E-Learning Readiness Assessment Using Machine Learning Methods

Assessing e-learning readiness is crucial for educational institutions to identify areas in their e-learning systems needing improvement and to develop strategies to enhance students' readiness. This paper presents an effective approach for assessing e-learning readiness by combining the ADKAR model and machine learning-based feature importance identification methods. The motivation behind using machine learning approaches lies in their ability to capture nonlinearity in data and flexibility as data-driven models. This study surveyed faculty members and students in the Economics faculty at Tlemcen University, Algeria, to gather data based on the ADKAR model's five dimensions: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement. Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between all dimensions. Specifically, the pairwise correlation coefficients between readiness and awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement are 0.5233, 0.5983, 0.6374, 0.6645, and 0.3693, respectively. Two machine learning algorithms, random forest (RF) and decision tree (DT), were used to identify the most important ADKAR factors influencing e-learning readiness. In the results, ability and knowledge were consistently identified as the most significant factors, with scores of ability (0.565, 0.514) and knowledge (0.170, 0.251) using RF and DT algorithms, respectively. Additionally, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values were used to explore further the impact of each variable on the final prediction, highlighting ability as the most influential factor. These findings suggest that universities should focus on enhancing students' abilities and providing them with the necessary knowledge to increase their readiness for e-learning. This study provides valuable insights into the factors influencing university students' e-learning readiness.

The Syncretic Effect of Dual-Source Data on Affective Computing in Online Learning Contexts: A Perspective from Convolutional Neural Network with Attention Mechanism

Affective computing (AC) has been regarded as a relevant approach to identifying online learners' mental states and predicting their learning performance. Previous research mainly used one single-source data set, typically learners' facial expression, to compute learners' affection. However, a single facial expression may represent different affections in various head poses. This study proposed a dual-source data approach to solve the problem. Facial expression and head pose are two typical data sources that can be captured from online learning videos. The current study collected a dual-source data set of facial expressions and head poses from an online learning class in a middle school. A deep learning neural network using AlexNet with an attention mechanism was developed to verify the syncretic effect on affective computing of the proposed dual-source fusion strategy. The results show that the dual-source fusion approach significantly outperforms the single-source approach based on the AC recognition accuracy between the two approaches (dual-source approach using Attention-AlexNet model 80.96%;single-source approach, facial expression 76.65% and head pose 64.34%). This study contributes to the theoretical construction of the dual-source data fusion approach, and the empirical validation of the effect of the Attention-AlexNet neural network approach on affective computing in online learning contexts.

Learning with Mobile Augmented Reality- and Automatic Speech Recognition-Based Materials for English Listening and Speaking Skills: Effectiveness and Perceptions of Non-English Major English as a Foreign Language Students

Due to the outbreak of COVID 19, an online bilingual curriculum was conducted via "Google Meet." The learning material was developed and implemented by using a smartphone application, STEMUP, based on augmented reality (AR) and automatic speech recognition (ASR) technologies. This study investigated the oral performance and perceptions of learning with STEMUP of ninety non-English major students from several colleges at a technical university in Taiwan. Data were collected from pre- and post-tests and a questionnaire survey. Results indicated that students significantly improved their oral performance and recorded their positive perceptions. Students' oral performance significantly depended on their English proficiency. Their perceptions were not significant related to their English proficiency, gender, or college. Instant feedback and evaluation provided by ASR technology and online "Google" text-to-speech service both embedded in STEMUP helped students notice, modify and improve their listening and speaking skills. They were satisfied with the bilingual curriculum, which helped them increase understanding about content knowledge by the teacher's explanation in Chinese, and improve English listening and speaking skills by learning with STEMUP. This study is a good start in creating an interactive and communicative learning environment where translanguaging is effectively integrated with innovative technologies.

