Telematic Learning Research Articles

An expert patient program to improve the empowerment and quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis: protocol for a multicenter pre-post intervention study.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes a progressive disability, which substantially impacts the quality of life (QoL). Health interventions that meet the needs and demands of people with MS are essential to minimize QoL impairment. Expert patient programs (EPPs) facilitate health-related empowerment through peer learning. Based on a previous focus group study, we designed an EPP for MS coordinated by nursing professionals for implementation in the different MS reference units of Catalonia (Southwestern Europe). This study aims to evaluate the effects on quality of life, disease-related knowledge, and self-management related to the health process of the participants of the Expert Patient Program Catalonia™ for people with multiple sclerosis (EPPC-MS). Pre-post intervention multicenter clinical study involving 12 groups of 12 participants: six groups including relapsing and six groups including progressive MS patients, with 144 participants from 7 MS reference units from all over Catalonia, organized in six teams. The intervention will consist of nine telematic learning peer-led sessions (one weekly session). The expert patient (EP) leading the sessions will be an individual with MS with disease-related knowledge, who will be further trained by nurses to lead the sessions. Study variables will be measured before and immediately after the intervention and 6 and 12 months after the end of the sessions and will include: QoL, emotional impact, activation of the person, MS-related knowledge, fatigue, habits and lifestyles, health services use, and program-related experience. Baseline characteristics considered will be sociodemographic data, date of MS diagnosis and type, family history, and treatment characteristics. Variables related to disease follow-up will be new relapses and characteristics and changes in the ongoing treatment. The number of sessions attended will also be collected. Study variables will be analyzed using a pre-post comparison. Peer-led learning programs led by EP help empower people with chronic conditions and offer them tools to improve their autonomy and QoL. This study's intervention will be performed remotely, offering advantages both for people with chronic conditions and the healthcare system regarding the facilitation of family and work conciliation, saving time, simplifying attendance to meetings, lowering costs, and using fewer material resources. NCT04988880 on September 22, 2021.

Application of Improvement Cycle (CIMA) in practical activities of Psychology of Memory, adaptation to the situation of telematic learning

Application of Improvement Cycle (CIMA) in practical activities of Psychology of Memory, adaptation to the situation of telematic learning

Good Teaching Practice and Quality Indicators for Virtual and Blended Learning

The M.A.T.R.I.X (Modalities of Telematic Learning and Inter-university Results that can be Extrapolated to Blended Learning)1 project identified and described the diverse teaching methods and practices applied in a representative sample of virtual and blended learning degree courses taught at different Spanish Universities using the G92 Shared Virtual Campus. The purpose was to extrapolate the experiences considered as “good practice” in the new blended learning contexts and methodologies proposed by the EHEA, using as indicators the quality of the learning design as assessed by experts, the satisfaction level of the students taking the courses, their effective contribution to attaining specific and generic competence in different subjects.

Educational technologies: A classification and evaluation

We are at a point in the history of higher education in South Africa when radical changes are occurring in instructional delivery system models. Of increasing significance is a mixed mode of traditional and distance delivery (i.e. Telematic Learning Systems at the PU for CHE). In this changing environment, language lecturers, the persons responsible for developing language modules within various Telematic programmes, remain a key element in the teaching and learning process. However, these lecturers are suddenly expected to make appropriate decisions in terms of educational technology classification, evaluation, and consequent selection without the necessary knowledge and/or capacity to make effective technological decisions. The purpose of this article is to assist Lone Ranger language lecturers, in making pedagogically sound decisions when classifying, evaluating and selecting educational technologies by: (a) considering technology selection as part of the instructional design process, (b) referring to some reasons for using technology for language learning, (c) focusing on criteria for classifying and evaluating educational technologies, and by (d) reviewing selected studies in order to indicate the application possibilities of technologies for language teaching and learning.

Working conditions, work life and quality of life of the temporary support staff involved with telematic learning

Transformation in the South African higher educational system compelled residential universities to introduce alternative education such as distance education (Department of Education, 1997:66-67).
 
 Opsomming
 Die transformasie in die Suid-Afrikaanse hoëronderwys-stelsel het residensiële universiteite genoop om alternatiewe onderrig, soos afstandsonderrig, in te stel (Departement van Onderwys, 1997:66-67).
 
