Pure Online Research Articles

Evaluating Resources for Scientific Modelling in a Distance Education Course

This research evaluates the contribution of different strategies planned for a distance education course on astronomy, designed for teachers, especially during a topic where the goal was the dynamic model of the Earth's orbit. Methodology was analysis of the written discourse of participants, collected from the virtual learning environment of the course. Using a socio-constructivist framework, we searched for elements of model usage in students’ accounts on the theme, and attempted to connect this process with the resources used. Findings compare accounts and learning results from different versions of the course, when new resources were gradually inserted. Conclusions are that varied course resources can be of benefit to the pedagogical communication, providing: more precise vocabulary; better understanding of the problem; a more concrete picture to relate with; construction of elements of the solution. However, consolidation of learning happens through students-tutor interaction and this activity could not be replaced, in the course analyzed, by as varied as the resources could be. As much as our desire to make the course as flexible as possible to provide opportunity for teachers throughout the country to enroll, our results indicate that pure online interactions appear to be insufficient to teach a scientific model, as best results were only obtained when a face-to-face encounter was added to the course plan.

Teaching Programming Courses Online using Cloud System: Practices and Future Challenges

Acceptance of cloud systems as the future has given way to a large number of cloud application installations. They have their presence across domains be it banking, gaming, education and others. A cloud based solution brings down the cost of ownership and maintenance for the host organization. For the users a resilience to use any type of end device being it a workstation, laptop, netbook or even a smartphone to access the application. A typical cloud based LMS was developed with appropriate pedagogy to teach programming courses. Necessary software required are made available on the cloud, with a bare minimum hardware spec requirement at the user end. The paper highlights the adaptability to such pure online course by the students and their learning outcomes. The paper also discusses the issues and challenges both in terms of technology and pedagogy which needs to be addressed when such online courses are planned.

The Role Of Learners' Academic Background On E-Learning

Nowadays, instructional technologies are the enabler for educators to have more choices in course planning, course design, and lecturing. These technologies not only strengthen the communication between instructors and learners, but also let the learners get an easily access their course materials at anytime and from anywhere. As a result, many educational institutes, including formal universities and online educational service providers, are now using E-learning technologies to deliver their courses as pure online courses or hybrid courses. In this research, the effectiveness of using online discussion forum in teaching is evaluated based on five teaching criteria related to knowledge construction process: learner's motivation, learner's independence, learner-learner interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and learner's satisfaction. The author's findings indicated that IT majors are more positive towards the use of online discussion forum in E-learning.

A randomised controlled trial of face to face versus pure online self-help cognitive behavioural treatment for perfectionism

Previous research has shown cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) to be effective in reducing perfectionism. The present study investigated the efficacy of two formats of CBT for perfectionism (CBT-P), face-to-face and pure online self-help, in reducing perfectionism and associated psychological symptoms. Participants were randomly allocated to face-to-face CBT-P (n = 18), pure online self-help CBT-P (n = 16), or a waitlist control period (n = 18). There was no significant change for the waitlist group on any of the outcome measures at the end of treatment. Both the face-to-face and pure online self-help groups reported significant reductions at the end of treatment for the perfectionism variables which were maintained at the 6-month follow-up. The face-to-face group also reported significant reductions over this time in depression, anxiety, and stress, and a significant pre-post increase in self-esteem, all of which were maintained at the 6-month follow-up. In contrast, the pure online self-help group showed no significant changes on these outcomes. The face-to-face group was statistically superior to the pure online self-help group at follow-up on the perfectionism measures, concern over mistakes and personal standards. The results show promising evidence for CBT for perfectionism, especially when offered face to face, where sustained benefit across a broad range of outcomes can be expected.

Decisions of retail channel choices for the traditional retailer competing with a pure play online retailer

The rapid development of online retailing has promoted some top traditional retailers to implement the brick-and-click strategy by expanding business to online channel. While online channel usually implies lower operation cost, most consumers believe that they will bear disutility cost of purchasing online because of various disadvantages of online shopping. Considering such online disutility cost and the competition from a pure play online retailer, we investigate a traditional retailer’s decisions on retail channel choices. In detail, we construct competitive pricing games between the traditional retailer and the pure play online retailer by assuming that consumers are heterogeneous in the online disutility cost, and that for each consumer, his online disutility cost from the online branch of the brick-and-mortar store is lower than that from the pure play online store. Equilibrium results show that introducing an online branch helps the traditional retailer improve overall profitability under certain conditions.

