| 1. |
- Aghaee, Nam, et al.
(författare)
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Communication and Collaboration Gaps among PhD Students and ICT as a Way Forward : Results from a Study in Sweden
- 2015
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Ingår i: Proceedings of E-Learn. - : Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. ; , s. 237-244
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The low completion rate and slow progress in PhD education have been highlighted in many studies. However, the interaction problems and communication gaps that PhD students encounter make this attempt even more challenging. The aim of this study is to investigate the peer interaction problems and ICT based solutions from PhD students’ perspectives. The data collection method was an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to follow up. The target group for the survey was the PhD students in Computer Science at Stockholm University. The total number of respondents for the survey was 53 PhD students and eleven randomly selected PhD students for the interviews. The results reflected a lack of peer interaction as an important issue in the perspective of the students. Based on this, the study showed several ICT solutions that have the potential to reduce the interaction problems and thereby improve PhD students’ collaborative learning and research quality.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Aghaee, Naghmeh, et al.
(författare)
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Interaction Gaps in PhD Education and ICT as a Way Forward: Results from a Study in Sweden
- 2016
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Ingår i: International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. - : Athabasca University Press. - 1492-3831. ; 17:3, s. 360-383
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many research studies have highlighted the low completion rate and slow progress in PhD education. Universities strive to improve throughput and quality in their PhD education programs. In this study, the perceived problems of PhD education are investigated from PhD students' points of view, and how an Information and Communication Technology Support System (ICTSS) may alleviate these problems. Data were collected through an online open questionnaire sent to the PhD students at the Department of (the institution's name has been removed during the double-blind review) with a 59% response rate. The results revealed a number of problems in the PhD education and highlighted how online technology can support PhD education and facilitate interaction and communication, affect the PhD students' satisfaction, and have positive impacts on PhD students' stress. A system was prototyped, in order to facilitate different types of online interaction through accessing a set of online and structured resources and specific communication channels. Although the number of informants was not large, the result of the study provided some rudimentary ideas that refer to interaction problems and how an online ICTSS may facilitate PhD education by providing distance and collaborative learning, and PhD students' self-managed communication.
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| 4. |
- Arveklev Höglund, Susanna, et al.
(författare)
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The State of Open Educational Resources (Oer) in Swedish Higher Education : A Case Study
- 2023
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Ingår i: INTED 2023 Proceedings. - : International Association for Technology, Education and Development. - 9788409490264 ; , s. 4908-4917
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Open Educational Resources are learning, teaching, and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation, and redistribution by others (UNESCO). Increasing the use of OER worldwide can be one of many steps toward reaching the United Nations Agenda 2030 sustainability goals (SDG), especially SDG 4 Quality Education, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.The UNESCO OER recommendations from 2020 provide clear goals and aims for OER, but how are they being implemented in higher education in Sweden? Specifically, how well are teachers and students aware of and how are they using OER, specifically open textbooks? This paper presents the use and needs of OER as well as current OER guidelines at University West in Sweden and investigates teachers’ and students' perceptions and experiences of open educational resources (OER) at University West, focusing on open textbooks. The method of the intervention was student and teacher surveys, both pre- and post-pandemic. The pre-pandemic surveys were sent out in April 2020 and had 79 student respondents and 82 teacher respondents. The post-pandemic surveys were sent out in June 2022 and had 83 student respondents and 76 teacher respondents.The aggregated results show that there were no significant differences in the use of OER and open textbooks due to the pandemic both for students and teachers. The current use of OER and open textbooks was limited and the primary motivations for using OER and open textbooks were economy, social justice, and adaptability with varying priorities among students and teachers. Additionally, OER and open textbooks are currently used marginally at University West but there is interest to increase the use of OER and student co-creation due to the three primary motivators. These preliminary results provide valuable insights regarding the key factors for increasing the use of OER and open textbooks in higher education to help achieve the UNESCO OER 2020 goals and the United Nations Agenda 2030 SDG goals, especially SDG 4 Quality Education.
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| 5. |
- Hansson, Per-Olof, et al.
(författare)
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Daily Usage of Smartphones : New Activities for Kenyan Elite Runners
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Mobile Technologies, Knowledge and Society. - : International Business Information Management Association (IBIMA). - 2155-4811. ; 2016
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper analyzes how a group of Kenyan elite runners used smartphones in their daily activities for one year. This study used a participatory action research approach to explore 30 young Kenyan runners’ appropriation and day-to-day use of smartphones. The runners lived in two different low-income areas in Nairobi and were not accustomed to smartphones. The research focused on how the participants utilized the smartphone, its applications, and the Web to improve their learning, training, living conditions, and social interactions. To investigate the participants’ progress, every smartphone was tracked and its usage was analyzed according to Koole’s (2009) FRAME model. Findings highlighted that new activities arose through frequent usage of the Web and smartphone applications. 180,000 different visits to websites were made and the most popular usage was searching with Google and Yahoo, entertainment, social media, news, and sports related websites. In total, 346,832 applications were used and the phone, launcher and contacts were the primary applications. However, the findings showed a significant use of communication, camera, native applications and applications for running. A concluding remark is that the smartphone acted as a powerful tool for real-life improvement such as improved learning, current events awareness and social interactions for poor people in a developing country.