Mobile Technology Acceptance among Undergraduate Nursing Students Instructed by Blended Learning at Selected Educational Institutions in South India

Background: Mobile phones have become a widely accepted learning mode due to the impact of COVID-19. This study explores the mobile technology acceptance, among nursing students at selected educational institutions in South India. Materials and Methods: Quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design. First-year 176 B.Sc. nursing students who underwent blended learning were selected by the purposive sampling method. The tool "Technology Acceptance Model" was used to collect responses. Bivariate analysis was used to determine the relationship between the demographic and study-related variables with the mobile technology acceptance using SPSS version 25.0. Results: The majority 73.9% of the students belonged to the age group of 18-19 years, females 76.7% and, 98.9% were unmarried. Among the constructs of TAM, a mean (SD) value of 22.08 (2.26) was found for material (mobile device audio/video) characteristics the mean (SD) value was 22.08 (2.26), attitude about use 17.58 (1.95), behavioral intention 17.46 (1.78) and system characteristics 17.21 (2.27). The mobile technology acceptance revealed that 126 (71.6%) strongly agreed, 49 (27.8%) agreed, and 1 (0.6%) was neutral with a mean (SD) of 105.19 (8.68), respectively. A positive correlation was found between the system characteristics, material characteristics, perceived ease to use, perceived usefulness, attitude about the use, behavioral intention with a P value <0.001. There was a statistically significant association between Mobile technology acceptance and time spent by the students for independent studies shown the Chi-square value of 12.7, with P value <0.05. Conclusion: Nursing students had a positive acceptance and behavior toward smartphone use.

Digital transformation of educational institutions accelerated by COVID-19: A digital dynamic capabilities approach

During the Coronavirus crisis (COVID-19) that started in 2019 and at the extensive quarantine regulations, educational institutions, companies, and individuals have reacted by shifting their teaching and learning activities to virtual spaces. Yet, although the use of online learning has increased, it has not been able to achieve the long-promised transformative effect. The COVID-19 crisis has the potential to boost online education overall or at least enable better preparation of the system for the next crisis. Ultimately, to make a digital transformation sustainable, appropriate skills are required. In this study, we adapt the dynamic capabilities foundations creating a theoretical approach to explain how educational institutions have responded to the changing environmental conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 the authors.

Digital Transformation of Education Toward Successful Internships: A Methodology Developed Over Seven Years and Tested During COVID-19

Contribution: This article provides a teaching methodology which combines project-based learning, self-regulated learning (SRL), and design projects (DPs) to improve the preparedness of students for computing science-related internships. The methodology is supported by the implementation of the educational technology that transforms the way teaching and learning is transformed to benefit on-campus and off-campus students equitably, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: Success in the workspace is governed by the ability of an individual to learn on-the-job and independently. Online learning has led to a shift from instructor-led learning to SRL. This requires individuals to discipline themselves, and be in control of their learning and education. Outcome: The success of internships is improved with skills learnt in class through hands-on real-world projects. Both on/off-campus students gain equitable relevant experience. The teaching methodology developed over several years combines project-based learning, SRL, and DPs. Application Design: The methodology was applied using a flipped classroom approach. The educational technology was used to enhance SRL before in-class learning. This way, in-class rote learning was replaced with hands-on projects. Exam assessments were replaced with DPs where soft skills and technical skills are applied. Findings: The effectiveness of the developed methodology is measured through quantitative and qualitative evaluation tools. The evaluation demonstrates that combining well-designed education technology for SRL, with in-class project-based learning and DPs, can improve students' chances in getting high-impact internships.

When Public Administration Education Switches Online: Student Perceptions during COVID-19

Public administration education is traditionally known for its emphasis on interaction, discussion and experiential learning, which require effective in-person instructions. With COVID-19 pushing many programmes across the globe to be delivered online rather than in person, how this shift has affected the student experience in public administration programmes has been a pertinent and important consideration. This paper addresses the question through two surveys of 147 students in total, at a graduate-level public policy school in Singapore. Two distinctive waves of data collection allow us to capture a nuanced picture of student perceptions both when online teaching was introduced as an emergency response and when it was planned as a deliberate strategy later on. Our findings suggest that students consistently reported a decline in participation and interaction in an online setting, compared with a face-to-face setting. Our study fills a critical gap in the literature related to online public administration education in Asia, while the immediate constraints it highlights and lessons it offers on maintaining a highly interactive and engaging public administration education are likely to apply for educators elsewhere both during and beyond the COVID-19 era.

