Background: The sudden adoption of e-learning as a quick alternative educational system to rescue education due to the widespread chaos to which educational institutions have been exposed due to the ...Covid-19 pandemic since 2020, while paying no attention to the readiness of educational institutions, learners, and instructors for these systems, led to the progress of the educational process; this happened while the two most important components of the educational process, namely the student and the instructor, suffered greatl. This study aimed to review e-learning readiness and maturity assessment models and identify the factors that affect e-learning readiness in higher education institutions. Methods: This is a literature review of research findings empirically related to e-learning readiness and maturity; the papers related to e-learning readiness and maturity assessment were collected through various databases such as Springer Link, Google Scholar, Scopus, IEEE, and Elsevier, which were within the research scope of this study, from 1997 to 2023.Results: Models of e-learning readiness and maturity assessment as well as the factors and dimensions are varied according to the educational environment of the country or institution; in addition to the purpose and use, many factors are affecting e-learning readiness level in educational institutions including the technological, organizational, psychological, and financial dimensions in that the factors affecting readiness still significantly affect the level of maturity, especially in developing countries.Conclusion: The process of assessing e-learning readiness and maturity is an important and essential issue for many stakeholders and an essential step for improving and managing the educational process today and in the future
Background
The global introduction of complex measures directed at the containment of the COVID‐19 spread has spurred a massive shift to distance learning among educational institutions. As far as ...such a learning mode is rather forced and, probably, only a few establishments faced no difficulties with it, the matter of assuring teaching activities' effectiveness in the practice of e‐learning is relevant.
Objectives
The main purpose of this article was to assess the efficiency of online‐based tools and technologies in the context of distance education and develop a set of recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of online teaching.
Methods
The research methodology was based on an empirical approach presupposing an exploratory questionnaire survey addressed to university students. As for the e‐learning platform used, the focus was set on Microsoft Teams.
Results and Conclusions
In general, the conducted investigation unveiled that the perception of the role of the instructor differs among Western and Chinese students in terms of willingness to accept psychological help and the feeling of safety during online lessons. Given this, it is reasonable to pay more attention to the psychological well‐being of international students. The comprehensive analysis of survey outcomes allowed the development of a set of recommendations able to enhance the effectiveness of teaching in online settings. These encompass, for example, giving preference to small student group formations, setting greater emphasis on means increasing students' motivation to learn, involvement of instructors in the development and delivery of video lectures, the introduction of automated student assessment, use of multimedia information, and informing students about possible ways of interaction.
Lay Description
What is already known about this topic
The comprehensive analysis of survey outcomes allowed developing a set of recommendations able to enhance the effectiveness of teaching in online settings.
The most convenient digital features during e‐learning implementation were instant access to information and the availability of a shared chat room.
Pre‐pandemic electronic learning was often criticized for insufficient student engagement and social interaction, leading to the need to increase student engagement through interactive online activities, virtual group projects, online discussion forums, and accessibility.
What this paper adds
In general, the conducted investigation unveiled that perception of the role of instructor differs among Western and Chinese students in terms of willingness to accept psychological help and the feeling of safety during online lessons.
It appeared that international students are more exposed to stress factors and are less likely to trust an educator to the degree allowing them to ask for help.
It was possible to develop a set of recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of teaching activities during e‐learning through an in‐depth analysis of survey results.
Implications for practice and/or policy
Several implications for future investigations can be identified, namely: conducting further studies on the psychological well‐being of international students in online learning, examining cross‐cultural differences, exploring the effectiveness of teaching practices, and addressing broader social issues and consequences.
Further research should focus on institutions across China to generalize the results obtained and formulate more reliable inferences.
Another limitation is related to the instructors themselves. This variation in specialization among participants could have had an impact on the study's results, but it was not possible to address this issue within the constraints of the current research design.
The provision and usage of online and e-learning system is becoming the main challenge for many universities during COVID-19 pandemic. E-learning system such as Blackboard has several fantastic ...features that would be valuable for use during this COVID-19 pandemic. However, the successful usage of e-learning system relies on understanding the adoption factors as well as the main challenges that face the current e-learning systems. There is lack of agreement about the critical challenges and factors that shape the successful usage of e-learning system during COVID-19 pandemic; hence, a clear gap has been identified in the knowledge on the critical challenges and factors of e-learning usage during this pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to explore the critical challenges that face the current e-learning systems and investigate the main factors that support the usage of e-learning system during COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed the interview method using thematic analysis through NVivo software. The interview was conducted with 30 students and 31 experts in e-learning systems at six universities from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study offer useful suggestions for policy-makers, designers, developers and researchers, which will enable them to get better acquainted with the key aspects of the e-learning system usage successfully during COVID-19 pandemic.
Dental institutions in the United States are reeling from the consequences of the novel SARS‐CoV2 coronavirus, the causative agent of CODIV‐19. As oral health care providers, we have been trained on ...prevention of aerosol transmissible diseases, but we are still grappling with many unknown factors regarding COVID‐19. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Dental Association (ADA), and local state agencies are releasing updates on guidelines for dentists and patients, no official information exists for dental institutions on how to effectively follow the recommended guidelines including “shelter in place” with social distancing to protect students, faculty, staff, and patients, and still ensure continuity of dental education. This article discusses the challenges that we face currently and offers some simple strategies to bridge the gaps in dental education to overcome this emergency.
