Investigating the Communities of Inquiry in Blended Learning Environments (Published)
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the Community of Inquiry supports deep approaches to learning and especially within blended learning contexts. The research was conducted through quantitative methods. For the inquiry a questionnaire was delivered to participants in electronic form. All the participants were students from three universities in Belgium (Flanders and Capital Region) – only the departments that used blended learning within their teaching strategies. The survey was conducted from November 2014 until June 2015. The results of the inquiry agree with international studies that within blended environment, Cognitive Presence is highly related with deep learning (Akyol & Garrison, 2011; Akyol, Garrison, & Ozden, 2009; Garrison & Cleveland- Innes, 2005). Though, further research should be conducted, focusing on linking quantitative comparatives of the development of education and learning approaches.
Keywords: blended learning, community of inquiry, deep learning approaches
Research on the Hot Spots of Blended Learning Based On Literature Keywords (Published)
Taking CNKI China academic journal network publishing the relevant papers on the Blended learning in the pool as the research subject, the co-occurrence analysis and social network technology use of key words, were identificated and co-author, on the basis of the results visualization analysis of hybrid research hotspot in the field of teaching, and the existing literature on this field as a concise and analyzed. Hybrid teaching research in China, fluctuated type development, has formed a certain scale of cooperation group, and the research content is extensive, the hybrid teaching research hot topic is: based on the online course teaching mode applied research, the Internet under the background of hybrid teaching application field of research, construction of hybrid teaching environment and classroom teaching reform based on hybrid teaching research.
Keywords: blended learning, keywords co-occurrence, social network analysis
Effect of Blended Learning on Students’ Retention of Physics in Federal Colleges of Education in South East, Nigeria (Published)
The study investigated the effect of blended learning on the retention of Physics by students in Federal Colleges of Education in South East, Nigeria. Two research objectives, two research questions as well as two research hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study comprised all the 287 Physics student in the three Federal Colleges of Education in South East, Nigeria. A sample of 81 students were purposively selected for the study from two of the three colleges. The instrument for data collection was a -50 multiple choice researcher-made test entitled Researcher Made Electromagnetic Theory Achievement Test (RMETAT).Test retest method was used to ensure the reliability of the instrument. Reliability coefficients of temporal stability of 0.97 and that of internal consistency of 0.72 were determined for the instrument. Mean, standard deviation and ANCOVA were the statistical tools used for data analysis. The study found out that blended learning increased the retention of Physics by students who participated in the study. It was also found out that the retention of the Physics contents by the students were not dependent upon their gender. The researcher, therefore among other things recommended that blended learning should be made a compulsory teaching strategy for Colleges of Education and similar institutions and that compulsory periodic training and retraining of teachers in institutions of higher learning on 21st century teaching strategies such as blended learning be put in place.
Keywords: Retention, blended learning, physics
Educating Children in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) Camps through Blended Learning: Prospects and Challenges (Published)
Education occupies a central place in human rights. It is essential and indispensable for the exercise of all other human rights and for general societal development. Internally displaced people (IDPs) are considered as most vulnerable due to the increased demands of IDPs for essential public services and livelihoods. The children in these camps also face a lot of hardship with little or no education because of overcrowding and influx of people, especially in the North East of Nigeria. Blended Learning is a hybrid of face-to-face (F-T-F) and computer mediated form of instruction. As an instructional strategy it harnesses the better of the two methods to improve the instructional process especially of the children in IDP camp Schools which are usually over crowded with on the spot recruited teachers. Some challenges envisaged were inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, ready computer literate teachers and specialized manpower for the e-learning platform. It was recommended that educating displaced children in IDP camps should be given more concerted effort by more NGOs, Humanitarian organization, Philanthropists and not left for the host government alone. This is because the children are at the heritage of the future and investing in them educationally is vital for a healthy society for today and tomorrow.
Keywords: : Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Instructional Strategies, blended learning, children
Utilization of Virtual Classroom System in Traditional Teaching: Benefits and Challenges (Published)
The present study aims to identify fulltime female students’ perspectives of using the virtual classroom (via the blackboard system) as a main teaching tool to deliver learning materials in College of Science and Arts, Najran University, Saudi Arabia, for the academic year 2017/2018. It also sheds light on male faculty members’ views on using this system in comparison with the videoconference system used by male faculty members to teach female students at their campuses. The study is based on data elicited from conducting interviews with 5 female students and 5 male faculty members. The main findings indicated that male faculty members prefer to use the virtual classroom system rather than teaching via the videoconference system; and although female students like being taught via the virtual classroom, they prefer to use the videoconference system due to Internet connection problems.
Keywords: E-learning, Female students’ higher education, Saudi Education, blended learning, social cultural theory, virtual classroom