Gila Kurtz

Experiences and Opinions of E-learners: What Works, What are the Challenges, and What Competencies Ensure Successful Online Learning

This paper reports findings of a survey of online learners from Western (mostly US), Israeli, Mexican, and Japanese cohorts. An instrument with 58 questions, including several open-ended items, allowing 318 respondents to tell their “stories” as online learners, was disseminated online in late 2008-early 2009. This research study attempts to better understand how students engage in online learning in terms of interacting with the medium and materials, with the instructor, and with one another. Also, with four distinct cohorts, representing four countries and cultures, there is some value in determining if there might be certain differences between these learner populations that are driven primarily by cultural orientation. The study revealed that the majority of respondents rated their satisfaction with their online learning to be positive. The findings further reveal that these cohorts produced a diverse list of positive/negative aspects influencing satisfaction/dissatisfaction, identified items critical to being a successful online learner, as well as challenges in their online learning environment. The majority indicated that success as online learners ultimately depended more on self-determination than on institutional support. Summary findings and analyses presented here provide evidence of some commonalities across groups and reveal experiences and opinions that can contribute to formulating a set of competencies useful to both online learners and providers.

The Flipped-Classroom Approach: The Answer to Future Learning?

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.

Facebook group as a space for interactive and collaborative learning

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.