 *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

Advertising effectiveness of South African newspapers in the higher business education market

The article reports on the advertising effectiveness of the press media in the RSA with regard to the Telematic MBA degree offered by the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education. The MBA degree is offered to students countrywide (even internationally) via telematic learning with study centres all over the RSA. Students apply for acceptance during November each year and successful candidates commence their MBA studies at the beginning of the next year. The advertising campaign runs from August to October, and includes a variety of media. The press plays a significant role in this campaign. The article reports on the effectiveness of the different press media, namely, daily newspapers and Sunday newspapers. In addition, the effects of the physical advertisement positioning in the papers (section of the newspaper as well as page the layout), are examined and quantified into money terms per enquiry per advertisement. Direct response evaluation is used to determine the effectiveness of an advertisement and its medium. Analysis revealed that the Sunday Times are the most cost-effective option with regard to Sunday newspapers, while in daily newspapers the Sowetan, Business Day and Beeld are also favourable options. This results correlate favourably with the CPM ratings on readership. This value of this article is therefore that it supplies a frame of reference that could be applied to future marketing campaigns in educational programmes. It also serves as a reference frame that could be used to estimate market response from advertisements in a specific newspaper. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.16(3) 2002: 103-108

Empirical evaluation of a forecasting model for successful facilitation on telematic learning programmes

The Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education embarked on the telematic learning systems route in 1995, introducing an instructional model whereby students would benefit from having access to learning facilitators with both academic and field-related expertise in addition to educational technology applications. Facilitation is regarded to be an important component of the learning model, and hence, a forecasting model with the purpose to predict success in facilitation was developed during 2000. This article deals with the empirical evaluation of the forecasting model to ensure that managerial predictions are validated before it is implemented in practice. The forecasting model identified 8 key attributes for facilitation success based on performance measures from the 1999 Facilitator Customer Service Survey. During 2000 the annual Facilitator Customer Satisfaction Survey was employed to validate the findings of the forecasting model. A total of 1910 questionnaires were distributed in a mail survey to MBA telematic learning students of the PU for CHE. A total of 249 returned questionnaires suitably completed, were returned that resulted in a response rate of 13%. The objectives of the article are to: $ determine the validity of the forecasting model; and to $ test the model for practical managerial implementation. The value of the research is practically significant. The empirical evaluation accredited the forecasting model partially whilst also highlighting its weaknesses. In addition, the evaluation also directed research into new horizons in the forecasting of facilitation success. The research concluded that: $ the forecasting model is successful concerning the CSI value and a high positive linear correlation exists r = 0,964); $ the model could not be employed to forecast academic success as a function of facilitation; $ the questionnaire of 30 criteria (CSI measurement) could be reduced to only those identified by the forecasting model due to the high correlation between these two variable sets; $ the definition of success in facilitation is too conservative and should be extended towards other human behavioural characteristics; and $ academic success by facilitators not necessarily implies a high level of customer satisfaction. The initial purpose of the research to enable the managerial approach to move from a retrospective to pro-active approach whereby corrective measures should be taken before not during courses or after the course, is partially successful because of its limited ability to predict facilitator success. Although already beneficial to the university as agent of quality education, the research should continue in a new direction, namely that of human behaviour to incorporate other influences than just the performance measurements of facilitators as academic expansion of the lecturer. Ultimately, the students deserve the best education possible to contribute to the maximisation of the country's human capital. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.16(2) 2002: 104-111

Universities in the Future

Universities in the Future

Design Elements for a CSCL Environment in a Teacher Training Programme

In the design of a Telematic Learning Environment (TLE) in which student teachers learn collaboratively, we consider three clusters of design elements as important: the Telematic Work Environment, the guidance of the instructor and the task instruction. We will have a look at the way group and task behaviour, triggered by these design elements influence the collaborative outcomes. Experiments have revealed that the technical environment is not as important as we had expected beforehand. This research shows that the task instruction (pre-imposed structure, role taking and intrinsic motivation for the task) and the group process itself have far more impact on the online collaborative work of the student teachers.

