Roberta Comunian tackles head-on some of the dilemmas and challenges which this promising new methodology raise for a researcher in regional studies.

Social Network Analysis

Online learning is now a common practice in higher education.  Because of the continued growth in enrollments, higher educational institutions must prepare faculty throughout their teaching tenure for learning theory, technical expertise, and pedagogical shifts for teaching in the online environment. This study presents best practices for professional development for faculty teaching online. In this study, the Delphi Method was used to gain consensus from a panel experts on the essentiality of professional development items to help faculty prepare for teaching in the online environment. This study included four survey rounds with a panel experts to develop consensus and identify best practices consisting of essential professional development and institutional/organizational strategies for supporting faculty teaching online. These results are significant for planning new or improving existing faculty development programs that enhance teaching and learning in the online classroom.

/pdf/best-practices-framework-for-online-faculty-professional-26cgsks4j0.pdf

Best Practices Framework for Online Faculty Professional Development: A Delphi Study

Distance learning: making connections across virtual space and time

The purpose of this research was to understand the automation of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), and to evaluate the automated process from the perspective of developing country. A single case study of City University of Science and Information Technology (CUSIT), Pakistan was selected as a unit of analysis. Mix methodology was used in this research. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted from the top management as a primary source while secondary data regarding usage and functions of LMS was collected for the period of 2 years (four semesters Fall-2017-Spring 2019). Data from both sources was utilized, and triangulated for case building and analysis. It was found that CUSIT has a state-of-the-art automated infrastructure, management information system (MIS) and learning management system (LMS) which facilitates faculty, staff and administration. LMS provides an integrated and digital platform to key stakeholders particularly to the teachers for sharing course outlines, lesson plan, assignment generation and submission, announcements and generating assessment reports. Similarly, the student gets access to all course material, assignments, assessment report, notices, and other relevant information at any point of time. However, the system lacks some of the major E-learning features with limited support to the large file size, real time learning, online classes, real time feedback and query system etc. Furthermore, this study identified few seldomly used functions of automated system as well as few duplications and operational activities which requires consideration by the management. The case of CUSIT proves to be a practical case for all those universities who are facing challenges due to corona virus pandemic and are looking for a solution to continue education through distance learning and e-learning platforms. This study supports the automation of HEIs and provides lesson learned for the academia and management of HEIs by identification of success features as well as limitations of the system.

/pdf/transforming-universities-in-interactive-digital-platform-4rir0tiow7.pdf

Transforming universities in interactive digital platform: case of city university of science and information technology.

Aim/Purpose: This study seeks to investigate the factors that influence online students’ continued usage intention toward e-learning systems by presenting an extended model that is based on the Delone and McLean (2003) IS success model (D&M ISS model).

Background: The use of e-learning systems in this era has become a vital element of delivering higher education. Learning via e-learning systems has significant benefits that support conventional learning. Thus, it is crucial to measure the success of e-learning systems’ implementation.

Methodology: This study was conducted with 590 undergraduate and postgraduate students from three private universities in Jordan, and data was gathered via an online self-report questionnaire.

Contribution: Theoretically, this study advances the literature and empirically examines a modified version of the D&M ISS model by including context-specific factors that are drivers of successful implementations of e-learning systems. 

Findings: The path analysis with structural equation modelling confirms that students’ satisfaction and their continued usage intention regarding the e-learning system are positively related to service quality, system quality, and information quality. Self-directed learning, however, has a negative effect on satisfaction and continued usage intention. Furthermore, the findings reveal that both satisfaction and continued usage intention positively influence students’ perceptions of perceived academic performance.

Recommendations for Practitioners: The quality of learning content format and design are recognized as fundamental factors for e-learning success. Thus, both instructors and e-learning developers should provide reliable, accurate, and up-to-date learning materials. This directs e-learning developers toward designing systems with simple and useful functionalities that embrace the essential features that enable students to perform the required tasks effectively and to access and share learning materials flexibly. Furthermore, the current study reveals that self-directed learning (SDL) is a key barrier to successful e-learning system employment. It has a negative impact on satisfaction (SAT) and continued usage intention (CUI). Thus, developing students’ skills related to SDL is deemed a necessity. This could be attained by designing contemporary pedagogical curricula that are based on student-centered learning. This approach to learning encourages students to acquire self-regulatory skills and be accountable for their learning. This environment has to be supported by pedagogical tools (e.g., synchronous/asynchronous communication channels and multimedia tools) to enable effective interaction between instructors and students. 

Recommendation for Researchers: The current study does not investigate the role of potential moderators that might influence the research model’s relationships. Future studies might tackle such limitation by examining the moderating effect of computer self-efficacy and culture.