Factors affecting students' use of a data-free instant messenger for on-line peer tutoring: a large, undergraduate class at a historically disadvantaged university

There is a need for synchronous and inclusive online peer tutoring in large, undergraduate classes. As a lack of data or internet connectivity may limit online peer tutoring, the use of a data-free instant messenger was implemented for online tutoring in a class of 342 students. The Moya application allows students to chat and send voice notes to tutors and peers without using data. Sending attachments incurs data costs but the amount of data is displayed prior to downloading. The qualitative interpretivist case study used data collected from purposive sampling via an online survey. Consent was received from 252 third-year Information Systems students at a historically disadvantaged university. Qualitative data were analysed via thematic content analysis using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model as a theoretical basis. Findings indicate that the majority of students (85.7%) did not use the data-free Moya instant messenger. Reasons for the low usage included a negative performance expectancy, as students did not see the benefit in using the application to engage with peers or tutors. Perceived effort expectancy was low, as students did not desire to learn to use a new application. Results showed that using WhatsApp was a habit. Moreover, social influence was a factor, as fellow students and tutors were also using WhatsApp. Students recommended increasing awareness of the Moya application and providing training. The price value was expected to be a significant factor as this application does not require data, but this was not the case. Facilitating conditions show that students had data for WhatsApp. Moya has the same interface design as the preferred WhatsApp so learning to use the application should require minimal effort. The unexpected findings indicate that students prefer WhatsApp, an instant messenger that requires data, over a datafree instant messenger. The findings leave lecturers questioning whether using WhatsApp for online peer tutoring is the more viable option.

Training in digital competence of teachers of primary and early childhood education in Spain. A bibliometric review of the literature

Digital competence is essential in teacher training in schools. However, research shows that they are not yet effective nor do they have quality. The purpose of this research was to carry out a descriptive bibliometric analysis of the literature on the training in digital competence of teachers of primary and early childhood education in Spain using the metadata of 45 publications indexed in the Scopus database and supported by the Bibexcel and VosViewer programs. For analysis we have used different bibliometric techniques (bibliographic coupling, co-citation and co-occurrence). The results tell us that we are in an upward trend in terms of publications on the subject, with a greater impact on the social sciences;likewise, the co-occurrence shows the way in which current research topics deal with teacher training, COVID19 or online learning. In the same way, the review of the literature shows the lack of training that teachers have received or are receiving with respect to digital competence. Considering the results, the main conclusion refers to the need to continue researching the methodological, organizational and/or regulatory dimensions that influence the development of digital skills in teachers. © 2023 University of Granada. All rights reserved.

Technology, the flipped classroom, and exigent paradigm shifts or being forced into the present

Princeton University, including the various language programs it offers, has intentionally resisted distance learning for decades, primarily out of a desire to concentrate on the residential undergraduate educational experience. In New Jersey, USA, state-level restrictions and institutional decisions resulted in the closure of campus instructional spaces from the halfway point of the 2020 spring semester through the end of the 2020-2021 academic year, with further precautions, mitigations, and flexible responses throughout the following academic year, including but not limited to frequent reversion to remote instruction during periods of high incidence, interior masking requirements, and social distancing when possible in classroom spaces. For the past six years, I have also redesigned, expanded, and aligned our second-year German program with the first year, which is based on a high-frequency core vocabulary and the development of contextual reading strategies, among other approaches (for a detailed description of approach, form, and function, see Oberlin, in press). Of the many tools and approaches considered during this frantic and bewildering week, one stands out: the application of outside-of-class student-to-student communication via Zoom or other video-conferencing technologies with written follow-up to fulfill a number of desiderata: (1) that students speak more in an alternate assignment format given the realities of affective and technological hurdles while using video conferencing software;(2) that they are provided with an unsupervised opportunity to speak in an effort to reduce anxiety;(3) that self-scheduled partner work might offer flexibility necessary during home-based study and the various complications and distractions that entails, particularly during a period of ongoing disruptions;and (4) that a written response to this oral communication would generate classroom discussion, deepen engagement with materials, and present instructors with another avenue for teacher-student feedback and the assessment of sentence- or paragraph-level writing.

