Self-instructional Materials Research Articles

Attitudes of MBBS students towards medical profession: A study in a medical school

Background and Objectives: The professional attitude of the Doctor is mainly concerned with his/her feelings, beliefs and behavior towards the patients. The students are admitted to MBBS through a written test (entrance test) in three subjects’ viz. Physics, Chemistry, and Biology to qualify for the admission. But, no test is conducted to evaluate the attitudes of students, who seek admission into medical colleges. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate the attitudes of medical students i.e., whether they have right/positive attitude for the medical profession. Material and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 MBBS students of 4th and 5th year of Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa, Nepal by administering a questionnaire constructed on the lines of Likert’s summated rating scale to measure the attitudes of MBBS students towards medical profession. The tool consisted 32 statements, both positive as well as negative. Each statement had four alternative responses against it, namely – Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (DA), and Strongly Disagree (SD). The questionnaire in Google form was mailed to all students. The students were asked to read each statement carefully and click on their opinion/response. Results: This study revealed that the gender, parents’ occupational background, and socio-economic status influences the attitudes of 4th and 5th year MBBS students and differ significantly towards their medical profession. Whereas age, locality, and nationality were not influencing factors for the attitudes 4th and 5th year MBBS students towards their medical profession. Conclusion: The present study on attitudes of MBBS students towards medical profession has several important implications for medical education. The findings of present study could be helpful to the planners, policy makers of medical education, so as to bring changes in entrance test for admission into MBBS course, and helpful to medical colleges and medical teachers so that they can conduct counselling and guidance programs so as to promote a positive attitude among medical students towards medical profession. Research literature of this type will serve as a self-instructional material for MBBS students to understand their medical profession in a scientific manner.

A Study of the Effectiveness of the Self-instructional Material of the Foundation Course in Mathematics

The present study results reveal that, the developed course content reached the target learners those who do not have mathematics at their formal education and those admissions made through Eligibility Test. Over all out of five criterion tests, the reference group showed better performance on three tests, and the experimental group showed better performance on two tests. It reveals that, the developed course content has the internal validity. Thus it shows that the self-Instructional Course Material in Mathematics is equally effective with that of the Course Material studied by Intermediate students with Mathematics. The performance of the experimental group [post-test scores] in the achievement test in Mathematics was better when compared with pre-test scores of the distance learners taught through Self- Instructional Course Material. Further, the results show that the self-Instructional Course Material in Mathematics is equally effective when the performance of experimental group was compared with that of the reference group i.e. Intermediate students with Mathematics. The study revealed that, the analysis of the data during the course development reveal that, there is no significant difference on the scores of comprehensive and that of combined criterion tests. It shows that the course content as a whole is effective and students’ comprehensive level.

Impact Analysis of Education in Emergency (EiE): A Case of Wangduechhoeling Lower Secondary School, Bhutan

This paper closely examines the impact of Education in Emergency (EiE) amid the pandemic in Wangduechhoeling Lower Secondary School (WLSS), under Bumthang district, Bhutan. The study also tries to look into how each pupil can exercise a right to learn during the pandemic despite their family background. It touches upon several aspects such as learning progress of the students, learning gaps, and its contingency programs. It further highlights how students’ parents would play a parental role in providing spontaneous learning space and time. And this case study assesses the effectiveness of the implementing EiE programs in the school.
 Using the central limit theorem (CLT), we analyzed the data from 30 percent of the population (180 students and 90 parents). The findings of the study revealed that most students had responded that online learning was effective. 94.4 percent of the students responded that learning through EiE was effective, and 88.8 percent of the students enjoy EiE lessons. However, 36.6 percent of the students responded that they faced difficulty in using different learning forums. 96.6 percent of the students had textbooks with them, 81.1 percent of teachers assessed tasks given through Television, Radio, Self-Instructional Materials (SIM) lessons. The findings also indicated that 81.6 percent of the parents had been supportive in their children’s learning. Due to emergence of COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent closure of the school, 57.7 percent of students’ interest towards learning was affected. On other hand, the study depicted that 97.7 percent of students were excited to return to school as and when reopens. In addition, the study revealed that while 64 percent of the students had availed 60 percent special data packages discount, 55.7 percent of them had not availed it.