E‐learning from a student's view with focus on Global Studies

PurposeThe current Internet Outlook of the OECD states that e‐learning has the potential to revolutionise education and learning – if complemented by suitable didactic approaches. Therefore, the situation of e‐learning is analysed from a student's perspective with focus on a new master program in Global Studies. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the use of ICTs within Global Studies compared to other fields of study.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical basis of this paper is one online survey for students of Global Studies Graz and personal interviews with students' representatives of three different courses of studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Graz and at the University of Vienna.FindingsAlthough the intensity of e‐learning technologies is relatively low in Austria as compared to other OECD countries, several courses within the master curriculum of Global Studies Graz use innovative e‐learning techniques at several levels. The level and intensity of ICT usage in Austria reflects the interests of students: around 60 percent prefer ICTs as amendment to traditional teaching methods. Only around 7 percent demand a higher supply of pure online courses.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper can be helpful especially for universities that intend to initiate a master program on global equity, multiculturality, social inclusion, global development, or globalisation.Social implicationsThe findings show that students in Austria prefer on‐campus contact with students and lecturers. Nevertheless, in cases where e‐learning increases the quality of lectures and their academic outcomes, it is preferable from a student perspective to further promote the use of ICTs in tertiary education.Originality/valueAuthentic results of student experiences and approaches such as the present analysis are important in order to improve the quality of Global Studies and other similar academic programs.

MOOC: a revolution in teaching? A European view

Since the end of the 90’s and the emergence of widely disseminated technologies, Information Technology has been claimed as a strong means to revolutionize the old way of teaching and learning. American universities have focused on new technologies and their use for education since their appearance in the late 90s. With the explosion of the Web technologies, the dream of a full distance education has started to be a reality. The intention of the universities was twofold: to attract new customers far from their traditional recruitment pools and to compete not only with other universities, but also with private companies, such as Phoenix U., which organized classical distance learning with great success. The creation of WGU, a pure online university (WGU 1995) is the best example of this intention. Later, the MIT created the Open Courseware initiative (OCW 2002) which exposes an increasing number of teaching documents to the world. In 2006, the Khan academy (Khan 2006), not especially intended towards Higher Education, invited everyone to add their own short video (less than 10 minutes in most cases) to explain any point of interest. The contributors are all volunteers. Neither their qualifications nor their legitimacy are controlled. More recently, a new concept, MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) presented a more ambitious goal. Its aim was to provide a comprehensive education to any public, at world scale, and to deliver an attestation (certification) of completion of study to those who had followed successfully the full course. However one must define what the word “successfully” means. The concept of distance learning is quite old. It has been evolving with the technology and the economic conditions. Are the MOOC a breakthrought in education or a new avatar of an old concept? An excellent review about this issue has been made by Hill (2012). MOOC promoters distinguish two kinds of MOOC (Tracey 2013): xMOOC which is the extension and adaptation of the classical way of knowledge transmission, adapted to a massive number of apprentices and the connectivist MOOC,c-MOOC, which expects a more active learner. The student is supposed to discuss, to debate and to share his/her knowledge with his fellow learners. He is also encouraged to discover teaching materials in the immensity of the web. Before further discussing the MOOC, it is necessary to explain what kind of pedagogy is characteristic of the socio-economic context of the American universities, to understand to which problem this new concept is supposed to answer.

Optimal online algorithms on two hierarchical machines with tightly-grouped processing times

This paper considers an online hierarchical scheduling problem on two parallel identical machines. The objective is to minimize the makspan. It is assumed that all jobs have bounded processing times in between $$p$$ p and $$rp$$ rp , where $$p>0$$ p > 0 and $$r\ge 1$$ r ? 1 . We first improve a previous result by giving an optimal online algorithm for the non-preemptive version. For the preemptive version, we present an optimal preemptive algorithm without introducing idle time for all $$r\ge 1$$ r ? 1 . If the algorithm is allowed to use idle time, we show that the semi-online information that jobs are tightly-grouped cannot help improve the bound of the pure online problem.

Collaboration and Learning Styles in Pure Online Courses: an Action Research

Collaboration and Learning Styles in Pure Online Courses: an Action Research

Can blended learning aid foreign language learning?