The Role of Technology in Physical Education Teaching in the Wake of the Pandemic

Physical education is seen as an essential subject for the development of healthy habits and well-being, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 3. Furthermore, the impact of technology on all aspects of life is now an undeniable reality. The field of education is no exception, and digitalisation has undoubtedly been accelerated by the emergency situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to analyse the scientific production related to the field of physical education, technology, and the pandemic from a double perspective. From a search in Scopus, 86 articles were selected for analysis. A bibliometric approach was used to identify the variables of impact, collaboration, production, and dissemination. While the content analysis allowed us to delve deeper into the topics most frequently chosen by researchers, we found that the articles focused both on the circumstances experienced by practising teachers and on the adaptations made in the teaching/learning process with trainee teachers and students at different stages of education. Thus, technology has emerged as a fundamental tool in physical education during the pandemic, making it possible to develop or maintain better health and learning.

Predicting Changes in Physical Education Teachers' Behaviors Promoting Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using an Integrated Motivational Model

Purpose: To identify motivational determinants explaining Physical Education teachers' behaviors promoting students' physical activity (PA) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Nine hundred thirty-one Italian and French teachers completed a questionnaire assessing motivational determinants (self-determined motivation, self-efficacy, perceived ease and usefulness toward digital technologies, engagement at work), their intention and behaviors promoting PA, in reference to before and during the pandemic. Path analyses tested the associations of changes in motivational determinants with changes in intention and behaviors. Results: Increases in autonomous, controlled motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived usefulness toward digital technologies, and a decrease in amotivation were associated with an increase in the intention to promote PA. In turn, an increase in intention, but also in self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and perceived usefulness toward digital technologies were paired with an increase in behaviors promoting PA. Conclusion: Implications regarding the commitment of Physical Education teachers to challenging pedagogical situations, such as promoting PA amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, are discussed.

Examining Attitudes and Online Distractors in Turkish EMI Context during Emergency Remote Teaching

This study aimed to examine the attitudes of students enrolled in an English preparatory program of a Turkish state university towards the use of emergency remote teaching as a mode of distance education in the 2019-2020 COVID-19 outbreak and to reveal online distractors students experienced throughout this process. A total of 270 EFL students participated in the study;93 of these participants were female, and 177 were male. The study employed an explanatory sequential design, in which firstly quantitative data were collected using a scale ([alpha] = 0.871), and then qualitative data were gathered through open-ended questions followed by semi-structured ones. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software while the qualitative data were analyzed through a thematic analysis conducted by the researcher and two other experts ([kappa] = 0.70). The results showed that the students held partially positive attitudes towards the use of emergency remote teaching as a mode of distance education. There were significant differences between the students' overall attitudes and their gender, digital literacy, technological accessibility, and perceived language success. The relationship between the online distractors students experienced during Emergency Remote Teaching and their attitudes was also discussed. The conclusions were made in the light of the findings, and implications and suggestions for further research were stated.