Developing E-Module of Islamic Reading Text Materials

Providing English learning material with an Islamic basis for Madrasah Aliyah students is important as the students are Islamic learners. This research aims to develop an e-module of Islamic reading text materials for the second semester of tenth-grade students of MAN 1 Pontianak. The researchers adapted the Analyze, Design, and Develop phases of the ADDIE concept to develop this research product. The analysis phase was conducted by interviewing the English teacher to determine the suitable e-module to be designed. The design phase was done by designing the contents of the e-module based on the analysis results. The e-module consists of recount and narrative texts materials with Islamic-based stories and integrates the values of aqidah (strong belief), tawakkul (reliance upon Allah), tolerance, hard work, and husnuzon (positive thinking). In the development phase, the researchers developed the e-module then checked it with a self-designed standard evaluation checklist. The result showed that the e-module already fulfilled the criteria of appropriateness. The e-module could be supplementary reading materials to make the students’ autonomous learning easier. It was written in easy-to-understand language and provided self-instructional material with independent self-evaluation. Specifically, it is expected to improve their understanding of recount and narrative text materials and strengthen their Islamic character values.

Online Learning Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: an Analysis of Bhutanese Context

Contact teaching has always been a common practice in Bhutanese Education System. But the COVID-19 pandemic threatened its stability and has mandated the shift in the way to cater to the need of learners. In the face of such adversity administration of online education came as an appropriate antidote. The transaction to online teaching took place in March 2020 with the detection of the first case of COVID -19 along with rising number of imported cases owing to the return of Bhutanese from abroad. This article portrays the ability of Bhutan to continue education in the midst of lockdown through online learning platforms and reaching out the unreached through distribution of SIM (self-instructional materials) for various key stages. This modus operandi took care of every individual student. No one was left behind in terms of their achievement of the expected learning outcomes. Bhutan’s experiences can intensify everyone’s attention towards sensitizing both teachers and learners on different modes of online delivery to engage learners meaningfully during unforeseen times. Furthermore, it can serve as a catalyst in bettering future preparation through teacher professional development.

UNCOVERING LEARNERS’ EXPERIENCES TO NEW NORMAL EDUCATION: IMPLICATIONS OF ASYNCHRONOUS INSTRUCTION IN GE 5: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY COURSE TEACHING

<p>The new normal education policy in response to the pandemic crisis pushed institutions to shift from traditional face-to-face to asynchronous instruction that posed challenges particularly to science courses in higher education. The purpose of this study was to understand the learning experiences of the students and the implications of asynchronous teaching instruction in the Science, Technology, and Society course. This study utilized a convergent parallel mixed method of research employing descriptive-comparative and descriptive phenomenological research designs. There were 100 respondents for the quantitative part and 12 participants for the qualitative part. Based on the quantitative findings, the overall implementation of asynchronous instruction in the course was "excellent." Specifically, the level of implementation was "very satisfactory" in terms of Content and Course Evaluation, while "excellent" in terms of Instructional Design, Student Assessment, and Technology. There was no significant difference in the level of implementation of the course asynchronous instruction when analyzed by specialization. Moreover, based on the qualitative analysis, the learning experiences of students in asynchronous instruction were both positive and negative that implied two-way learning experiences. The general recommendation gleaned from the students was science, technology, and society asynchronous delivery improvement that covered teacher improvement, SIM improvement, and assessment tool improvement. The general recommendations of this study were improving asynchronous instruction delivery through teachers training proposals, modification of self-instructional materials, increasing the awareness and effective use of the varied assessment tools in sustaining the needs and interest of students in studying the course, creating a safe learning environment for the students, and conducting future researches to reveal significant factors which affect the learning experiences of students and the other points that the current researchers have not yet explored.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0893/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Self-Instructional Material (SIM): A Tool for Improving Student’s Lower Order Thinking Skills

