Use Of Online Learning Resources Research Articles

An International Survey of Veterinary Students to Assess Their Use of Online Learning Resources.

Today's veterinary students have access to a wide range of online resources that support self-directed learning. To develop a benchmark of current global student practice in e-learning, this study measured self-reported access to, and use of, these resources by students internationally. An online survey was designed and promoted via veterinary student mailing lists and international organizations, resulting in 1,070 responses. Analysis of survey data indicated that students now use online resources in a wide range of ways to support their learning. Students reported that access to online veterinary learning resources was now integral to their studies. Almost all students reported using open educational resources (OERs). Ownership of smartphones was widespread, and the majority of respondents agreed that the use of mobile devices, or m-learning, was essential. Social media were highlighted as important for collaborating with peers and sharing knowledge. Constraints to e-learning principally related to poor or absent Internet access and limited institutional provision of computer facilities. There was significant geographical variation, with students from less developed countries disadvantaged by limited access to technology and networks. In conclusion, the survey provides an international benchmark on the range and diversity in terms of access to, and use of, online learning resources by veterinary students globally. It also highlights the inequalities of access among students in different parts of the world.

A hybrid knowledge-based recommender system for e-learning based on ontology and sequential pattern mining

In recent years, there has been significant growth in the use of online learning resources by learners. However, due to information overload, many learners are experiencing difficulties in retrieving useful and relevant learning resources that meet their learning needs. Although existing recommender systems have recorded significant success in e-commerce domain, they still experience drawbacks in making accurate recommendations of learning resources in e-learning domain due to differences in learner characteristics such as learning style, knowledge level as well as learners’ sequential learning patterns. Most of the existing recommendation techniques do not consider differences in learner characteristics. This problem can be alleviated through incorporation of additional information about the learner into the recommendation process. Furthermore, many recommendation techniques experience cold-start and rating sparsity problems. In this paper, we propose a hybrid knowledge-based recommender system based on ontology and sequential pattern mining (SPM) for recommendation of e-learning resources to learners. In the proposed recommendation approach, ontology is used to model and represent the domain knowledge about the learner and learning resources whereas SPM algorithm discovers the learners’ sequential learning patterns. Our approach involves four steps: (1) creating ontology to represent knowledge about the learner and learning resources, (2) computing ratings similarity based on ontology domain knowledge and making predictions for the target learner, (3) generation of top N learning items by the collaborative filtering recommendation engine, and (4) application of SPM algorithm to the top N learning items to generate the final recommendations for the target learner. A number of experiments were carried out to evaluate the proposed hybrid recommender system and results show improved performance. Furthermore, the proposed hybrid approach can alleviate both the cold-start and data sparsity problems by making use of ontological domain knowledge and learner’s sequential access pattern respectively before the initial data to work on is available in the recommender system.

Use of Online Learning Resources in the Development of Learning Environments at the Intersection of Formal and Informal Learning: The Student as Autonomous Designer

Learning resources that are used in the education of university students are often available online. The nature of new technologies causes an interweaving of formal and informal learning, with the result that a more active role is expected from students with regard to the use of ICT for their learning. The variety of online learning resources (learning content and learning tools) facilitates informed use and enables students to create the learning environment that is most appropriate for their personal learning needs and preferences. In contemporary society, the creation of an inclusive learning environment supported by ICT is pervasive. The model of Universal Design for Learning is becoming increasingly significant in responding to the need for inclusive learning environments. In this article, we categorize different online learning activities into the principles of Universal Design for Learning. This study examines ICT use among university students (N = 138), comparing student teachers with students in other study programs. The findings indicate that among all students, activities with lower demands for engagement are most common. Some differences were observed between student teachers and students from other programs. Student teachers were more likely than their peers toperform certain activities aimed at meeting diverse learner needs, but the percentage of students performing more advanced activities was higher for students in other study programs than for student teachers. The categorization of activities revealed that student teachers are less likely to undertake activities that involve interaction with others. Among the sampleof student teachers, we found that personal innovativeness is correlated with diversity of activities in only one category. The results show that student teachers should be encouraged to perform more advanced activities, especially activities involving interaction with others, collaborative learning and use of ICT to plan and organize their own learning processes.

