Online Personal Learning Research Articles

Social networking sites as affordable tools for high-potential personal learning networks: the case of teachers as learners in Vietnam

AbstractWhile a great deal has been published about the educational value of social networking sites (SNSs) for teachers, less has focused on teachers who are arguably more dependent on these virtual platforms for informal professional learning due to financial constraints and a lack of regular in-service professional development. Situating this study in Vietnam and focusing on teachers teaching English as a foreign language, we examined how these teachers have adapted SNSs, a tool typically used in leisure and social life, into online personal learning networks. The evidence was collected from 393 teachers’ responses to an online survey. The results from descriptive and non-parametric inferential tests revealed three main findings: (1) Teachers engage in a variety of professional learning activities using SNSs with high frequency, regardless of their self-perceived levels of technology competence or teaching experience; (2) Teachers make use of online groups on SNSs for professional topics and their preferences of topics are not likely to be determined by their experience, except for the topics of classroom management techniques and knowledge about learners; (3) The most decisive factors these teachers associated with effective professional learning on SNSs include time availability, reliability of information and materials, personal information privacy and desire to learn. Teachers’ perceptions about these factors are influenced by the frequency of their SNS use and professional work experience. The implications of these findings for teacher professional development in Vietnam, and other countries in similar economic circumstances, are also discussed.

Frontlines and Crossroads: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Motivations of Medical Students from Selected Philippine Medical Schools in Pursuing Their Medical Studies

BACKGROUND: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic made changes to the Philippine medical education system to transfer to an online setting, which meant the loss of practical skills needed for future clinical encounters. Most students consider the desire to serve others as their motivation to pursue medicine, but stated that online learning was more favorable for theoretical lessons and not for practical skills. These students had to cope with lifestyle changes which challenged their resolve, as well as deal with the technology and infrastructure required for online learning. The study aimed to compare the strength and nature of motivations of medical students to pursue their studies before and after the onset of the pandemic, and to propose recommendations to support them through the pandemic and beyond. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a study questionnaire that dealt with determining respondents’ motivations for pursuing a medical degree, the impact of the pandemic and how it may have changed their motivations, and what recommendations they can propose to motivate other medical students. Interview transcripts were then analyzed through a qualitative inductive thematic analysis. Pre-clinical and clinical students (clerks and postgraduate interns) enrolled during SY 2020-2021 from Metro Manila and from among the 3 major Philippine island groups were selected to approximate the distribution of medical schools across the country. A total of 17 eligible participants were selected through purposive sampling of different personal backgrounds. Recruitment and call for participants were coursed through the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges - Student Network as well as through social media. Data from interview transcripts were familiarized and ideas from important recurring patterns shared among respondents’ answers were made into codes, which were subsequently organized into themes both unique and generalizable across student groups. RESULTS: Six major themes arose: 1) Contextualizing the pre-clinical and clinical experiences, 2) Challenges of online learning; 3) Desire for lived experience; 4) Tensions between personal contexts and online learning; 5) Grit driven by a desire to serve; 6) Resilience over adversity and sunk cost. Most pre-clinical students were motivated to pursue medicine by a desire to serve, while clinical students were straightforward about financial reward as motivation. Despite the limitations of online education, lack of social interaction and skills training, medical students had strengthened motivations to continue their studies as the pandemic highlighted the need for physicians, reinforcing their intrinsic desire to serve others. Mental health and financial issues were a concern for some, but these students did not wish to quit so as not to lose momentum with their studies. CONCLUSION: While most medical students interviewed felt more motivated in pursuing their studies during the pandemic, there was a desire and a call for more support in their studies and training. Their personal stories suggested there is room for improvement in certain aspects of local medical education. Addressing their concerns through financial and educational support, and bridging clinical skills with online learning would thus help them create quality healthcare in the pandemic context and beyond.

Digital Teacher Education for a Better Future: Recommendations for Teacher Preparation for an Online Environment

In light of current or future pandemics, natural disasters, war, or personal preferences, remote or online learning is becoming increasingly common. This reality means that teachers need to be equipped with the skills necessary to effectively teach online. In this paper the authors highlight the importance of preparing teachers with effective online teaching skills and knowledge, and suggest two areas for improvement: (1) research support for scholars to build a knowledge base to better understand effective online teaching, and (2) changes to teacher preparation programs to better equip teachers for this changing reality. Before presenting these recommendations, a brief discussion of the state of K-12 online learning globally, as well as the limitations of existing teacher education, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic is provided.

