International Journal on Open and Distance e-Learning

Improving Tertiary Students’ Academic Performance and Appreciation of the Life and Works of Jose Rizal Course through Digital-based Biographical Museum Simulation

2024-02-13T05:37:31+00:00

The life and works of the Philippines’ national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal is one of the mandatory social science courses that college students must be enrolled in adhering to the Republic Act 1425. However, some students take the mandated course for granted due to the traditional method of learning delivery and less appreciation of the history-related subjects. As such, the integration of digital learning into pedagogy is suggested. In this regard, the study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the digital-based biographical museum simulation on the student’s academic performance using the quasi-experimental research design. A qualitative research design was also employed to determine the effects of proposed innovative learning tool to the students’ appreciation of the Rizal course. The participants were fifty (50) college students who underwent a match-pairing process. Eight simulated stories revealing the life journey of Rizal from his childhood up to the printing of his novel “Noli Me Tangere” were created. Content presentation was guided by GAT RISAL appreciative-based instructional planning framework.

Results indicated that there was a significant difference between the formative test mean scores of the experimental and comparison groups. There were also significant differences between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of both groups. Moreover, the results revealed that there was an improvement in the students’ appreciation of the Rizal course because of the following reasons: presents multisensory learning, enhances independent acquisition of knowledge, anchors authentic assessment, increases learning engagement, and discusses the Rizal’s life in a clear, enjoyable, and interactive manner.

Prospects of Open and Distance Learning at the Open University of Tanzania Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

2024-08-22T05:33:45+00:00

The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic created a paradox in the continuity of education among students all over the world. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has become a vital solution to overcome barriers to education access associated with the pandemic. This paper analyzed the prospects of ODL at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic to avail potential opportunities for learning irrespective of emerging challenges. The study employs a qualitative research approach and an exploratory case study design. A sample of fifteen participants was purposively selected, and five ODL technical staff were conveniently sampled for the study. Findings showed that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, future plans and prospects of the ODL at OUT focus on increasing community awareness towards ODL, increasing flexibility for learning, and expanding enrollment rates. Furthermore, the OUT strives to increase accessibility for ODL by strengthening internet bandwidth to sustain distance learning and engaging financial institutions in supporting students' learning at the OUT. Based on the findings, the study recommends government organizations including the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) to establish ODL policies that will serve as guidelines for ODL operations and place equal promotion for learners' opportunities to education utilizing flexible ODL platforms at the OUT.

Quality of Study Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic of UPLB Students

2024-02-05T08:46:51+00:00

The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) met an unprecedented health crisis as it faced the global COVID-19 pandemic. Academic institutions including UPLB were forced to adjust to a sudden change in the mode of learning through a remote distance learning (RDL) setup. This study, guided by the Four Pillars of Supporting Student Success framework (Roddy et al., 2017), aimed to investigate the remote learning experiences of UPLB students to recommend gender-sensitive policies. A total of 350 randomly selected UPLB students were surveyed on the challenges, coping mechanisms, and views on RDL.

Similarities and differences were observed in several areas. It is worth noting that, regardless of sex, most of the respondents felt uncertain about the future and that they needed information and services that could help them cope with these feelings of uncertainty. Both male and female respondents thought that counseling could help but only female respondents were willing to attend counseling sessions.

Respondents reported academics as their main source of stress with workload and lack of consideration by the professors as the main issues. Most respondents indicated the need for orientations about academic and library services. There was a strong association between sex and feeling comfortable with remote learning as female respondents were more comfortable with the RDL setup compared to the male respondents.

Digital Literacy and Technical Competence: Assessing the Competence and Performance of Senior High School Physical Education Teachers in Online Distance Learning

2024-02-13T03:21:38+00:00

The transition to online distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of teachers' digital literacy and technical competence for effective virtual instruction. This quantitative study investigated the teaching competence and performance of 61 senior high school Physical Education (PE) teachers from Davao City, Philippines in implementing online learning delivery modalities. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire assessing digital literacy, technical competence, and teaching performance based on the Department of Education's standards for content delivery, pedagogy, and assessment. Results showed that respondents generally agreed on possessing digital literacy skills like utilizing ICT for learning and collaborating online (mean=4.06). However, they exhibited moderate technical competence in video editing and navigating learning management systems (mean=3.97). Regarding teaching performance, respondents were highly proficient in content delivery by establishing aligned goals and acknowledging learners' backgrounds (mean=3.28). They were also highly skilled in pedagogy through clear communication and designing advanced learning experiences (mean=3.31) and in assessment by implementing reliable evaluation methods and providing timely feedback (mean=3.29). The study found significant positive correlations between digital literacy and technical competence with teaching performance in pedagogy and assessment, but not content delivery. These findings suggest that while teachers demonstrate strong content knowledge, enhancing their technological skills could improve virtual pedagogy and assessment strategies. Targeted professional development focusing on emerging technologies and integrating them into instruction is recommended.

Learning Transitions in Studying Development: Design, Methodologies/Approaches, Tools in the Digital and Hybrid Platforms

2023-11-13T06:18:40+00:00

Post-pandemic realities paved the way for certain innovative learning approaches to address the risks associated with traditional educational settings, inefficiencies in mobility, limited access to facilities and resources, and vulnerability to disease of student and teaching population, among others. Learning interactions in digital space remain to be further explored, requiring adjustments in the design of courses, pedagogical approaches, methodologies, and tools employed. The adjustments were seen as imperative at all levels of education and across mainstream fields of studies but even more pronounced, in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research study areas, such as Development Studies. Development research underwent learning transitions to retain its relevance as an important academic field. The combined online and in-site learning settings still have effective and efficient modalities of studying development, as argued in prevailing literature. This paper aims to find rationality in course design and structure, given the learners’ background and academic program tracks, as well as the teaching tools and instruments necessary in a combined learning modality. The challenge is how learners can be more engaged in discussions and provide participatory feedback. Another objective of this work is to provide documented experience of the issues and challenges in hybrid platforms as seen from the lens of development studies. Pedagogical approaches conform to the changes through case presentations that otherwise solicit lesser attention span and absorption. Teaching methods should complement the approaches by ensuring that the lessons from thematic discussions are reinforced through a learning synthesis. Synthesizing the discussions on development issues consolidates salient points that usually emerge from cross-cutting concerns that are characteristics of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies. Recent studies explored how innovation may translate into the creative use of tools and their application in digital space learning, from which institutions of higher education and government may draw lessons from.

The Design and Evaluation of a Conference Exhibit in the Metaverse

2024-06-13T00:46:07+00:00

Restrictions brought about by the pandemic have compelled numerous institutions to hold the usual face-to-face conferences online. Such is the case with the biennial National Conference for Open and Distance eLearning (NCODeL) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), held last November 23-25, 2022. The university developed its user portal and utilized Zoom as the video conferencing software. Online conferences, like any mode of interaction, come with their own set of advantages and drawbacks. One significant advantage is the potential for utilizing virtual environments, in our case, using FrameVR as the metaverse exhibit platform. This web-based immersive collaborative space greatly contributed to the virtual experience of participants. However, it is important to note a major drawback, which is the non-provision of in-person interactions. This paper delves into the experiences of the participants that visited the exhibit, considering factors such as enjoyment, interest, ease of use, and the sense of presence, gathered through a comprehensive online survey.