The trend of gamification in online education has grown as technological advancements allow for more digitized learning environments to create interactive and engaging learning experiences. Learners ...are motivated in various ways, which necessitates an understanding of gamification mechanics and dynamics that produce enjoyment to adapt them to a variety of factors such as personality, needs, values, and motivations of each learner. Furthermore, exploration and advancement in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) allow us to provide an intelligent adaptive gamification environment. The aim of this study is to review the existing literature on adaptive gamification in e‐learning, as well as to highlight the scoops and future challenges of adaptive gamification applications. The present research followed the literature review method. For the data collected in this study, we used a qualitative approach. This paper presents in the first part a literature review of studies and a synthesis of the literature on the application of adaptive gamification in online education. The second part deals with the use of AI with adaptive gamification in online education and proposes its different techniques and future adaptation.
Nowadays, the extensive use of e-learning in higher educational institutions in many countries leads us to apprehend the reality, precisely the key success/failure factors of the implementation, of ...e-learning systems in these institutions. This motivation becomes more and more important, inevitable, and urgent, especially for institutions that have heavily adopted e-learning systems under exceptional conditions without any prior planning, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. From this perspective, this research aimed to provide an e-learning success model in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing e-learning effectiveness and by investigating the key antecedents of e-learning effectiveness. The literature review led to the identification of four main factors influencing e-learning effectiveness: The e-learning system, e-learning readiness, interactivity, and resistance to change. These four variables constituted the antecedents of an effective e-learning system, which was tested in a KSA context. A structured survey, including a sample of 1202 students from Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University was used to examine the linkages among our proposed model. The model, with a total of ten direct and six indirect relationships, was tested by using structural equation modeling. The research findings indicate that effective e-learning is supported by the interactions between four factors: the e-learning system, e-learning readiness, interactivity, and resistance to change.
The paper reports a quantitative investigation into the nuances of gender perspectives of E-Learning utility across the social categorisations of Generation X, Y, and Z in the current phenomena of ...accelerated usage of e-learning in the emerging multi-generational undergraduate cohorts: using multi-generational undergraduate cohorts (N = 611) taking a mandatory online course in a Business School curricular. Using multi-group partial least-squares analysis, the study shows differences exist in the utility of e-learning within gender and Generations of X, Y, and Z. These differences may not be apparent when examined at only the gender level, which has led other researchers to conclude the gender gap is narrowing. However, we establish that within gender and across generations in a developing country context, the gender divide is not narrowing at the same pace as found in other developed countries. To accelerate the implementation of e-learning in traditional (face-to-face) undergraduate programmes globally, there is the need to contextualise Course Development, Learner Support, Assessment, and User Characteristics factors along with the different genders, and across generations to improve Results Demonstrability and Student Overall Satisfaction of utility of e-learning. In developing countries, there is a need to enhance Institutional factors to strengthen the drive to e-learning.
•E-learning in higher education continues to attract scholarly interest.•Understanding Utility essentials of multigenerational cohorts on e-learning is at an all-time High.•Perceived narrowing of the gender gap in e-learning is not obvious in a developing country case study.•Generations X, Y and Z cohorts across and within gender produce different Utility levels of e-learning.•Satisfaction differentials emanates from course design, delivery and learning environment.
Owing to the coronavirus outbreak, face-to-face educational activities have been curtailed and there has been a rapid switch to e-learning environments. It is a matter of critical importance; ...therefore, how ready teachers are for this transition. This study presents a snapshot of the readiness of Turkey's in-service teachers for teaching online. Some 555 teachers, from pre-school to high school, participated in the study. The results indicated a medium-level of e-learning readiness and a pressing need for the appropriate training. Teachers' readiness differed significantly according to gender, major, school-type, professional experience, teaching level, e-learning experience and Internet usage.
•COVID-19 entails e-learning, highlighting teachers' proficiency in e-learning.•Teachers have a mid-level of readiness, yet a high need for training in e-learning.•Males, computing-related majors, and private schools are readier for e-learning.•Teachers with high internet and e-learning experience are readier for e-learning.•Teaching level and experience affect e-learning readiness, but not consistently.
This study aims to examine students' experience of augmented reality learning applications (AR.LRP). Uses and gratifications theory was proposed as a theoretical foundation of the current study's ...conceptual model. Four dimensions of UGT benefits were proposed as key antecedences of the students' experience with AR.LRP: personal interactive benefits, social interactive benefits, affective benefits, and cognitive benefits. The model was also extended by considering the role of telepresence. Further, technostress was proposed on the current study to moderate the relationship between the aspects of UGT and e-learning experience. A sample size of 500 undergraduate students from the four largest Universities in Saudi Arabia was used in the current study survey. The statistical results largely support the significant impact of personal interactive benefits, affective benefits, and cognitive benefits, and telepresence on student experience with AR.LRP. Technostress was also found to significantly moderate the relationship between UGT dimensions and student experience with AR.LRP. Further, results support a significant relationship between student experience with AR.LRP and students' learning performance. This study has contributed to the perspectives of researchers and practitioners by highlighting the most important aspects and characteristics that ensure a distinctive and positive students' experience of the drum with applications with AR.LRP.
•This study aims to examine students' experience of AR.LRP based on UGT as key antecedences.•The developed model considered the role of TELE in addition to TECHS as a moderator.•Results support the significant impact of PIB, AB, and CGB, and TELE on EXP.•TECHS significantly moderated the relationship between UGT dimensions and EXP.•Results also support a significant relationship between EXP and EP.
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