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness on the use of self-instructional material as a tool for improving lower order thinking skills of Grade 8 students in Col. Lauro D. Dizon Memorial Integrated High School. It used single group pretest-posttest descriptive correlational experimental design participated by thirty (30) students. Using the Mean and Standard Deviation, findings revealed the perceptions of the respondents toward the use of self-instructional material in teaching Geometry were agreed by the respondents in most of the indicators. This implies that SIM really helped them in understanding important concepts in Geometry and improved their knowledge in it. The respondent’s perception on the characteristics of SIM as to self-explanatory, self-contained, self-directed, self-motivating, and selfevaluating were agreed by most of the respondents. This means that the said characteristics of the SIM were present and seen. For treating the Diagnostic and Achievement test scores, t-test for correlated samples were used. The lower order thinking skills of the respondents from diagnostic to achievement test leveled up from need improvement or developing to proficient or exemplary level in remembering, understanding and applying skills. It was assessed that there is a significant difference in the cognitive skill of students in the Diagnostic Test and the Achievement Test as to remembering, understanding, and applying. Pearson r was used to test the significant relationship between the respondents’ perception on lessons using SIM and their Achievement Test scores. As a result, there is a partial significant relationship which is between the self-motivating and applying.

Utilization of problem-based instructional approach in teaching permutation towards the development of a web-based self-instructional material (WEB-SIM)

Utilization of problem-based instructional approach in teaching permutation towards the development of a web-based self-instructional material (WEB-SIM)

Interrogating the Art of Developing Self-Learning Material for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Students

Open and distance learning (ODL) thrives on students' utilisation of learning materials that designed in ways that allow them to learn on their own in the absence of a lecturer or tutor. This paper discusses what self-directed learning is and highlights the principles of writing self-learning materials for ODL learners. Various self-material materials utilised in open and distance learning are explored. In the paper, the writers further explore the nature, characteristics and importance of self-learning materials on ODL. The writers further discuss theories underpinning the utilisation of self-instructional materials. The paper further interrogates how learning material developers can engage in the effective development of self-learning materials in both print and electronic formats. Conclusions are drawn on the importance of professionally training material developers in developing high-quality self-learning materials for ODL learners.

Development of LCDS-Based Interactive Electronic School Book on Blackbody Radiation as Self-Instructional Materials for Fostering Student’s Critical Thinking

This study aims to develop an LCDS- based the interactive electronic school book on blackbody radiation that is valid as self-instructional materials to foster students' critical thinking skills. The method used was research and development. The stages of the research were determining the existing potentials and problems, information gathering, product design, product validation, the final revision of the product, and feasibility tests and practicality of operation. The research instrument used was a questionnaire. Interactive electronic school book has supporting contents, namely user manual, user learning process, video, animation, simulations, and interactive tests. Expert test for product consists of content validation with the score of 3,36 (very appropriate) and design validation with the score of 3,45 (very appropriate). Readability of LCDS- based interactive electronic school book on blackbody radiation got the score of 3, 23 which belongs to the good quality. The practicality aspects got a score of 3.28 which means it can be operated independently

The Absence of Longer Texts in Literature Classes in Some Open and Distance Education Courses in India: Learning Outcomes

Self-Instructional Materials (SIMs) in distance and open learning (ODL), particularly in case of literature modules in certain open universities in India do not seem to provide the longer texts of works penned by both canonical as well as non-canonical authors; short poetry and critical pieces are just some of the exceptions. Often the emphasis is on the critical material available on the author, coupled with notes and commentaries. As any understanding of a text is important to gain a deeper understanding of the socio-economic and the cultural milieu in which the work was conceived, while “reading between the lines” can be of additional help, often this absence raises questions as regards the efficiency of the SIMs used in the literature classroom. On the other hand, regular courses in the nation emphasize the reading of the text per se. This paper would like to analyze the learning outcomes of around fifty students in the ODL mode and around the same number of students in a literature class in “regular” mode using the theories of learning and behavioral conditioning in psychology and analyze this issue of availability and non-availability of texts in a classroom, particularly in a literature course from the vantage point of student responses and subsequent evaluation in exams.