Book of the Month Universities in the Future

Book of the Month Universities in the Future

Assessing Technology Based Instruction in Biology and Geography

The article is a report on a development project arising from collaboration between the Department of Education in the University of Oulu, the university training school in Oulu, and some secondary schools in Northern Finland. The key aims of the project have been to promote the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teacher education and in schools, to develop methods for distant education, and to train student teachers in telematics instruction in biology and geography. The concept of pedagogical action, socio-cultural communicative perspective, constructivist views of pedagogy, ideas of reflective teachers and learners, and new forms of assessment provided the theoretical basis for the project. The main findings were that student teachers are able to plan, conduct, and evaluate telematics instruction. The greatest problems are technical problems and lack of time. Sustained and effective communication between students, local teachers, student teachers, and supervisors is seen to be the key to the successful cooperative work in developing curricula and instructional methods in telematics learning environment.

Customer service factors of a Telematic Learning BBA degree

Traditional educational boundaries at tertiary institutions in South Africa are fast becoming more flexible and as a result, quality distance learning is becoming more accessible to the market. The challenges of the distance education market reside not only within the traditional academic system in South Africa, but also with the accessibility of quality tertiary education via distance learning programmes of foreign institutions. In order to supply the ultimate learning experience to students, the concept of client relations is becoming increasingly important. Client relations should not be regarded as a surrogate for academic excellence but it certainly enhances the value gained through distance learning on a tertiary level. In view of this exciting transformation process a vital Department of Telematic Learning Systems was established at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PU for CHE). This department delivers and administrates all the degree and diploma programmes constructed by the academic departments at the PU for CHE. This department adopts a strong customer aligned approach as a strategic thrust and students are treated as valued clients of the university. Continuous client satisfaction research is conducted and this article reports on the results of one such a research project. Apart from supplying the demographic profile of students, the article reports on the service levels that undergraduate Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) students experienced during their 1997 year of study. The statistical technique, factor analysis, was employed to determine underlying communalities of these specific services. Eight factors were identified from the varimax rotated factor matrix. As a result of the reliability statistical procedure: Cronbach's Alpha coefficient (value of 0.928), a favourable cumulative variance of almost 60% is explained. The results obtained could be of significant value, firstly, to the PU for CHE which attempts to improve the service that is rendered to students. If they understand the client relationship and its service levels, they should be able to concentrate more energy in these areas. This reasoning also applies to other universities who wish to enter distance and/or open-learning educational systems. Secondly, students should profit from efficiently trained front-line staff who are educated in client's expectations of service levels. Thirdly, other researchers in service quality could use the results as a basis for future research since they provide a comparative foundation. (South African Journal of Education: 2001 21(4): 228-232)

Implicit and explicit dialogue structuring in virtual learning groups

The promotion of virtual learning groups by instructional means is gaining importance with the spread of telematic learning. In virtual learning groups, students discuss certain learning materials or cooperate in problem solving by means of computer-mediated communication. Due to the specific features of electronic communication, supportive means appear to be necessary for such learning situations. The investigation focuses on testing two different forms of dialogue structuring in virtual learning groups, in which students discuss a given subject matter together and clarify problems in understanding by means of synchronous computer-mediated communication. Forty-five students from various disciplines at the University of Tübingen, except students of physics, participated in the investigation. An experiment was conducted involving three-person groups in a telematic setting with two different kinds of dialogue structuring: implicit structuring induced group discussion on the subject matter by working on key questions in a preceding learning phase, whilst explicit structuring provided additional rules for discussion. These rules prompted group members to argue and aimed at directing them to equal participation. Compared to a control group, both implicit and explicit structuring showed greater orientation on the subject matter and showed less off-task talk. Moreover, explicit structuring led to more coherence in subject matter discussion with regard to the completion of topics. However, post-test performance showed no significant difference in knowledge over that of the control group. The results of the investigation show that dialogue structuring can be an adequate pedagogical approach for virtual learning groups.

Organisational culture: electronic support for occupational learning

This paper outlines the inter‐relationship between telematic learning support and the organisational culture of the workplace. It defines occupational learning and types of organisationally generated knowledge while siting them in different forms of learning context. The paper identifies concepts of organisational culture and assesses the plausibility of the argument that telematics can effect changes in culture. It contextualises these issues in new research on the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on organisations in general.