How online learning modules can improve the representational fluency and conceptual understanding of university physics students

The use of online learning resources as core components of university science courses is increasing. Learning resources range from summaries, videos, and simulations, to question banks. Our study set out to develop, implement, and evaluate research-based online learning resources in the form of pre-lecture online learning modules (OLMs). The aim of this paper is to share our experiences with those using, or considering implementing, online learning resources. Our first task was to identify student learning issues in physics to base the learning resources on. One issue with substantial research is conceptual understanding, the other with comparatively less research is scientific representations (graphs, words, equations, and diagrams). We developed learning resources on both these issues and measured their impact. We created weekly OLMs which were delivered to first year physics students at The University of Sydney prior to their first lecture of the week. Students were randomly allocated to either a concepts stream or a representations stream of online modules. The programme was first implemented in 2013 to trial module content, gain experience and process logistical matters and repeated in 2014 with approximately 400 students. Two validated surveys, the Force and Motion Concept Evaluation (FMCE) and the Representational Fluency Survey (RFS) were used as pre-tests and post-tests to measure learning gains while surveys and interviews provided further insights. While both streams of OLMs produced similar positive learning gains on the FMCE, the representations-focussed OLMs produced higher gains on the RFS. Conclusions were triangulated with student responses which indicated that they have recognized the benefit of the OLMs for their learning of physics. Our study shows that carefully designed online resources used as pre-instruction can make a difference in students’ conceptual understanding and representational fluency in physics, as well as make them more aware of their learning processes. In particular, the representations-focussed modules offer more advantages.

Preliminary evidence of a relationship between the use of online learning and academic performance in a South African first-year university accounting course

This article examines the relationship between the use of online learning resources and academic performance in an Accounting 1 course conducted at a South African Higher Education Institution. The study employed a quantitative analysis over three academic years comparing the collection of end of year marks and the time spent online. The results provide preliminary empirical evidence to show that students who spent more time online significantly improved their course mark. Although much accounting-based educational research exists on the use of computers, there is a dearth of research testing any relationship between the use of online learning material and performance, and particularly in accounting education. While the results are preliminary and have some limitations, they are useful to students, teaching instructors and administrators, and provide a platform for future research into the value of using online learning in accounting.

Preliminary evidence of a relationship between the use of online learning and academic performance in a South African first-year university accounting course

This paper examines the relationship between the use of online learning resources and academic performance in an Accounting 1 course conducted at a South African Higher Education Institution. The study employed a quantitative analysis over three academic years comparing the collection of end of year marks and the time spent online. The results provide preliminary empirical evidence to show that students who spent more time online significantly improved their course mark. Although much accounting-based educational research exists on the use of computers, there is a dearth of research testing any relationship between the use of online learning material and performance. While the results are preliminary and have some limitations, they are useful to students, teaching instructors and administrators, and provide a platform for future research into the value of using online learning in accounting.

An aid to transition? The perceived utility of online resources for on‐campus first year management students

PurposeThis paper aims to be a response to the “Call for Papers” on challenges for the practice of, and new modes of questioning and delivery in, business education. The authors seek to do this through an investigation of the disadvantages and benefits associated with the move towards using online technologies in an on‐campus undergraduate first year management subject.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a survey of 362 first year students undertaking a blended learning course in management.FindingsStudents prefer interactive tutorials over lectures or online material they can access themselves as needed. They also mainly access the online material they believe will be most useful in achieving higher grades, and prefer online material that is related to assessment outcomes, rather than that designed for greater understanding.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggest that the community of inquiry framework, although designed to evaluate online learning, can also be used to frame the comparative utility of online and other teaching strategies. The paper also explores issues related to the Technology Acceptance Model's prediction that ease of use of online learning resources is important, and finds that many students are restricted by the cost of downloading and printing online learning material in university libraries and laboratories.Originality/valueThe research focuses upon first year management students, and transition implications of the findings are discussed.

Effectiveness of Web‐Based Teaching Modules: Test‐Enhanced Learning in Dental Education

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of self-tests as a component of web-based self-instruction in predoctoral orthodontics and pediatric dentistry. To this end, the usage patterns of online teaching modules and self-tests by students enrolled in three courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry were monitored and correlated to final exam grade and course average. We recorded the frequency of access to thirty relevant teaching modules and twenty-nine relevant self-tests for 157 second- and third-year D.D.S. students during the course of our data collection. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between frequency of accessing self-tests and course performance in one course that was totally based on self-instruction with seminars and multiple-choice examination (Level IV): Spearman correlation between frequency of self-test access and final exam grade, rho=0.23, p=0.044; correlation between frequency of self-test access and course average: rho=0.39, p=0.0004. In the other two courses we monitored, which included content beyond self-instruction with self-tests, the correlations were positive but not statistically significant. The students' use of online learning resources varied significantly from one course (Level I) to the next (Level II): Wilcoxon matched pairs signed-rank tests, S=-515.5, p=.0057 and S=1086, p<0.0001. The data from this study suggest that increased use of web-based self-tests may be correlated with more effective learning in predoctoral dental education by virtue of the testing effect and that dental students' usage of resources for learning changes significantly over the course of their education.