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| 7. |
- Hansson, Per-Olof, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Frontrunners in ICT : Kenyan runners’ improvement in training, informal learning and economic opportunities using smartphones
- 2014
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Ingår i: ijEDict - International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology. - 1814-0556. ; 10:4, s. 4-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The primary aim of this research was to study how mobile technology shapes, changes, and develops informal learning outside the classroom and school environment. In this study we provided each of the 30 Kenyan elite runners with a simple Android smartphone and free Internet for one year. This research project was a developmental intervention with a participatory action research approach, and aimed to facilitate innovation and examine how the runners developed their training, informal learning, and economic opportunities using a smartphone. Logs and tracking of smartphone usage recorded quantitative data, and interviews and participatory observations gathered qualitative data. Key findings were that the smartphone improved the runners’ training and race performance and created business opportunities. Second, a smartphone with an Internet connection empowered marginalized groups and augmented informal learning opportunities. Third, that a smartphone was not a significant technological hurdle for impoverished or uneducated individuals. Fourth, the participants were able to learn with little or no guidance or scaffolding. Fifth, the tracking log data indicated both a breadth and depth to individual learning. This participatory action research made a significant impact on the participants’ lives and the most common statement from the interviews was the statement “it helps us a lot”.
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| 8. |
- Jobe, William
(författare)
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A Kenyan Cloud School : Massive Open Online & Ongoing Courses for Blended and Lifelong Learning
- 2013
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Ingår i: Open Praxis. - : International Council for Open and Distance Education. - 2304-070X .- 1369-9997. ; 5:4, s. 301-313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This research describes the predicted outcomes of a Kenyan Cloud School (KCS), which is a MOOC that contains all courses taught at the secondary school level in Kenya. This MOOC will consist of online, ongoing subjects in both English and Kiswahili. The KCS subjects offer self-testing and peer assessment to maximize scalability, and digital badges to show progress and completion to recognize and validate non-formal learning. The KCS uses the Moodle LMS with responsive web design to increase ubiquitous access from any device. Access is free and open, and the KCS intends to be a contextualized open educational resource for formal secondary institutions to support blended learning and a free source of non-formal education for lifelong learning. The expected outcomes are that this effort will reduce secondary school dropout rates, improve test scores, become a quality resource for blended learning, as well as validate and recognize lifelong learning in Kenya.
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| 9. |
- Jobe, William Byron
(författare)
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HIVE (Hypermedia Interactive Virtual Environment) – Utilizing HTML5 and instructional design to improve online learning
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to summarize the challenges faced in online learning and the instructional design of online learning tools brought about by the emergent technologies of HTML5. The argumentation draws on an overview of contemporary research on the design of educational technologies, together with the affordances and technologies of HTML5. Consequently, the contributions of this paper are that the imminent web technologies of HTML5 in combination with instructional design changes in an online learning environment that uses hypermedia and constructivist learning principles can make a dramatic difference in the effectiveness and improve the learning outcomes and experience of online learning tools. HTML5 represents a revolution in how online learning tools can be implemented in the future. Finally, the author proposes that a prototype called a HIVE (Hypermedia Interactive Virtual Environment) be developed to harness the power of HTML5 to deliver interactive content for online learning.
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| 10. |
- Jobe, William Byron, et al.
(författare)
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Putting a MOOC for Human Rights in the Hands of Kenyans : THe Haki Zangu Case for Non-Formal Learning
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. - 1681-4835. ; 65:3, s. 1-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The research goal of this project was to explore the use and effects of non-formal education and incentives in the context of a developing country. The practical aim of this project was to create, implement, and evaluate a platform about human rights that was available to any Kenyan for free in order to increase knowledge and engagement. Therefore, a non-formal massive open online course (MOOC) about human rights was designed and launched. The course was free and open to anyone in Kenya and offered both a digital badge and certificate from Stockholm University in Sweden upon completion. The course was called Haki Zangu (Kiswahili for “My Rights”), and it explored how using incentives such as a digital badge and certificate of completion affected learning outcomes. This course offered ubiquitous access based on principles of responsive web design and used audio recordings of the entire course content. The course is perpetual and still on-going, but after six months there were 160 participants who had enrolled, and ten participants had completed the course and received certificates and digital badges. The participants showed extensive enthusiasm and engagement for human rights issues, and they expressed desires to learn more and further spread knowledge about human rights. The current findings suggest that the availability of digital badges and certificates increased interest for participation and positively affected learning outcomes. Moreover, the use of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) format with incentives proved successful, combined with the contextualization and accessibility of the course content. Furthermore, the technical platform proved adequate for disseminating education for free in a developing country, and allowed for unencumbered access regardless of device. Lastly, a key challenge for future non-formal learning efforts in developing countries is the cost of Internet access.
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