This article reports on a study conducted in Israel at an academic institution. The study investi... more This article reports on a study conducted in Israel at an academic institution. The study investigates the correlation between students ’ attitudes toward open and distance learning (ODL) and their perceived self-esteem and loneliness at the last stage of their online learning experience. For this study, 120 students were asked to complete a questionnaire. The students were enrolled in three fully online academic courses, which were similar in their instructional design approach although different in content. Findings reveal that there is a positive correlation between self-esteem and attitudes toward e-learning in general and toward online interaction with the instructor in particular. The findings further suggest that there is no correlation between loneliness and student attitudes toward e-learning. Some explanations for these results are raised as are recommendations for further research.
The research presented here has a double objective: comparing two undergraduate courses on resear... more The research presented here has a double objective: comparing two undergraduate courses on research methods at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Israel, and examining students’ attitudes toward the subject matter, as well as their attitudes toward incorporating online learning into the learning process. The subject matter in both courses—one in the School of Education and the other in the Department of Political Science—was almost identical. Each of the first two authors of this paper taught one of the courses. The pedagogical online model of the courses is different; while the education course is categorized as fully online with no required class meetings and the predetermined content occupies most of the course, the political science course uses the wrap-around model, combining class setting, online interaction and discussions with predetermined content. Students’ attitudes were examined twice, at the beginning of the courses and at their end. Research findings reveal significant diffe...
Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology
This paper presents a validation research of seven Digital Learning Domains (DLDs) and sixty-five... more This paper presents a validation research of seven Digital Learning Domains (DLDs) and sixty-five performance statements (PSs) as perceived by students with experience in learning via ICT. The preliminary findings suggest a statistical firmness of the inventory. The seven DLDs identified are Social Responsibility, Team-based Learning, Information Research and Retrieval, Information Management, Information Validation, Processing and Presentation of Information, and Digital Integrity. The 65 PSs will enable a teacher to identify the level of competency the learner has in each DLD, thus identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses that must be addressed in order to facilitate learning in the current era. As can be concluded from the findings, most of the participants evaluate themselves as digitally literate with regard to the basic information research and retrieval skills, validation and information management. But when it comes to PSs that require complex decision making or higher...
Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology expected to transform the way we live, work, a... more Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology expected to transform the way we live, work, and learn. Devices enabled with IoT could be deployed in order to sense conditions from across contexts and settings. Alternatively, such devices could be embedded into wearable accessories.
This paper presents a validation research of seven Digital Learning Domains (DLDs) and sixty-five... more This paper presents a validation research of seven Digital Learning Domains (DLDs) and sixty-five performance statements (PSs) as perceived by students with experience in learn-ing via ICT. The preliminary findings suggest a statistical firmness of the inventory. The seven DLDs identified are Social Responsibility, Team-based Learning, Information Re-search and Retrieval, Information Management, Information Validation, Processing and Presentation of Information, and Digital Integrity. The 65 PSs will enable a teacher to iden-tify the level of competency the learner has in each DLD, thus identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses that must be addressed in order to facilitate learning in the current era. As can be concluded from the findings, most of the participants evaluate themselves as digitally literate with regard to the basic information research and retrieval skills, validation and information management. But when it comes to PSs that require complex decision mak-ing or hi...
International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 2013
The purpose of this research was to examine the perceived implications on learning when making us... more The purpose of this research was to examine the perceived implications on learning when making use of a Facebook group as a communication environment, along with the learning management system (LMS) course website. A total of 66 graduate students participated in the research. The main conclusion from the findings is that Facebook, although it was not originally created for educational purposes, can be used as a virtual space for discussion and sharing knowledge. Students reported being engaged in interaction and collaboration in the Facebook group as well as having appreciated its contribution to their own personal learning experience. Most of them would be willing to use Facebook groups as a learning space in future courses, without giving up the course website which is crucial as the main source of learning materials and course activities.