Distinguishing the learning approaches adopted by undergraduates in their use of online resources

This article reports a study which sought to evaluate the different learning strategies adopted by students when accessing virtual learning environment (VLE)-hosted resources because, if student achievement corresponds to the learning strategy that is adopted whilst accessing VLE resources, directed tasks can be put in place that will encourage students to adopt the learning strategy that is most closely associated with this higher achievement. The different approaches adopted by undergraduates ( n = 46) in their use of online learning resources for a single second-year module are evaluated by analysing their record of accessing these resources at three time-points during the module, and their performance in coursework and exams. From these longitudinal data, three learning approaches are identified (two surface and one deep). It is found that students who adopted a deep learning approach, in which online resources were accessed consistently throughout the module, performed markedly higher than surface learners who focused their online activity at the beginning or end of the module’s duration. Implications for teaching strategies are discussed.

A study of teachers’ use of online learning resources to design classroom activities

While much progress has been made on the technical design and development of digital libraries, much less is known about how and why education digital library content and associated tools can support and enhance the activities of educators in their professional work. This article elaborates a conceptual framework that characterizes teachers’ practices when using online learning resources (called ‘teaching as design’), and a professional development model aimed at increasing teachers’ capacity for designing learning activities in the context of authentic practice. Findings from two workshop implementations showed positive impacts on teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and subsequent behaviours using online learning resources. An analysis of teacher created activities indicates a relationship between the form of design (offload, adaptation, or improvisation) and the granularity of the learning objects utilized in the activity.

Class half-empty? Pre-registration house officer attendance at weekly teaching sessions: implications for delivering the new Foundation Programme curriculum

This study aimed to explore patterns of attendance at classroom-based, taught education programmes for pre-registration house officers (PRHOs) and to identify reasons for non-attendance, and to consider implications for Foundation Programme curriculum delivery and suggest strategies for improving delivery. We analysed registers of attendance for education sessions for 3 local teaching hospitals in the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland (LNR) Healthcare Workforce Deanery, along with PRHO exit questionnaire returns (from 2001 to 2005). Despite a trend for attendance to fall slightly over the course of a rotation, attendance rates have, in general, remained relatively stable at around two-thirds. However, during most 4-month posts, a fifth or more of PRHOs missed half or more of all sessions. Two types of barrier to attendance were identified: 'routine barriers', which relate to hospital working patterns, and 'contextual barriers', which refer to the particularities of each hospital post. There was no evidence that doctors' motivation and commitment towards the education programme is a main determinant of attendance. Contextual barriers to attendance, such as pressure being placed on PRHOs to remain on the ward, can be addressed. However, routine barriers to attendance, including on-call working patterns and annual leave, render it impossible to avoid significant numbers of education sessions being missed by PRHOs in each post during a rotation. En bloc teaching of basic generic skills prior to the start of the rotation plus greater use of online learning resources are examples of ways in which reliance on in-post, classroom-based programmes can be reduced.

Speech processing in very young children

The study aims to experimentally reveal the potential of the use of online learning resources, namely SmartMusic, eMusicTheory, and Dolmetsch Music Theory, to improve qualitative music learning indicators in such skills as sight-singing, ear training, rhythmic reading, musical notation and performing skills. Much of the research is based on the direct experimental research in the music classroom. Google Forms were used to create an online questionnaire containing questions to be rated based on the Likert scale. The evaluators were music teachers from Lishui University (China). The research sample involves a group of students enrolled in the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 choir singing classes. The sample consists of 56 students (64 % men and 36 % women). The participants were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. A survey of students suggests that the use of SmartMusic, eMusicTheory, and Dolmetsch Music Theory is perceived positively. Pre- and post-assessments showed that when using SmartMusic to train sight-singing, the gap between the mean improvement score of the experimental and control groups was 14 points. The use of eMusicTheory and Dolmetsch Music Theory for ear training led to the gap of 6.7 points, and the use of SmartMusic, eMusicTheory, and Dolmetsch Music Theory to train rhythmic reading, performance and musical notation skills resulted in the gap of 6.2 points, 3.3 points, and 2.4 points, respectively. The study can be of interest to music educators, education administrators, and researchers who are seeking to improve the quality of music teaching and learning by leveraging the power of Internet platforms.