında anlamlı farklılık olduğu tespit edilmiştir.

KORONAVİRÜS (COVİD-19) SÜRECİNDE UZAKTAN EĞİTİMİN TURİZM LİSANS ÖĞRENCİLERİ TARAFINDAN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

Bu çalışmada Covid-19 sürecinin internet tabanlı uzaktan eğitimi zorunlu kılması sebebiyle bu eğitim yöntemi hakkında turizm öğrencilerinin görüşlerinin tespit edilmesi ve buradan hareketle internet tabanlı uzaktan eğitim sisteminin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın verileri, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi, Turizm Fakültesi lisans eğitimi bahar dönemi uzaktan eğitim ders süreci olan 21 Mart-24 Nisan 2020 içerisindeki süreçte toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesinin kısa sürede hayata geçirdiği uzaktan eğitim ders sistemini turizm lisans öğrencilerinin büyük çoğunluğunun (yaklaşık %86’sının) takip edebildiği görülmüştür. Özellikle erkek öğrencilerin uzaktan eğitim derslerini daha etkili buldukları ve memnuniyetlerinin daha fazla olduğu dikkat çekmektedir. Bununla birlikte araştırmaya katılan öğrencilerin uzaktan eğitim ders memnuniyetleri üzerinde verilen destek hizmetlerinin, öğrenme koşullarının, uzaktan eğitimde değerlendirme sisteminin, program etkililiğinin ve bu yeni sistem için öğrencilerin kişisel uygunluklarının önemli belirleyiciler olduğu görülmektedir. Çalışma kapsamında üniversitelere ve çeşitli kamu ve özel paydaşlarına birtakım önerilerde bulunulmuştur. Özellikle Yüksek Öğretim Kurumuna (YÖK), yerel internet tabanlı uzaktan eğitim sisteminin alt yapısını oluşturması önerilmektedir.

Computer Assisted One-year College English Teaching Mode

The development of new computer technologies such as new media technologies and the Internet has greatly promoted the reform of college English teaching. Today, Internet-based distance education has greatly optimized the environment for students to learn English. College English of Anhui Xinhua University adopts a one-year three-dimensional teaching model based on modern network technology. Two years of teaching reform practice shows that one-year learning can improve students’ enthusiasm for learning and learning efficiency.

A Critical Discourse Analysis

There is a lot of rhetoric related to current internet based distance education as accessible, flexible, just-in-time, cost-effective, innovative and interactive. In particular, discussion about the value of interaction for successful online learning experiences, which is grounded in social constructivist learning theories, has been ongoing for recent decades. The burgeoning popularity of online learning such as a MOOCs phenomenon and the rapid proliferation of its new name “e-learning” have pushed aside the older connotation of distance learning as an inferior form of learning compared to face-to-face instruction. With the advent of web technologies and the growing public interest in the Internet, a simultaneous claim from internet-based research that such environments are inherently interactive has reinforced the rhetoric about the “interactive nature of online learning”. As a result, literature suggests researchers have single-mindedly focussed on developing more effective interactive online learning with neither empirical examination of the claims nor careful investigation of distance educational contexts where their designs would be implemented in. In this context, the changing roles of online teachers have drawn great research attention and so have been conceptualized and theorised. This Foucauldian critical discourse analysis project looks closely into the rhetorical discourse and their influences on instructors’ perspectives and behaviours at open universities to address the gap in our current understanding about distance education. Two foci of this study are i) instructors’ language use: how instructors at open universities talk about their perspectives and experiences of online learning and ii) instructors’ subjects: how each instructor is described and characterized by other members at the universities and why. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 instructors in two open universities, one in North America and the other in Asia-Pacific region. Our findings show the powerful impact of the rhetorical discourse on instructors’ perspectives and their subjects, which has increased the potential danger of the institutional abuse of power against or the marginalization of a particular group of instructors. The ultimate aim of this study is not to refute social constructivist assumptions but to provide a different framework to broaden our understanding of the nature of online learning beyond the current set of assumptions.

