Perceptions Of E-learning Research Articles

Assessment of agricultural extension and education graduate students’ perceptions of e-learning in Iran

Educational research is an ever-expanding field of study where new methods, systems and new concepts are always being discovered. With the emergence of the Internet, e-learning has increasingly become the promising solution that continues to grow day after day. This paper examines perception of graduate students in Agricultural Extension Education in Iran towards e-learning. A descriptive–correlation survey approach was used in this study. Students (n=82) filled in a web-based closed questions questionnaire. Reliability and validity of instrument were determined by investigating the attitudes of e-learning and extension specialists and application of Cronbach's (0.94). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS Win13. Questionnaires received were analyzed, putting the students’ perceptions in relation to gender, age, university, previous knowledge of computers and attitudes to advantages and disadvantages of e-learning. Results showed that students have positive perception to e-learning. The results also indicated that male students, students with previous knowledge of computers and students with positive attitudes to new technologies were all more positive in favour to e-learning than other students. There were significant relationship between computer and internet skills of students and their perceptions of e-learning. Therefore from the student's point of view, e-learning can be used as complementary approach with current system to improving educational quality in agricultural extension and education in higher Education.

BLENDED LEARNING AND USER SATISFACTION

Increasingly, e-learning is gaining popularity and acceptance both in academic as well as in corporate environments. With the rapid increase of online instruction, many experts predict that e-learning may at some point become the largest source of higher education. A significant factor related to the acceptance and success of e-learning involves students' perceptions of and attitude towards online learning. In addition, past experiences with actual online instruction can be an important factor in students' perceptions of e-learning. This study surveys students' experience with an online unit in a traditional face-to-face course. Included also are student evaluations of several online components of a web-based course management software used in the course. Additional research can provide greater insight into the factors that promote the acceptance of and success with online instruction.

Instructor Perceptions of E-Learning in an Arab Country: Kuwait University as a Case Study

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT), especially the recent explosive growth of Internet capacities, offers tremendous educational opportunities. The future growth and development of e-learning technologies is, perhaps, the most important of these trends in the realm of education. In fact, e-learning in particular is slowly being accepted as one of the criteria of a progressive, innovative, and leading higher educational institution. The Internet has created a new paradigm of learning which can allow teachers and students to teach and learn collaboratively via web-designed courses. While the quantitative impact of e-learning, such as cost effectiveness, can be easily measured, articulating the qualitative effectiveness of e-learning is more challenging. While the bulk of the studies related to e-learning focus on the quantitative impact of e-learning, the purpose of this research is to study the pedagogical impact of e-learning on higher education, specifically the university-level educational institution within an Arab university setting. Despite the existence of the varied number of significant challenges associated with teaching staff attitudes toward the e-learning model and with the institutional support for staff engaged on working with the e-learning environment, this study shows that e-learning has an important role in the enhancement and development of students' critical thinking. As a result, if academic institutions wish to develop e-learning initiatives, they must be receptive to implementing effective strategies to support such a beneficial and innovative initiative for the benefit of student learning.

Enhancing the Quality and Visibility of African Medical and Health Journals

Are most journals published in Africa too weak to be useful to local practitioners, researchers, and policy makers? Might a new method for scholarly communication on the African continent improve the utility of these journals? According to a provocative article published in Learned Publishing (Smart 2007), the answer to both questions is yes. Smart argued that the African research and education communities need to rethink their tendency to “slavishly . . . follow the Western model of academic promotion based on publishing in journals.” In an earlier article, Horton (2000a) voiced concerns that researchers, policy makers, and philanthropic organizations in developed countries believe simply providing access to Western information will solve many of the problems of developing nations. On the contrary, he wrote, in Africa “there is already a well-developed local information culture that needs support, not swamping,” noting, moreover, the lack of African journals in MEDLINE (Horton 2000a).

Factors influencing the utilisation of e-learning in post-registration nursing students

The learning environment extends beyond the classroom and establishing an e-learning culture is seen as essential to the future of nurse education and the facilitation of life long learning. This paper reports on a study that sought to identify the factors that may influence the utilisation of e-learning by nursing, midwifery and health visiting students undertaking post-registration studies. The findings presented draw on quantitative and qualitative data drawn from analysis of a questionnaire exploring experience and perceptions of e-learning. This research finds the perception of e-learning is positively influenced by its flexibility in time management, pace of learning, self direction and widening access to information. Potential barriers relate to the functional capability of students, perceived levels of computer literacy, perceptions of e-learning as time consuming, competing home life elements and the lack of work based support. Student expectations in relation to reasons for choosing this mode of learning and the probability that they may be inadequately supported to make the best use e-learning were inherent in the findings. This raised questions of the potential for inequity in educational delivery with increasing use of e-learning. The implications from this research highlight the challenge for nurse educators in understanding, developing awareness of and identifying strategies to manage these factors.