Online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic: How university students' perceptions, engagement, and performance are related to their personal characteristics.

University students faced unexpected challenges in online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings from early phases of the Covid-19 pandemic and before show that online learning experiences may vary from student to student and depend on several personal characteristics. However, the relative importance of different students' personal characteristics for their online learning experiences at later phases of the Covid-19 pandemic is still unclear. This cross-sectional, correlational study investigates how personal characteristics of university students are related to five dimensions of online learning perception and to their engagement and performance in online courses. In an online survey, 413 students from German universities provided full information on their online learning experiences and personal characteristics in terms of demographic information, Big Five personality traits, self-regulation skills, three facets of self-efficacy, and two types of state anxiety. Results of multiple regression analyses show that students' age was significantly positively related to all online learning perceptions and engagement in online courses. Our findings also confirm that self-regulation skills and academic and digital media self-efficacy are important factors in various online learning experiences. In contrast, students' personality traits and state anxiety were less important for most online learning experiences. Noteworthy, several bivariate associations between personal characteristics and online learning experiences are not reflected in the multiple regression model. This underscores the need to consider relevant variables simultaneously to evaluate their relative importance and to identify key personal characteristics. Overall, our results show valuable starting points for theory development and educational interventions.

Urological Online Learning through WeChat in China: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic

A public platform named Jiujing for the urologists’ online learning on the most popular social media WeChat in China was founded in 2015. Backend database from Jiujing before and during Covid-19 pandemic were compared and analyzed. An online questionnaire investigation containing 482 respondents was carried out to evaluate the personal characteristics and online learning preferences of Chinese urologists. During the epidemic of Covid-19, the amounts of national subscribers in Jiujing platform increased by 26.24%, while the constituent ratio of subscribers’ quantity from Hubei province decreased although there were 189 new subscribers, and only surgery video section experienced increased constituent ratio of subscribers’ concerns. Most respondents experienced whittled offline learning opportunities and boosted online learning demands during Covid-19 pandemic as online self-learning was more efficiency. Surgery videos and academic lectures were the most popular sections. Urologists’ viewpoints towards online learning are associated with professional post, affiliation hierarchy and education background.

Eutagogoy Extended: A Conceptual Framework to Support Informal, Self-Determined Lifelong Learning for Older Adults

This paper reviews and then extends the concept of heutagogy, making a case for why and how it provides a theoretical and practical framework for understanding and facilitating informal, self-determined older adults’ online lifelong learning activities and processes. This discussion is situated within a unique research context, namely, older adults’ (retirees) use of online personal learning networks (oPLNs) to support their informal lifelong learning goals. From our analysis, there is evidence to substantiate the claim that heutogogical principles were manifest within an “ecology” of informal online learning.

Online Personal Learning Networks for Older Adults: Impacts on Social and Mental Well-Being

This study investigated retired older adults (age 55+) who use the Internet to facilitate their informal, self-directed learning by creating and maintaining their online personal learning networks (oPLNs), and how such use impacts their personal, social, and mental well-being. Guiding this examination were particular research questions that specifically queried the perceived value of their oPLNs to activate and self-direct their informal learning. The web-conferencing tool WebEx was used to conduct four synchronous online focus groups allowing a total of 15 voluntary, geographically dispersed participants from across Canada to share their experiences and insights. A thematic analysis of the focus group transcripts revealed themes informing how oPLNs facilitated their informal learning goals and influenced participants’ personal valuing of their online activity. As a component of results from the larger research study (Morrison, Litchenwald, & Krystkowiak, 2020; Morrison, Litchewald, & Tang, 2020; Morrison & McCutcheon, 2019) , the findings presented, drawn from the online focus group qualitative data, indicated positive perceived valuing of their informal learning via their oPLNs as well as indications of favorable social and mental well-being outcomes. Interpretive speculation is provided regarding how these informal online learning experiences and oPLNs in particular, may point to a favorable impact on similar retired older adults’ personal, social, and mental well-being.