Distributed Collaborative Learning in a Telematic Context. Telematic Learning Support and its Potential for Collaborative Learning with New Paradigms and Conceptual Mapping Tools

CSCL (Computer Supported Co‐operative Learning), better called TSCL, Telematic (and IT) Supported Co‐operative Learning, seems to be driven by both social dynamics (like the tendency to reduce the formal training component in industrial settings, and have it replaced by training on the job, handling EPSS, etc) and technological facilities like Internet‐based communication tools. This paper reports a recent research plan that anticipates the situation where individual learners, all having their individual learning agendas, look for partners in their learning process. TSCL, then, can assist those learners to announce them to the learning community, and also find appropriate partners to co‐operate with. As far as educational institutes are concerned, we expect them to increase the level of autonomy for the learner. Teaching in this case becomes ‘facilitating the information access to the learner’ and ‘facilitating the communication between actors in the learning process’.

A virtual workshop as a tool for collaboration: towards a model of telematic learning environments

In the T3 project (telematics for teacher training) seven European partners actively adopted the use of telematics in their teaching programmes. Partners collaborate through face-to-face meetings, videoconferencing and virtual workshops. Virtual workshops are web-based discussions using groupware facilities mainly focusing on the enhancement of future collaboration plans. This paper reports on the first virtual workshop organized within a telematic learning environment which was created by the project evaluation team. The research focused on the learning effects of the virtual workshop. Although the workshop as a whole has been evaluated positively by the participants, the results also show that the virtual workshop did not contribute significantly to their learning process. This leads to the conclusion that, in order to stimulate learning in virtual workshops, specific pedagogical actions must be taken.

Effects of Gender on Perceptions of and Preferences for Telematic Learning Environments

This study investigated gender differences in perceptions of and preferences for telematic learning environments (TLEs). We distributed a questionnaire among 1,368 traditional and open and distance learning (ODL) university students. Although we found significant gender differences, none of the variables included in the research could be regarded as important for explaining differences in students’ perceptions and preferences with respect to TLEs. Potential reasons for these results are discussed.

Designing a telematic learning environment in a social constructivist paradigm

The authors of this paper are engaged in designing and developing telematic learning environments to assist in programmes of initial teacher training. Two aspects have been supported by European Union (EU) funded programmes: the Telematics for Teacher Training (T3) and Reflect projects. Telematics is a term describing the combined use of information technology and telecommunications. The authors are not searching for a pedagogy of telematics but are seeking ways in which telematics can assist pedagogy. Their work specifically addresses the question of whether it is possible to design such environments in a social constructivist paradigm and the evaluation of their work regularly returns to the theoretical model of learning central to their training programmes. The authors will show that whereas the aspect of video-conferencing keeps faith with their view of the nature of learning, the design of the website is raising some issues that have, as yet, to be resolved

Design of Telematic Learning Environments: A Cognitive Mediational View∗

ABSTRACT Repeatedly, claims are made about the great potential of new technologies for educational purposes. However, media research has clearly illustrated that not the delivery system itself but the embedded design principles generate differentia] effects. Time has come therefore to discuss design issues related to telematics. This article contributes to the discussion by raising three questions: (1) what are the unique features of telematics that are relevant for learning; (2) how can the interaction of learners with telematic learning environments (TLEs) be conceptualised; and (3) which principles may guide the design of TLEs. With regard to the first question it is stated that telematics should not be compared with any specific or isolated delivery system but with the instructional system as a whole, since the only differentiating characteristic is the ‘tele'‐aspect. As to the second question, a cognitive mediational view on learning and instruction is proposed. The relevance of both different types ...

Steps toward Promoting Cognitive Achievements

The Elementary School Journal Volume 85, Number 5 ? 1985 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 001 3-5984/85/8505-0008$0 1.00 Research on teaching has always been carried out under the assumption that what happens in classrooms influences students' learning. In the heyday of the research guided by the process-product paradigm (Dunkin & Biddle 1974), there were two central determinants of students' learning that teachers could manipulate. One was the teacher's behavior. The second was the