Students' Perceptions of E-Learning in Arab Society: Kuwait University as a Case Study

For generations, the primary educational delivery model for university faculty members was essentially the traditional lecture. Due to revolutionary changes in information and communication technologies, knowledge delivery modules have been changed to include e-learning (education access through the Internet). The growth of the use of the Internet has contributed to various types of e-learning in tertiary institutions. E-learning is considered as being a new trend in education in general, and in higher education in particular. The success of this new model depends on the perception of faculty members and students in the educational institution. This article examines the factors that might affect student perception of e-learning courses at Kuwait University as a representative of an Arab society.

Online learning in dentistry: the changes in undergraduate perceptions and attitudes over a four year period

To assess the changing perceptions and attitudes of undergraduate dental students towards e-learning between 2001-2004. DESIGN, SAMPLE AND SETTING: This was a retrospective analysis of online questionnaire data, collected from four successive cohorts of final year students undertaking an online therapeutics course in a large teaching hospital. Students were required to complete a structured and open questionnaire relating to their perceived ICT skills, the course itself, and their perceptions of e-learning. Simple numeric qualitative and qualitative analyses were applied. Questionnaires were returned by 328 students (98% response rate). Students' perceptions of having advanced ICT skills increased from 5.5% to 14.5%, with home internet access rising from 62.3% to 89.1 % (2001-2004). There was an increase in: ease of access (25.3% to 47.3%), perception of time saving (17.9% to 37.4%), appreciation of combining traditional and e-learning methods (43.8% to 57.4%) and online tutor access (21.9% to 40.7%). Free comments supporting good e-learning experiences rose from 7.2% to 32.7% with poor remarks decreasing (3.1% to 1.9%). Students' perceptions of their ICT skills has increased, matched by better equipment and greater appreciation of e-learning. A shift towards preference of a blended approach of traditional and e-learning is evident.

Critical success factors in introducing e-learning

Electronic learning (e-learning) facilitates learning activities and allows the user to learn at anytime and in any location. In the past, little attention has been given to the assessment of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in e-learning. We explored the CSFs related to the promotion of e-learning. Following preliminary in-depth interviews of 20 practitioners, a questionnaire was developed and completed by 394 employees enrolled in e-learning programmes. An analysis showed that four factors (real-time and complete information, personalised interface, interface friendliness, and entertaining and interactive functions) contributed a total variance of 56% in the CSFs. We also found that employees' learning performance had the most important impact on their positive evaluation of e-learning. Enhancing the function of information technology systems will improve the users' perception and adoption of e-learning. A positive circle is created in which the enthusiasm for e-learning leads to its greater adoption by employees and increases the probability of successful outcomes.

A Response and Commentary to: A Review of e-Learning in Canada

Philip Abrami and his colleagues at Concordia University have done an admirable job of over viewing the complex state of research and related perceptions of e-learning in Canada in the early years of the 21 st Century. The work of these scholars at quite effectively aggregating and synthesizing is commendable given the emergent, regionally disparate, complex and most critically, under researched domain that they have reviewed. Unfortunately, what stands out most readily for me (and echoed by the authors) is the poverty of data, sound research, and systematic analysis of the considerable social, economic and educational impact that has accompanied the rapid integration of e-learning technologies into both formal and informal learning institutions and organizations. This dearth of data is especially ironical and perplexing given the positive views of almost all respondents (from educators to policy makers, from students to the general public) identified in the review. Canadians seem to very clearly see e-learning as a critically important component of life and learning. However that interest has not evolved into an active e-learning research and development and knowledge dissemination program

Supporting e‐learning—a view from the Open University

Supporting e‐learning—a view from the Open University

The Cross-Cultural Dimensions of Globalized E-Learning

This exploratory study examined the effects of cross-cultural learning dimensions on e-learning outcomes for employees in functionally equivalent jobs in Western and Eastern cultures. Participants from the United States and India completed a Level 1 e-learning course designed in the United States. In addition, randomly selected completers then reported their interactions with the e-learning course in a survey. Learners from the two cultures achieved equitable learning outcomes, suggesting that characteristics of Level 1 e-learning courses mediate the effects of culture. In addition, while cross-cultural dimensions did appear to affect learners’ preferences for and perceptions of e-learning, both Eastern and Western participants were willing to try new approaches to learning that did not align with their cultural profiles. Based on these results, the cultural adaptation process (CAP) model is presented as a preliminary guideline for adapting e-learning courses for other cultures. Accelerated dissemination of Level 1 courses could increase technological literacy . Education and technological innovation are strongly associated with advanced socio-economic development.

Students' Perceptions of E-learning in University Education

Students' Perceptions of E-learning in University Education