Analysis of stress, attention, interest, and engagement in onsite and online higher education: A neurotechnological study

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo registrar y analizar, mediante el uso de neurotecnología, en un contexto formativo universitario presencial y online, el efecto que tiene en variables relevantes en el proceso de aprendizaje, lo cual supone una innovación en la literatura. En este estudio se ha empleado tecnología de neurociencia para medir el procesamiento cognitivo de los estímulos diseñados para una experiencia académica de una clase de máster universitario. Las neurotecnologías empleadas han sido la respuesta galvánica de la piel (GSR), la electroencefalografía (EEG) y el seguimiento ocular. Tras el análisis de los registros cerebrales, basados en la atención, interés, estrés y conexión emocional (engagement), en un contexto educativo presencial y su análisis comparativo con el seguimiento online, los resultados indicaron que los niveles de intensidad emocional de los alumnos que siguieron la clase de forma presencial son más elevados que aquellos que asistieron de forma online. A su vez, los valores de actividad cerebral positiva (atención, interés y engagement) son superiores en el grupo de asistencia presencial, siendo la variable negativa estrés también superior, pudiendo justificarse debido a que los alumnos conectados online no activaban la cámara. Los registros cerebrales de los alumnos que asisten a distancia muestran menor interés y atención, así como una menor intensidad emocional, por lo que el aprendizaje a distancia (online) es menos efectivo, a efectos de señales cerebrales, que la enseñanza en el aula, para una clase teórica de máster universitario.Alternate :The aim of this work is to register and analyse, using neurotechnology, in onsite onsite and online university educational context, the effect on relevant variables in the learning process. This represents an innovation in the current academic literature in this field. In this study, neuroscience technology has been used to measure the cognitive processing of stimuli designed for an academic experience in a university master's degree class. The neurotechnologies employed were galvanic skin response (GSR), electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracking. After the analysis of the brain recordings, based on attention, interest, stress and engagement in an onsite educational context and their comparative analysis with the online monitoring, the results indicated that the levels of emotional intensity of the students who followed the class in person were higher than those who attended online. At the same time, the values of positive brain activity (attention, interest and engagement) were higher in the onsite group, and the negative variable stress was also higher, which could be explained by the fact that the online students did not activate the camera. The brain recordings of students who were distance learning show less interest and attention, as well as less emotional intensity, demonstrating that distance (online) learning is less effective than classroom learning, in terms of brain signals, for a theoretical university master's degree class.

Analysis of the Relationship between Online Learning Activities and Academic Achievement of Physical Education and Sports School Students

This research, which was performed in order to determine the relationship between some activities in the online learning environment and their academic achievements of Physical Education and Sports School students, was designed in a relational scanning model. The research was conducted on the data of 444 students who attended online classes at a physical education and sports school of a state university in the spring term of the 2020-2021 academic year. Data used in the research were collected through "Aid for Learning Management System (ALMS)" and "Student Information System (SIS)" of the relevant university. The duration of watching the courses live and from the archive, the number of downloading the course documents and the duration of watching the course videos uploaded were obtained within the scope of online learning activities via ALMS;and the academic achievement scores of the students for these courses were obtained via SIS. As a result of the research, a positive and significant relationship was found between course attendance, the duration of watching the archived and uploaded course videos, the number of downloading course documents and students' gender and their academic achievement scores while there was no significant relationship between students' grade level and academic achievement scores. According to the significant correlations, it was seen that the duration of live course attendance and watching from the archive significantly predicted the academic achievement scores of the students while the duration of watching the course videos, the number of downloading the course documents and gender did not significantly predict the academic achievement scores of the students.

The Purposes and Justifications for Preferences of Web 2.0 Tools Used by Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers in Their Teaching Practices in Distance Education Environment