Designing a Rhizomatic Online Personal Learning Environment Model to Improve University Students’ Academic Listening Skills

The paper proposes principles and a theoretical framework for the construction of an online personal learning environment model named the PLERN model, aiming to assist university students to improve their academic listening comprehension skills, and to apply the suggested model to investigate the targeted students’ perception of online learning. The paper describes the importance of listening comprehension at tertiary level, and the principles employed to construct the PLERN model. It presents the theoretical and intellectual framework used to construct the model, and a suggested research methodology to effectively implement this online learning model in the digital age. The paper also includes research design, research settings, and participants, instruments to implement the PLERN model, and the data collection methods of data analysis procedures which bring out research findings as well as the recommendations of the future study. The paper ends by indicating the weaknesses and strengths of the model which help researchers maximize the model strengths and minimize its weaknesses.

Integrating Work–Life Balance with 24/7 Information and Communication Technologies: The Experience of Adult Students With Online Learning

ABSTRACT This paper examines the online learning experience as related to work–life balance from the student’s perspective. Four open-ended discussion questions were asked of 302 students in sixteen graduate business courses, over a three-year period. Two hundred and ten students voluntarily responded with their observations and perceptions of their personal online learning experience and how this experience impacted their work/life/school balance. This paper, using content analysis and qualitative coding, is focused on understanding the student’s perception of how online learning impacts their work–life balance, especially as compared to brick-and-mortar classroom learning. This paper concludes that online learning can enhance work–life balance for most students, especially when compared to the alternative of traditional fixed time and place classroom learning.

Older Adults’ Use of Online Personal Learning Networks to Construct Communities of Learning

This study investigated how retired older adults (age 55+) use the Internet and social media tools to facilitate their informal, self-directed learning by creating and maintaining online personal learning networks (oPLNs). The research examined what information and communication technologies (ICT) participants included in their oPLNs and how they used these oPLNs to activate and self-direct their informal learning. Employing the web-conferencing tool WebEx, four online focus groups and four one-to-one audio interviews were conducted allowing for a total of 15 voluntary, geographically-dispersed participants from across Canada to synchronously interact and exchange their experiences and insights regarding their oPLNs. Using a thematic analysis method, the discussion transcripts generated were analyzed to examine learning contexts, strategies to manage learning, motivation to learn and achievement of learning goals, as well as to discover emergent themes. It was clear from our findings that oPLNs provided a virtual "learning community" that supported informal, self-directed learning via learner participation and interaction opportunities fostered by ICT-based tools and processes.

Empowering older adults\u2019 informal, self-directed learning: harnessing the potential of online personal learning networks

Information and communication technologies have had an enormous impact on how we live, work, communicate, re-create, and connect with others. However, there is a paucity of research regarding older adult learners’ adoption and adaptation of Internet-based tools, techniques, and resources to support their informal, self-directed lifelong learning goals. This research contributes to our understanding of how and why older adults leverage the Internet and social media tools to create, develop, and maintain online personal learning networks (oPLNs) for the purposes of self-directed knowledge acquisition, personal development, and the facilitation of healthy aging.

Effective Application of Naive Bayesian Classifier for Personal Online Learning Networks

Naive Bayesian classifier can be used to classify news and patients, but there are few studies on the classification of educational data. Based on Naive Bayesian algorithm. This paper studies the relationship between course achievement and employment salary. Quantitative method is adopted as research methodology. The sample data sets were collected from Personal Online Learning Networks, which consist of the Student Performance Management System and Student Employment Management System. The sample category labels were constructed and the Hold-Out method was used to divide data sets into training sets and testing sets. 15 courses’ performance as feature vector and employment wage as category, if the attribute condition was independent, a Naive Bayesian Classifier was established. The result indicating the higher the grade of DAWEB, ICT, INT and WNDW courses, the higher the employment wage. The conclusion is in accordance with the actual situation: Four courses mainly train students’ comprehensive practical ability. The students who have stronger practical abilities are highly demanded by employers, hence, the higher salary will be provided. At the end, regarding the class conditional probability of $$P(x_{i} = E|s = H)$$ (Performance = E, salary = H) as the weight of courses, build a topological structure diagram of courses.