Impact on Society: This study reveals that the success of e-learning systems depends not only on the quality of the information, system, and service but also on student self-directed learning.

Future Research: The sample employed for this study was selected from three private universities in Jordan; consequently, the results cannot be generalized to the entire student population of Jordan. Further research, therefore, should focus on targeting a larger scope by including public universities, which in turn would enhance the generalizability of the findings. In addition, this cross-sectional study was conducted using a quantitative method based on the use of self-reported online survey to gather data. Thus, future research should consider longitudinal study that employs a mixed methods approach to reveal additional constructs and insights regarding e-learning system adoption by students.



/pdf/towards-a-sustainable-adoption-of-e-learning-systems-the-19pqiw1h.pdf

Towards a Sustainable Adoption of E-Learning Systems: The Role of Self-Directed Learning

The learning management system (LMS) has become a critical tool for nearly all institutions of higher education, and a driving force in online learning. According to a 2014 report by the Educause Center for Analysis and Research, 99% of higher education institutions have an LMS in place, and the LMS is used by 85% of faculty and 83% of students. This was not always the case, however. There was a time in the not-so-distant past when using an LMS was considered highly innovative. Understanding the growth and adoption of the LMS is a stepping stone to understanding how faculty may choose to adopt other technological and pedagogical innovations. This study was conducted at a large, research-intensive public university in the Midwest, which has used the same LMS for 15 years. From a small pilot, adoption has grown to nearly universal use. This study used system logs and database queries to examine how faculty used the LMS. The results identified the features that were used most frequently and how usage had changed over time. In addition, the study compared the usage data for face-to-face and online courses to determine if there are differences in LMS use due to course modality. Based on this, it is possible to better understand the role the LMS plays in higher education and online learning, to inform development of next generation learning systems or other innovative technologies.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1154161.pdf

Understanding Faculty Use of the Learning Management System

Many institutions use a one-size-fits-all approach to faculty development for online teaching, which does not meet the needs of faculty who often have different levels of experience, skill, and self-efficacy in online teaching and learning. To address these issues, the [university name removed] [center name removed] designed and implemented an online teaching readiness self-assessment. The instrument was developed based on key attributes and skills needed for proficiency in online teaching, in three areas: online teaching experience and attitudes, learning management system proficiency, and access to technology. The self-assessment was distributed through a web-based survey tool to faculty who were identified to develop new online courses. Individual results were used to create personalized frameworks of professional development offerings (workshops, institutes, videos, and consultations) and just-in-time resources to support faculty in their development process.

Designing Personalized Online Teaching Professional Development through Self-Assessment

The growth of distance education has necessitated strong evidence of quality for institutions of higher education, and numerous standards and principles of quality have been developed, such as Quality Matters™ (Quality Matters). These systems are often considered only at the course level to guide design and improve student outcomes, but they can also help to pull the institution together and galvanize advancement in online development. Adopting online quality standards can be a complex process that requires changes to institutional culture. This article describes how the use of the Community of Practice (CoP) framework engaged a campus-wide network of individuals in adoption of the Quality Matters training, rubric, and review process to advance distance education support and online course development. Using Social Network Analysis, researchers were able to identify the strengths and weakness of the CoP during the early adoption phase of Quality Matters to quantitatively measure the connections amo...

Building a Sustainable Quality MattersTM Community of Practice Through Social Network Analysis

Inquiry-based teaching and learning is a valued learning theory, which can transform a prescriptive, teacher-led classroom into a dynamic, active learning environment. Some factors to consider about inquiry-based activities are that they are designed to incorporate many strategies and techniques to develop students’ affective, social, and metacognition domains. Inquiry-based teaching and learning is most successful when students have some level of self-regulation and when faculty members provide meaningful guidance. Unfortunately, students are infrequently taught how to be self-regulated learners. In addition, faculty members are uncomfortable and under-incentivized to try innovative teaching pedagogies.

To illustrate the dichotomy of both the delivery of inquiry-based teaching and a student-centered approach, a DNA double helix is used as a metaphor and visual model. Importance is placed on designing learning experiences that can be adapted based on context, available technology, meaningful assessment, and positive student outcomes. Educational trends in higher education are explored and implications are drawn based on the research and programs being implemented at many universities and colleges. This chapter provides insight into how higher education institutions can scale inquiry-based teaching and learning through their strategic initiatives to promote faculty excellence. Evaluation frameworks and logic model planning strategies are included in this chapter.

How to Scale Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning through Progressive Faculty Development

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

Tracy Miller

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

Understanding Faculty Use of the Learning Management System

Designing Personalized Online Teaching Professional Development through Self-Assessment

Building a Sustainable Quality MattersTM Community of Practice Through Social Network Analysis

How to Scale Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning through Progressive Faculty Development