SUPPORT AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES IN INTERNET-BASED DISTANCE EDUCATION

In this study, it is aimed to propose practical suggestions through determining the state of support activities and social activities among internet-based educational programs in distance education. In line with this aim, students’ and instructors’ views related with support activities and social activities practiced in the programs within internet-based distance education models applied in Mersin University Mersin Vocational Schools were gathered. 502 students and 30 instructors participated in the study. The quantitative data was collected through surveys, and the qualitative data was gathered through interviews. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the categorical data. Moreover, the qualitative data was analyzed via content analysis. According to the findings of the study, students needed to get support about education directives, career guidance, technical equipment, and personal problems. The most frequently visited sources to get support by students are teachers, secretariat, and administrative units. However, students did not consider the supports they got from these units as sufficient. According to most of the students and instructors participated in the study, being involved in social activities was so prominent specifically to provide motivation for students. However, it seems impossible to be engaged in social activities in distance education due to the nature of distance education. Students generally regarded themselves as unsocial, and they considered provided social interaction environment as insufficient. Students and instructors expressed that they mostly interacted through social networking sites. Further, they stated that the social environments they mostly faced with each other were final exams and graduation ceremony.

E-LEARNING AND DISTANCE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

The article discusses the term, date and reasons for appearance of distance education and different aspects of its development in Russia. The description and characteristics of Russian distance learning technologies are given. The peculiarities of modern Internet based distance education are outlined.

Text messages as a learning tool for midwives

The use of cell phone text messaging to improve access to continuing healthcare education in under-resourced settings is not well documented. We aimed to assess whether this method of education is acceptable to South African midwives in both the public and private sectors. Essential healthcare lessons from the Maternal Care book of the Perinatal Education Programme (PEP) were delivered via text message to more than 2 500 midwives each week for a period of 6 months. Each message concluded with a link to a website, where additional information about each lesson could be accessed. Results of a survey, conducted with 50 of the message recipients, demonstrated that the text messages were well received by the midwives; the information was widely shared with colleagues and was believed to improve learning and patient care. Lack of access to the internet, or failure to utilise this facility to obtain additional information, indicated that limitations still exist in internet-based distance education, especially in the public sector. The use of text messaging promises to provide cost-effective learning opportunities, and improve a wide range of clinical services, such as the management of HIV-infected children and adults.

The Study on the Development of Internet-based Distance Education and Problems

The modern Internet-based distance education is steadily moving forward, and has attracted more and more people's attention and gradually showed strong development momentum. But some pressing problems also exist. Based on the current situation of the development of distance education in China, combining many years of experience and practice of investigation in distance education, the characteristics of the development of distance education are elaborated in the article, the importance of multimedia courseware in distance education is pointed out, and the problems existed in distance education and their perfecting countermeasures are particularly analyzed.

A Quality Scorecard for the Administration of Online Education Programs

As the demands for public accountability increase for the higher education, institutions are seeking methods for continuous improvement in order to demonstrate quality within programs and processes, including those provided through online education. A six round Delphi study was undertaken with 43 seasoned administrators of online education programs who agreed upon 70 quality indicators that administrators should examine within their programs to evaluate quality. A method for scoring was also developed. The original set of quality indicators from the Institute for Higher Education Policy study, Quality on the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education (2000) were used as a starting point and determined still valid in 2010, with modifications. The study resulted in a quality scorecard for the administration of online education programs.

Introduction to this special issue: Faculty intellectual property in the digital age

Prior to the third generation of distance education that is described as telelearning (Taylor 1995) or teleconferencing (Moore and Kearsley 1996), there were few questions about the ownership of a faculty member’s intellectual property. It was extremely rare for an institution to claim ownership of a professor’s class materials whether lecture notes, flip charts, overhead transparencies, audio and video recording, monographs, handouts or tests. With the advent of Internet-based distance education delivery systems including 2-way audio and video as well as online courses, the issue of intellectual property ownership has grown complex. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) states ‘‘The materials created by faculty members for distance education courses should be treated in exactly the same fashion as materials created by faculty members for traditional courses’’ (AAUP, n.d.). This statement implies that ownership of course materials used in teaching a course delivered via distance education should be treated the same as a traditional face-to-face classroom course, that is, the faculty member owns the materials. In contrast, the American Association of Universities (1999) states ‘‘...the university should own the intellectual property that is created at the university by faculty.’’ University distance education policies, however, view ownership of distance education materials differently than traditional classroom materials. The distance education policy at California Polytechnic State University (Calpoly Polytechnic State University, n.d.) states that faculty must negotiate with the university for ownership based on current policies and contracts. The University of Nevada Las Vegas (n.d.) and Buffalo State University (n.d.) policies state that the university and faculty member are joint owners of the materials if university