There has always been a debate around the issue of what it is that improves learning: the instruction itself or the media used for it (Clark 1983; Kozma 1994). It has also been said (Kulik and Kulik 1991; Andrewartha & Wilmot 2001) that computer mediated learning, as opposed to traditional instruction, positively influences the students' achievement. However, some researchers (Clark 1983; Schramm 1977; Wiley 2002) point out that it is not the use of media that improves learning but the strategies and the material developed for this particular kind of instruction. Online tuition is a trend which is being introduced by many educational institutions both as a core instructional mode, as in the case of pure on-line or blendedlearning courses, or a as a complement to traditional face-to-face learning (Ko and Rossen 2010). Online asynchronous learning is implemented in order to attract students who desire to receive a quality education regardless of time zones, location and distance. Synchronous online learning is being used to increase interaction between students and teachers. In blended learning these two modalities, asynchronous and synchronous learning, are frequently combined to design full courses that promote meaningful learning. This paper will examine the benefits and difficulties of the combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning modes in blended learning and the theoretical and practical implications in the design of effective blended-learning materials for foreign language learning.

A Behavioural Model of E-Banking Usage in Italy

E-banking is defined as the automated delivery of new and traditional banking products and services directly to customers through electronic, interactive communication channels. “Pure online” banks are characterized by the absence of physical windows and front-office personnel. Traditional banks are still integrating traditional distribution channels with online ones; the scenario is therefore still evolving over time. Despite the intrinsic potentialities, Italy is far from being a leader in the usage of innovative online instruments in the banking system and will struggle with new innovation waves.In this paper, we measure the potential effective e-banking usage. Furthermore, we investigate the behaviour of users and adopters, identifying the major causes influencing satisfaction and usage and the impact of these different causes on the intensity of utilization. The analysis is based on a panel of 495 real users, thus allowing the profiling of the Italian adopter to discover the causes of usage and outline strategies for the growth of e-banking services in Italy.

Economic Performance and Customer Expectation in e-Fulfillment Systems: A Multi-Channel Retailer Perspective

Store-based retailers are increasingly opening an additional online sales channel and becoming multi-channel retailers. Moreover, formerly pure online retailers are opening stores or physical pick-up points to allow their customers physical interaction and product pick-up. The integration of these different channels raises the question of how to redefine the operations and the strategic marketing elements because the two channels have different constraints and require different competencies. This multi-channel retailing has a major effect on operations and supply chain management. Order fulfillment for customers using the different sales channels is a key challenge, and customers are directly affected by the performance of this process. In this article, four e-fulfillment systems are identified according to the locus of order preparation (distribution center or in-store) and the means of delivery to the customer (home delivery or pick-up by the customer). Based on a literature review in supply chain management and in marketing, five economic performance and four customer expectation indicators are identified. The differences between the four e-fulfillment systems based on these indicators are examined from theoretical and empirical points of view relying on eight semi-structured interviews with supply chain managers, directors of points of sale, and senior operations managers of French retail companies.

Small firm performance in online markets

Firms which enter the online marketplace do so for a variety of reasons. The effects of the motive for entry on the ultimate success of entry, for both online and ‘blended’ firms, are largely unknown. This study utilises a unique data set of small Australian firms and examines the relationship between the strategic motivation for entry and the actual results of entry. Utilising a trivariate probit model with exogenous ‘reason for entry’ dummy variables, estimates of aftermarket business performance are obtained. The study finds that the entry goal materially affects subsequent performance: firms entering to expand their market size ordinarily succeed, but those entering to reduce costs are often disappointed. Blended firms enjoy no strong advantages over pure online entrants.

Robust Scheduling of Task Graphs under Execution Time Uncertainty

Effective multicore computing requires to make efficient usage of the computational resources on a chip. Offline mapping and scheduling can be applied to improve the performance, but classical approaches require considerable a priori knowledge of the target application. In a practical setting, precise information is often unavailable; one can then resort to approximate time and resource usage figures, but this usually requires to make conservative assumptions. The issue is further stressed if real-time guarantees must be provided. We tackle predictable and efficient nonpreemptive scheduling of multitask applications in the presence of duration uncertainty. Hard real-time guarantees are provided with limited idle time insertion, by exploiting a hybrid offline/online technique known as Precedence Constraint Posting (PCP). Our approach does not require probability distributions to be specified, relying instead on simple and cheaper-to-obtain information (bounds, average values). The method has been tested on synthetic applications/platforms and compared with an offline optimized Fixed Priority Scheduling (FPS) approach and a pure online FIFO scheduler; the results are very promising, as the PCP schedules exhibit good stability and improved average execution time (14 percent on average, up to 30 percent versus FPS and up to 40 percent versus the FIFO scheduler).