Structuring self instructional material for LIS distance education: Role of instructional design theory

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system directs to self-guided study, instructional materials being its prime instrument. These are called Self Instructional Materials (SIMs). This is also factual for the LIS distance education. SIM has its certain characteristics which make it different from other learning contents. Preparing SIMs needs special attention of instruction designers, who work on the basis of the theories of instructional design (ID). In this article, first a review of some well-cited ID theories and models has been done; and then, based on the prescriptions and features of those theories and models, an attempt to evaluate the existing guidelines for developing SIMs for LIS distance education has been made.

Dissemination of CPR video self-instruction materials to secondary trainees: Results from a hospital-based CPR education trial

BackgroundCardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) video self-instruction (VSI) materials have been promoted as a scalable approach to increase the prevalence of CPR skills among the lay public, in part due to the opportunity for secondary training (i.e., sharing of training materials). However, the motivations for, and barriers to, disseminating VSI materials to secondary trainees is poorly understood. MethodsThis work represents an ancillary investigation of a prospective hospital-based CPR education trial in which family members of cardiac patients were trained using VSI. Mixed-methods surveys were administered to primary trainees six months after initial enrollment. Surveys were designed to capture motivations for, and barriers to, sharing VSI materials, the number of secondary trainees with whom materials were shared, and the settings, timing, and recipients of trainings. ResultsBetween 07/2012 and 05/2015, 653 study participants completed a six-month follow-up interview. Of those, 345 reported sharing VSI materials with 1455 secondary trainees. Materials were shared most commonly with family members. In a logistic regression analysis, participants in the oldest quartile (age >63 years) were less likely to share materials compared to those in the youngest quartile (age ≤44 years, OR 0.58, CI 0.37–0.90, p=0.02). Among the 308 participants who did not share their materials, time constraints was the most commonly cited barrier for not sharing. ConclusionsVSI materials represent a strategy for secondary dissemination of CPR training, yet older individuals have a lower likelihood of sharing relative to younger individuals. Further work is warranted to remedy perceived barriers to CPR dissemination among the lay public using VSI approaches.

Evaluation of Distance Learning Pedagogy

Quality of education has been an area of interest among many. Educational institutions aim at improving their quality of education. One way of improving quality is through gap analysis. This study has been attempted to ascertain the quality of education provided to Distance Education students. An analysis of students expectations based on 5 dimensions has been conducted. The study found that students of Distance education are satisfied with their contact classes and the quality of self-instructional material provided. Some areas where gaps were found included internal and external assessment.

Creating Minimalist Instruction

The early 1980s were disruptive for computing. In many countries, the set of persons who regularly used computing expanded rapidly from a tiny and homogeneous set of data processing professionals to include nearly everyone. The dawn of the “new user” entrained challenges for training and instructional design: the economics of smaller systems ruled out vendor-provided, face-to-face training, which was succeeded by the paradigm of self-instruction. Our group at IBM’s Watson Research Center was in the cross hairs of this challenge: IBM wanted to expand office systems toward microcomputer platforms, and to enter the personal computing business. Our initial studies focused on office workers using standard self-instruction materials to learn these new systems. We identified key problems in self-instruction, and created alternative designs, such as the Minimal Manual and the Training Wheels Displaywriter, to address them. Our “minimalist” designs sought to leverage user initiative and prior knowledge, instead of controlling it through warnings and ordered steps. It emphasized that users typically bring much expertise and insight to this learning, for example, knowledge about the task domain, and that such knowledge could be a resource to instructional designers. Minimalism leveraged episodes of error recognition, diagnosis, and recovery, instead of attempting to merely forestall error. It framed troubleshooting and recovery as learning opportunities instead of as aberrations.