The diffusion of internet-based distance education technology among US associate colleges

This paper analyzes the diffusion of internet-based distance education technology (NETDE) among the US associate colleges. The study finds that an institution with experience in using an earlier generation distance education technology is more likely to adopt NETDE than an institution without such an experience. The finding supports the view of Cohen and Levinthal (1990) that an organization's ‘absorptive capability’ plays a significant role in its innovative activities. Institution size also facilitates the adoption of NETDE. We relate this size effect to market power because the size effect is partly caused by customer switching costs present in the NETDE market. Finally, we find that, among public institutions, the presence of close competitors motivates an institution to adopt NETDE earlier.

The Hungarian adaptation of ilias web-based L(C)MS and its use in information education with a special regard to services tailoring

Integrating modern information and communication technologies into the process of learning and teaching is a serious challenge in today’s higher education. One of its important tools is internet-based distance education and an e-learning framework.The article defines e-learning, internet-based distance education, blended learning, L(C)MS terms, then describes the institutional introduction of the ILIAS e-learning framework at Dennis Gabor College, its tailoring and experiments of running ILIAS in the past two years.The role of studying style, studying strategy and motivation in blended learning is described and the possibilities of validating individual study strategies within the present LCMS-s and experiences with ILIAS.Finally it emphasizes the necessity of further research and development to realize an adaptive L(C)MS.

ENSURING QUALITY IN AN ONLINE DISTANCE COMPUTING COURSE

This article describes an illustrative case of an online distance education course in introductory computing which aimed to empower learners by facilitating active learning in an innovative, high quality, and student-centered learning environment. This course was offered to 180 non-computing science students at a university in Hong Kong. In this article, this computing course will be first evaluated against the benchmarks established by The Institute for Higher Education Policy for ensuring quality in Internet-based distance education. Secondly, the effectiveness of the course was examined in two student tracking studies conducted before the mid-term and final examinations, respectively. Results showed that towards the end of the course, statistically significant differences in learners' behaviors were found, e.g., the use of self-assessment activities rose from an average of 1.27 hours per week prior to mid-term examination to 2.63 hours per week prior to final examination. It was also observed that students adjusted their studying methods and their attitudes towards the course over time. It is expected that by documenting this experience, some good practice in technology-mediated instruction can be identified.

Internet-Based Distance Education Materials: Does Writing Style Matter?

How can distance educators format materials so that they maximize usability and optimize learning? Several web-writing characteristics have been identified that address these questions. “Objective” writing, most analogous to educational text, presents information without exaggerations or boasting. “Concise” and “scannable” writing omit superfluous information and support visual scanning by highlighting key features, respectively. “Combined” writing aggregates characteristics from the objective, concise, and scannable styles. Previous research suggests that, in contrast to results from the commercial domain, these writing styles do not influence memory of distance education materials. This discrepancy is possibly due to measurement differences. To address this issue, the present study employed recognition (i.e., multiple-choice) and guided recall (i.e., fill-in-the-blank) tasks in order to assess the efficacy of the writing styles in a distance education context. The results, however, confirmed the earlier findings, i.e., regardless of the material's writing format, memory for web site content was unaffected.

Adapting a biochemistry course to distance education

Internet-based distance education seems to be an attractive alternative to offer courses dealing with specific topics that are not conveniently explored in undergraduate courses. This is a good way to provide access to the recent and updated discoveries in this research area and to reach people who could not take the classes in the traditional mode. Using the communication advantages available via the Internet, we adapted the course "Biochemistry of Nutrition," first offered as a summer course to be entirely carried out at distance. The adaptation explored the use of online tools such as E-mail communication among students and teachers, computer conferencing in small groups to discuss specific subjects, and texts and software downloads to be used as main references. Graduate students had their first real experience as teachers, which proved to be very productive for both the development of the Internet version of the course and their integration with undergraduate students.

Developing a Modern Infrastructure for Open Distance Education in China: The Implementation of the NCEC Project

The NCEC project was a joint venture between China and Europe to deliver Internet-based distance education in China. The project was proposed in 1995, sponsored by the European Union since 1998, and finally completed in 2002. This paper shows how the NCEC project was planned and developed, and the importance of its role in the history of Internet application development in China.