Extending the online focus group method using web-based conferencing to explore older adults online learning

ABSTRACTThis exploratory research documents the use of the web conference technology WebEx™ to expand the variety of focus group data collection methods. Drawn from four synchronous online focus groups with older adults from across Canada, who create and use online personal learning networks to enhance and support their informal self-directed learning processes, these reflections are elaborated to include lessons learned regarding recruitment, group moderation, data triangulation, and the implementation of web-based conferencing. Recommendations for research practice include consideration of research populations, geographical location, research topics, web conference systems, moderation processes, and researcher biases. This application of the WebEx™ platform to conduct synchronous online focus groups demonstrates the validity of integrating online communication tools into the research context, thus bridging the gap between the traditional face-to-face and online focus group methods and heeding the call to researchers to continue to share their experiences of novel approaches to conducting educational research.

The moderating role of self-regulated learning in job characteristics and attitudes towards web-based continuing learning in the airlines workplace

With the increasing importance of adult and continuing education, the present study aimed to examine the factors that influence continuing web-based learning at work. Three questionnaires were utilised to investigate the association of the job characteristics from Karasek et al.’s (1998) job demand-control-support model and the self-regulated learning with web-based continuing learning; exploratory factor analyses indicate their adequate reliability and validity. A sample of 203 employees of an airline company completed three questionnaires. The path analysis reveals that job demands did not have any significant correlation with any other variables. However, job control, social support and self-regulated learning constituted significant predictors of attitudes towards web-based continuing learning. Furthermore, self-regulated learning mediated job characteristics and attitudes. In conclusion, this is one of the few studies to consider perceptions of both personal online learning (i.e., self-regulated learning and attitudes towards web-based continuing learning) and work-related variables (i.e., job characteristics). The study advances interdisciplinary perspectives on education, information and communications technology and psychology, which has implications for continuing adult education and successful implementation of online workplace learning.

Comparative educational study between online and offline interactions in the knowledge-based economy

Abstract The aim of this paper is to analyse from the educational point of view which are the interactions between online and offline, starting from a set of values that contribute to the stability and functionality of the knowledge-based economy. There are four factors that allow the integration and sharing of values through online and offline interactions: organizational culture, digital technology, implementation of creative methodologies and digital transformation. In this respect, the interactions specific to systems based on open governance were analyzed. Interactions between online and offline are also very important in the educational process. For this reason, we introduced a new concept, called TOTO ("Teaching Online, Transfer Offline" ↔ "Transfer Offline, Teaching Online"). This slogan is meant to promote the acquisition and transfer of knowledge in the future. Particular importance was given to studying the effects of the interactions between Personal Online Learning Networks and Offline Learning Teams. Since social media is a common tool for most socio-economic activities, it has been considered necessary to carry out a case study on the interactions specific to this environment.

A Learner-Centered Design Framework for E-Learning

This paper presents a design framework for online learning. The framework is based upon the taxonomy devised by Dettmer (2006). In a learner-centered focus, it draws together the cognitive, affective, social, and sensorimotor domains of learning, and is situated with the concept of online personal learning spaces and environments. It is at this intersection of learning domains that the graduate attributes and general capabilities of students are able to be intentionally supported and demonstrated. The proposed framework draws on recognized theory, principles, and practical considerations of contemporary online learning to clarify considerations of the learning outcomes, learning processes and learner performance when designing online learning that is mediated by education technology. This integrative approach will support mentored, reflective learning design and design-based research aimed at improving both the experience and outcomes of online students. The paper contends that this framework presents a useful design that reflects the nature of contemporary online learning environments.