Instructional Materials Development in ODL: Achievements, Prospects and Challenges

Customised, self-instructional materials are at the heart of instructional delivery in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). The success of any ODL institution depends on the availability of learning materials in quality and quantity. An ODL study material is expected to imitate what the teacher does in the face-to-face learning environment. This paper evaluates these expectation based on existing data and evidence. It concludes that the reality has not matched the expectation so far in terms of pedagogic aspect of instructional delivery especially in West Africa. This does not mean that instructional materials development has not produced any significant positive results in improving the overall learning (and teaching) experience in these institutions; it implies what will help further to identify the new challenges. Obstacles and problems of instructional materials development that could have affected the open educational resource initiatives are well established. The first section of this paper recalls some of the proposed values of instructional materials. The second section compares achievements so far and suggests that instructional materials development should be consider first at an early stage to realise the aspirations of instructional delivery. The third section highlights the challenges of instructional materials development in the future. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n7p138

Continuing professional development of dentists through distant learning: an Indira Gandhi National Open University-Dental Council of India experiment a report.

To keep themselves updated with all the advancements in the field of dentistry, dentists should involve themselves in some kind of professional development. Distance learning is the most appropriate way to serve the growing demand due to technological advancements. Indira Gandhi National Open University in collaboration with Dental Council of India (DCI) developed and launched two continuing professional development programs in Endodontics (postgraduate certificate in endodontics) and postgraduate certificate in oral implantology and has trained over 400 and 280 BDS dentists respectively till date. The program package consists of self-instructional material, assignments, videos and practical training. The training is conducted in premiere dental colleges and institutions recognized by DCI. The certificate is awarded after a term end examination, both in theory and practical. The pass percentages of the theory courses ranged from around 63% to 98%, and 90% of the candidates cleared the practical exam.

A semi-automatic approach to construct Vietnamese ontology from online text

An ontology is an effective formal representation of knowledge used commonly in artificial intelligence, semantic web, software engineering, and information retrieval. In open and distance learning, ontologies are used as knowledge bases for e-learning supplements, educational recommenders, and question answering systems that support students with much needed resources. In such systems, ontology construction is one of the most important phases. Since there are abundant documents on the Internet, useful learning materials can be acquired openly with the use of an ontology. However, due to the lack of system support for ontology construction, it is difficult to construct self-instructional materials for Vietnamese people. In general, the cost of manual acquisition of ontologies from domain documents and expert knowledge is too high. Therefore, we present a support system for Vietnamese ontology construction using pattern-based mechanisms to discover Vietnamese concepts and conceptual relations from Vietnamese text documents. In this system, we use the combination of statistics-based, data mining, and Vietnamese natural language processing methods to develop concept and conceptual relation extraction algorithms to discover knowledge from Vietnamese text documents. From the experiments, we show that our approach provides a feasible solution to build Vietnamese ontologies used for supporting systems in education.<br /><br />

Assessment of challenges in developing self-instructional course materials at the National Open University of Nigeria

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is Nigeria’s only university dedicated to providing education through the use of distance instructional methods. So far, however, the lack of availability and poor distribution of course materials, which underpin instructional delivery at NOUN, continue to be hindrances to achieving the university’s vision and mission. There are delays and difficulties in developing and distributing materials to students and Study Centres. Many pioneer students cannot graduate because of this challenge. This paper examines the process of developing self-instructional course materials at NOUN. It reflects on the challenges associated with the quantity, quality, and timely production of course materials, labelled “the hills, the wills, and the skills” obstacles. The paper concludes that there is a need for better professional development in order to provide efficient ODL delivery.

Guided Design: A Case Study Approach to Enhance Problem-Solving

Guided design is a systematic approach to instruction which is centered upon the learner's ability to solve open-ended problems that typify the situations he or she will experience as a professional in the field. The content is taught by self-instructional materials that have been systematically developed. The problem-solving process is taught using group projects that are designed to afford maximum utilization of the content in solving the problem presented by the case.