This study investigated a representative sample of 61 faculty members currently integrating onlin... more This study investigated a representative sample of 61 faculty members currently integrating online teaching within campus-based teaching at Bar-Ilan University. Based on Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Model (1995), we examined faculty's current and past expectations, ...
This paper presents the results of an empirical study on validation of performance statements for... more This paper presents the results of an empirical study on validation of performance statements for an inventory of the digital literacy skills required for learning. These skills are used to determine digital readiness of pre-service teachers. The paper reports on validation of an adjusted set of 54 performance statements which were categorized into seven digital learning domains. The seven digital learning domains were validated based on structural equation modelling which was then confirmed by factor analysis using AMOS software. The results of the analysis indicate the existence of a multi-layered model where all digital learning domains are positively connected to each other. Our findings therefore suggest a strong statistical validity of the performance statement inventory. The findings also point to the fact that pre-service teachers are in a transit phase from digital immigrants to digital natives. That, in the context of Covid-19 pandemic, implies the need to invest in approp...
European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 2014
ABSTRACT The study examines students’ assessments of the use of the flipped classroom approach in... more ABSTRACT The study examines students’ assessments of the use of the flipped classroom approach in an undergraduate course in the Business Department at the College for Academic Studies in Israel. In its essence, learners prepare for classes by watching videos away from class, allowing the classroom encounter to focus on discussion, exercises, and discourse. Data were collected by a questionnaire distributed toward the end of the course. The students reported that watching videos between lessons enhanced interest, alleviated boredom, and enriched the learning. To a lesser extent, they reported it increased their involvement in learning, understanding of the learning material, and confidence in their ability to understand it. While acknowledging the convenience of watching course videos between classes, however, the participants clearly preferred to watch them in class. Multivariate analysis revealed that working students were less positive about using the flipped-classroom approach than non-working students, female students were more positive than male ones, and older students were more positive than younger ones. Furthermore, the stronger the senses of having classmates nearby, the more positive the participants were about the contribution of watching the videos.
This article reports on a study conducted in Israel at an academic institution. The study investi... more This article reports on a study conducted in Israel at an academic institution. The study investigates the correlation between students ’ attitudes toward open and distance learning (ODL) and their perceived self-esteem and loneliness at the last stage of their online learning experience. For this study, 120 students were asked to complete a questionnaire. The students were enrolled in three fully online academic courses, which were similar in their instructional design approach although different in content. Findings reveal that there is a positive correlation between self-esteem and attitudes toward e-learning in general and toward online interaction with the instructor in particular. The findings further suggest that there is no correlation between loneliness and student attitudes toward e-learning. Some explanations for these results are raised as are recommendations for further research.
The research presented here has a double objective: comparing two undergraduate courses on resear... more The research presented here has a double objective: comparing two undergraduate courses on research methods at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Israel, and examining students’ attitudes toward the subject matter, as well as their attitudes toward incorporating online learning into the learning process. The subject matter in both courses—one in the School of Education and the other in the Department of Political Science—was almost identical. Each of the first two authors of this paper taught one of the courses. The pedagogical online model of the courses is different; while the education course is categorized as fully online with no required class meetings and the predetermined content occupies most of the course, the political science course uses the wrap-around model, combining class setting, online interaction and discussions with predetermined content. Students’ attitudes were examined twice, at the beginning of the courses and at their end. Research findings reveal significant diffe...
Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology
This paper presents a validation research of seven Digital Learning Domains (DLDs) and sixty-five... more This paper presents a validation research of seven Digital Learning Domains (DLDs) and sixty-five performance statements (PSs) as perceived by students with experience in learning via ICT. The preliminary findings suggest a statistical firmness of the inventory. The seven DLDs identified are Social Responsibility, Team-based Learning, Information Research and Retrieval, Information Management, Information Validation, Processing and Presentation of Information, and Digital Integrity. The 65 PSs will enable a teacher to identify the level of competency the learner has in each DLD, thus identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses that must be addressed in order to facilitate learning in the current era. As can be concluded from the findings, most of the participants evaluate themselves as digitally literate with regard to the basic information research and retrieval skills, validation and information management. But when it comes to PSs that require complex decision making or higher...
Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology expected to transform the way we live, work, a... more Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology expected to transform the way we live, work, and learn. Devices enabled with IoT could be deployed in order to sense conditions from across contexts and settings. Alternatively, such devices could be embedded into wearable accessories.
This paper presents a validation research of seven Digital Learning Domains (DLDs) and sixty-five... more This paper presents a validation research of seven Digital Learning Domains (DLDs) and sixty-five performance statements (PSs) as perceived by students with experience in learn-ing via ICT. The preliminary findings suggest a statistical firmness of the inventory. The seven DLDs identified are Social Responsibility, Team-based Learning, Information Re-search and Retrieval, Information Management, Information Validation, Processing and Presentation of Information, and Digital Integrity. The 65 PSs will enable a teacher to iden-tify the level of competency the learner has in each DLD, thus identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses that must be addressed in order to facilitate learning in the current era. As can be concluded from the findings, most of the participants evaluate themselves as digitally literate with regard to the basic information research and retrieval skills, validation and information management. But when it comes to PSs that require complex decision mak-ing or hi...
International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 2013
The purpose of this research was to examine the perceived implications on learning when making us... more The purpose of this research was to examine the perceived implications on learning when making use of a Facebook group as a communication environment, along with the learning management system (LMS) course website. A total of 66 graduate students participated in the research. The main conclusion from the findings is that Facebook, although it was not originally created for educational purposes, can be used as a virtual space for discussion and sharing knowledge. Students reported being engaged in interaction and collaboration in the Facebook group as well as having appreciated its contribution to their own personal learning experience. Most of them would be willing to use Facebook groups as a learning space in future courses, without giving up the course website which is crucial as the main source of learning materials and course activities.
This study investigated a representative sample of 61 faculty members currently integrating onlin... more This study investigated a representative sample of 61 faculty members currently integrating online teaching within campus-based teaching at Bar-Ilan University. Based on Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Model (1995), we examined faculty's current and past expectations, ...
This paper presents the results of an empirical study on validation of performance statements for... more This paper presents the results of an empirical study on validation of performance statements for an inventory of the digital literacy skills required for learning. These skills are used to determine digital readiness of pre-service teachers. The paper reports on validation of an adjusted set of 54 performance statements which were categorized into seven digital learning domains. The seven digital learning domains were validated based on structural equation modelling which was then confirmed by factor analysis using AMOS software. The results of the analysis indicate the existence of a multi-layered model where all digital learning domains are positively connected to each other. Our findings therefore suggest a strong statistical validity of the performance statement inventory. The findings also point to the fact that pre-service teachers are in a transit phase from digital immigrants to digital natives. That, in the context of Covid-19 pandemic, implies the need to invest in approp...
European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 2014
ABSTRACT The study examines students’ assessments of the use of the flipped classroom approach in... more ABSTRACT The study examines students’ assessments of the use of the flipped classroom approach in an undergraduate course in the Business Department at the College for Academic Studies in Israel. In its essence, learners prepare for classes by watching videos away from class, allowing the classroom encounter to focus on discussion, exercises, and discourse. Data were collected by a questionnaire distributed toward the end of the course. The students reported that watching videos between lessons enhanced interest, alleviated boredom, and enriched the learning. To a lesser extent, they reported it increased their involvement in learning, understanding of the learning material, and confidence in their ability to understand it. While acknowledging the convenience of watching course videos between classes, however, the participants clearly preferred to watch them in class. Multivariate analysis revealed that working students were less positive about using the flipped-classroom approach than non-working students, female students were more positive than male ones, and older students were more positive than younger ones. Furthermore, the stronger the senses of having classmates nearby, the more positive the participants were about the contribution of watching the videos.
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