Professional development 2.0 for librarians: developing an online personal learning network (PLN)

PurposeThe field of librarianship is ever expanding and changing, from exploding internet and media technologies, to ever diverse patron groups with increasingly complex information needs. Library professionals need to be as savvy as the clients they serve, and the most productive and effective way for librarians to keep up with these changes is to seek out professional development opportunities. Librarians owe it to their clients and to themselves as competent professionals, to remain abreast of trends and developments in the field. The purpose of this paper is to address the changing landscape of the library profession, including the changing nature of library and information science education, and to exemplify the importance and necessity of continuing professional development for librarians, the newest manifestation of which is online professional development through Web 2.0 tools and social media technologies.Design/methodology/approachSpecifically, using such technologies enables library professionals to develop an online personal learning network (PLN).FindingsPLNs are beneficial because they are so customizable to an individual's work and research interests and time constraints, and they facilitate global learning and collaboration opportunities that may not otherwise be feasible. In times of financial difficulty, more traditional professional development opportunities requiring travel and funding are often prohibitive; PLNs enable continuous and affordable professional development opportunities that will benefit librarians and their institutions.Originality/valueThe paper discusses the newest technologies and opportunities and how their attendant considerations and concerns apply to library professions; also the best ways in which to deliver content and instruct future library professionals.

Collaborative and role‐play strategies in software engineering learning with web 2.0 tools

ABSTRACTSoftware development processes are inherently complex and require the collaboration and coordination of expert teams. The acquisition of both analysis and design competences as well as social skills should thus be the leitmotiv of courses devoted to software engineering learning. However, these aspects are often ignored and excessive importance is attached to the implementation stage. The learning framework described in this article was designed to teach students these competences and skills by means of an immersive learning experience where, working in a team, each student has to play the role of a software developer and address problems linked to requirements specification, design, and the software development process as a whole. Collaborative strategies of this kind have proven to be very successful in active learning processes, to which we have added continuous assessment mechanisms based on rubrics to provide early feedback to students. Additionally, and taking into account the characteristics of the new European Space for Higher Education, we have designed an online personal learning environment (PLE) that facilitates anytime–anywhere communications and provides a suitable social space for the exchange of information, which is crucial to the success of any teamwork effort. More specifically, we propose a learning activity based on Web 2.0 services and adapted to this particular PLE.© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 22:658–668, 2014; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21557

Online personal learning environments: structuring electronic portfolios for lifelong and life‐wide learning

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to outline a vision for digital stories of development, or online personal learning environments, which may eventually replace what we currently call “electronic portfolios” in education.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual article that provides a lifelong, life‐wide perspective on electronic portfolios based on the authors' research, focusing on some of the issues that need to be addressed to make this vision a reality.FindingsBased on the concept of “lifetime personal web space,” this online archive of a life's collection of reflections, memories, digital artefacts and memorabilia, both personal and professional, has the potential to change the current paradigm of electronic portfolios, mostly institution‐bound, and focus instead on the individual or the family as the center for creating a digital archive, which can be used in a variety of contexts across the lifespan, from schools to universities to the workplace. Finally, this archive can be used to develop personal histories and reflective narratives to preserve our stories for future generations. A possible scenario is followed by the challenges faced when developing this service for widespread dissemination. This is not a formal research paper with analysis, discussion or results. The paper is meant to provide a vision or future direction for electronic portfolios that could be stored in the internet “cloud” for a lifetime and beyond.Practical implicationsThis paper encourages individuals as well as institutions to explore new ways to construct electronic portfolios in the Internet “cloud” so that the owner of the portfolio has access across their lifespan. This paper could also be used by Web 2.0 developers to improve the development of tools, making them more useable and accessible across the lifespan, from early readers to the elderly.Originality/valueThis paper provides a future vision of the potential for cloud computing to be used as a lifetime store of memories and digital memorabilia, as well as a broader vision of the electronic portfolio process across the lifespan.

The Personal Learning Planner

This paper discusses the online Personal Learning Planner (PLP) project underway at the National Institute of Community Innovations (NICI), one of the partners in the Teacher Education Network (TEN), a 2000 PT3 Catalyst grantee. The Web-based PLP provides a standards-linked “portfolio space” for both works in progress and demonstration collections of completed work, combined with structures to support mentorship and advising centered around the improvement of work. In this paper, we describe the PLP's history and rationale, design, and some initial results of its use in pilot programs, discussing the implications of lessons learned through these pilot experiences that can inform the PLP's effective use in teacher education. Early lessons from the field show the cultural, pedagogical, and technological challenges and potentials of basing performance reviews on collaboratively generated, standards-linked, Web-based portfolio processes, and products.