Participatory development of breeding goals in Austrian dairy cattle

Due to the possibilities of genomic selection and changing circumstances of production an evaluation of all steps in the breeding process is important. Optimisation involves the aspects of breeding goals, performance recording, genetic evaluation and breeding programmes. To achieve desired genetic gains whilst taking genomic selection into account, the inclusion of all relevant traits and their appropriate weighing within the total merit index is essential. To enquire the needs of the farmers a survey is carried out. The survey is designed as a pure online survey. From about 8.000 farmers across breeds, of whom the email address was available, 16% participated in the survey so far. Two peaks were observed close to the dates, when the internet link for the survey was distributed per email. Preliminary results show that the individual breeding goals of Fleckvieh and Brown Swiss breeders have shifted from dairy towards fitness and conformation traits during the last decade. High interest in novel traits like claw health, metabolism or inter- and crosssucking is observed as well. Selection response and monetary aspects from selection based on economic approaches will be compared with “desired gain” models based on the results of this survey. The survey is part of the Austrian project “OptiGene” with the main aim to optimise the different steps in the breeding process in order to achieve the long-term genetic gain desired by the farmers.

Relationships among Brand Identity, Brand Image and Brand Preference: Differences between Cyber and Extension Retail Brands over Time

This study examines the relationships among brand identity, brand image, and brand preference in the context of cyber (pure online) and offline-based extension (traditional brick-and-mortar to online) retail brands over time. We test a conceptual model with survey data gathered over three time periods. Our results show that offline-based extension brands have an advantage over cyber brands when it comes to translating a brand identity into a successful brand image, especially in the early Internet stages (i.e., introduction and elaboration stages). Offline-based extension brands gain positive spillover effects from their offline-based counterparts, but such effects take time, and are not evident in the early Internet stage. Both types of brands have to work hard in the introductory stage to create a successful brand image that manifests into consumer preference for the brand. With regards to Internet use, we found that cyber brands have a slight disadvantage when moving from the elaboration stage to the fortification stage.

Developing an appropriate design of blended learning with web-enabled self-regulated learning to enhance students' learning and thoughts regarding online learning

The vocational schools in Taiwan regard professional certifications as a badge of skills achievement. The teaching in this context usually focuses on how to help students enhance their professional skills and pass the certificate examinations, particularly for computing courses. However, due to national education policy, pure online courses are not permitted here and in some other nations. In order to provide an appropriate design and arrangement of blended learning (BL) courses, the authors redesigned a course, integrating web-enabled self-regulated learning (SRL) with variations in online class frequency, and explored their effects on enhancing students' skills of deploying database management system (DBMS) and their thoughts regarding blended course and interventions concerning SRL. Three class sections with a total of 112 students were taken as three distinct groups. The results indicated that students in the group of SRL and BL with five online classes had the highest grades for using DBMS among the three groups, and had very positive thoughts regarding the interventions concerning BL and SRL. The authors also provide suggestions and implications for teachers and schools to adopt innovative teaching methods and technologies, and redesign their courses to help students learn.

Facilitating Students to Earn Computing Certificates via Blended Learning in Online Problem-Solving Environment

The vocational schools in Taiwan regard professional certifications as a badge of skills achievement. However, due to a national policy, pure online courses are not permitted. Moreover, it remains unclear whether every subject is suitable to be delivered via online courses. In this regard, the author conducted a quasi-experiment to examine the effects of applying blended learning (BL) with different course orientations on students’ computing skills, and explored the appropriate combination for teachers who teach computing courses. Four classes in successive semesters, with a total of 195 students from the courses of ‘Database Management System’ and ‘Packaged Software and Application’, were divided into 2 (Design-oriented vs. Procedural-oriented) × 2 (BL vs. Traditional Learning) experimental groups. The results showed that students from both design-oriented and procedural-oriented courses delivered in BL environment, had significantly higher grades on the examination for certificates than those who learned in traditional learning environment.

Designing Appropriate Blended Courses: A Students' Perspective

The computing education in Taiwan's vocational schools usually focuses on how to help students enhance their professional skills and pass certified examinations. In addition, due to national education policy and universities' regulations, pure online courses are not permitted in Taiwan. In order to design appropriate blended learning (BL) courses, the author explored the effects of web-mediated self-regulated learning (SRL) with variations in online class frequency on enhancing students' computing skills and their perspective of the blended courses. A total of 172 students, divided into four groups, participated in the experiment. The results showed that students in the SRL and BL group with five online classes had the highest scores for using a database management system (DBMS), and the highest pass rate on certified examinations. Students in this group also expressed their positive perspective on the arrangement of their blended course with the intervention of web-mediated SRL.

The Strategical Difference between Pure On-line Shopping Mall and On/ Off-line Integrated Shopping Mall

The Strategical Difference between Pure On-line Shopping Mall and On/ Off-line Integrated Shopping Mall