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mandatory changes were required in the field of education, as in many other fields. One of these fields is a teacher training programme, which includes teaching practice. It has become of great importance that pre-service science teachers, who frequently include experiments in their teaching practices in face-to-face education, will carry out this process in online education. This process, experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prompted pre-service science teachers to find something that could replace the wet labs. One of the solutions in this situation is for them to choose and use appropriate Web 2.0 tools in their online lab teaching practices. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the Web 2.0 tools used by pre-service chemistry teachers in their online teaching practices in a distance education environment, the purposes of using these tools, and their justifications for preferences to use these tools. This study was conducted with 15 pre-service chemistry teachers. Data were collected via observations, a form filled out by the participants, and semi-structured interviews in this study. According to the results of this study, it was determined that the participants used 17 Web 2.0 tools during their online teaching practices. The findings highlighted that the most used Web 2.0 tools were Perculus+ chat, Google docs, and Quizizz. Moreover, it was determined that the participants used these tools for 21 different purposes such as drawing students' attention, getting hypotheses, and designing experiments. The results also indicated that the participants emphasised the ease of the Web 2.0 tool as a justification for the preference for almost all of the Web 2.0 tools they use, regardless of their purposes for using these tools. It is thought that the results can be used to show how to make online or face-to-face teaching practices in teacher training programmes by using Web 2.0 tools more effective in the future.

Reimagining Teacher Identity in the Post-COVID-19 University: Becoming Digitally Savvy, Reflective in Practice, Collaborative, and Relational

Objective: Through the crisis of COVID-19 university teachers have been pushed into the realm of emergency remote teaching (ERT), familiar ways of living, working and being, brought unprecedented additional uncertainty and vulnerability to an already highly complex context. The purpose of this narrative review was to look at how these transformations affected teacher identity and the ways relationality shifted during this time. The intention was to bring relationality, care, collaboration, and excellent teaching possibilities, into the centre of our thinking. Whilst recognising the pandemic as a traumatic experience for many, it is a hopeful paper. Method: An examination and thematic analysis of literature published from March 2020-November 2020 on ERT. Results: The crisis and corresponding shift to teaching online demanded faculty to overcome their bias against online delivery, reimagine teaching, resulting in increased innovation and unexpected positive experiences which continue to rise. Conclusion: Teachers already engaging with student-centred approaches, relational pedagogies, reflective practice, community networks, and/or digital technologies managed the transition to online teaching and learning more effectively. Future teacher training requires effective online education, how to design and deliver, how to collaborate, and how to make relational connections with others, and access to resources.

Right Under Our Noses

Air quality and environmental justice To introduce how socioeconomic status affects the physical aspects of exposure to differing air-quality levels, students used an anthropological technique of comparison to "make the strange familiar and the familiar strange." Students analyzed a New York Times story revealing the air-quality inequities of two teens residing in India: "Who Gets to Breathe Clean Air in New Delhi?" For 25 minutes, students interact with the website and reflect on paper: * One new and interesting fact that they encountered in the article about air quality, * How they think the information might relate to air quality in the United States, and * What, if anything, they think we could do to help increase awareness about these types of environmental disparities. For the next 35 minutes, students search online for articles about air quality and environmental justice in the area near our school's location. The data from real-time air quality index reports are available on every cell phone, and students decided to record it on a calendar to chart in Excel.

It Can Be Done: Engaging and Powerful Social Studies Education Using Technology

My biggest fear about teaching a social studies methods class with COVID restrictions was talking "at" my teacher candidates and not modeling interactive and engaging social studies education. Social studies education should be engaging and student-centered. In this article, I offer technological adaptations to lessons that center around three main ideas of history/social studies teaching: Promoting Historical Inquiry, Facilitating Discussions, and Supporting Civic Engagement. With advances in technology and digital learning tools, challenging and active social studies instruction can be achieved in a virtual or hybrid learning environment.

Assessment of oral communication skills of chemistry department students in polymer chemistry courses at online learning

Online learning should ensure that students' oral communication skills remain good. This study aimed to determine the oral communication skills of chemistry department students in polymer chemistry courses at online learning based on differences in gender and study program. The research design was quantitative descriptive. The data collection tool was an observation sheet about the assessment of oral communication skills collected during presentation activities. The sample was 73 students. Data were analyzed utilizing a one-way analysis of variance test. The findings reveal that students' oral communication skills based on gender have differences, but the difference was not significant. The oral communication skills of male students are higher than female students. There was a significant difference in students' verbal communication skills based on study programs. Chemistry students' oral communication skills have higher than chemistry education students. The implications of the research results are described.