Research Article
Raihan Zainudin, Hutkemri Zulnaidi, Nofouz Mafarja, Mohd Zahurin Mohamed Kamali
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 2, Article No: ep569
ABSTRACT
Traditional rote learning methods often fail to adequately develop reasoning skills in mathematics, particularly among pre-university students. This study addresses challenges in fostering mathematical reasoning abilities, as evidenced by declining TIMSS results and resistance to pedagogical innovations. My online teaching with GeoGebra (MyOT_G+) kit was developed as a technology-enhanced teaching solution to improve students’ understanding of propositional logic. Grounded in constructivist theory, the kit integrates GeoGebra software and Venn diagrams for an interactive learning experience, focusing on subtopics such as De Morgan’s laws, conditional, converse, inverse, contrapositive, and biconditional statements. Using the design and development research approach and the ADDIE model, the study combined qualitative and quantitative methods. Phase 1 involved interviews with five mathematics lecturers and five pre-university students in Kuala Lumpur to identify instructional needs. Phase 2 focused on designing and validating the MyOT_G+ kit with input from 13 experts. Findings revealed the kit’s user-friendliness, adaptability, and ability to reduce cognitive load, facilitating a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. This study highlights the potential of integrating technology into mathematics education, offering scalable solutions for improving reasoning skills in pre-university contexts. The MyOT_G+ kit provides evidence that interactive, visual tools enhance comprehension of complex topics, with implications for pre-university education and teacher training programs.
Keywords: online teaching, GeoGebra, MyOT_G+ kit, propositional logic, mathematical reasoning
Research Article
Kaur Kiran, Rohaida Mohd Saat, Lieven Demeester, Magdeleine Duan Ning Lew, Wei Leng Neo, Nopphol Pausawasdi, Thasaneeya Ratanaroutai Nopparatjamjomras
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 2, Article No: ep567
ABSTRACT
Online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic compelled many instructors to seek efficient and effective ways to stay connected with their students and improve the learning experience by using a wide range of available technologies. This multiple-case study, in three South-East Asian universities, investigated whether the use of technology in university teaching and learning during that period influenced personalized learning, and if so, how. The study also explored the kinds of institutional support for teachers and learners that led to increased technology-enhanced personalized learning (TEPL). Using a qualitative approach, the study analyzed 23 individual interviews and 3 document analyses (circulars, announcements, etc.), involving six administrators (AD), six faculty developers (FD), and eleven instructors. Purposeful sampling targeted AD involved in policy development and strategic planning, FD responsible for professional development programs, and instructors with high teaching evaluation scores and expertise in online learning across various disciplines. Thematic analysis revealed that technology enhanced flexibility in learning pace, time, and place, increased student choice in learning methods, enabled needs-driven teaching adjustments, and provided more and broader personalized feedback, sometimes facilitated by anonymity. The provision of training and resources, including emotional, physical, and infrastructure support for students, facilitated the growth of TEPL. The significance of this study lies in discussing how online teaching, and institutional support for it, facilitated the growth of TEPL. Universities can explore collaborations to further advance this growth.
Keywords: technology-enhanced personalized learning, online teaching and learning, instructors, faculty developers, administrators, university support
Research Article
María Martínez Lirola
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep346
ABSTRACT
This article offers a proposal for integrating the social network Facebook into an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom in tertiary education. The main objectives of this article are the following: 1. To offer a pedagogical proposal so that students can develop written skills and grammar at the same time that they acquire social competences using Facebook and 2. To know students’ opinions about the use of Facebook and the main social competences that they have acquired while using this social network in the teaching-learning process. The methodology is mainly qualitative-descriptive although some quantitative data is offered with the results of a questionnaire students completed. The data were collected through students’ posts in the Facebook discussions and a questionnaire.
The findings reveal the main grammar mistakes observed in students in the Facebook discussions and how Facebook is an appropriate social network for the participation of students in cooperative discussions on social topics and for the acquisition of social competences such as cooperation or communication. The results of the questionnaire show that students have a positive opinion about practicing the written skill in Facebook and they are aware that, apart from learning English, they also acquire social competences.
Keywords: English language online teaching, social networks, Facebook group, writing skill, social competences
Research Article
Chokri Barhoumi, Pier Giuseppe Rossi
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp. 281-308
ABSTRACT
The use of hypertext systems for learning and teaching complex and ill-structured domain of knowledge has been attracting attention in design of instruction. In this context, an experimental research has been conducted to explore the effectiveness of instructional design oriented hypertext systems. Cognitive flexibility hypertext theory is compared to direct instruction course design without hypertext systems for teaching and learning Flash online course in e-learning environment. Researchers used an experimental approach conducted in the academic year 2010 with independent sample of students of an experimental group (73 students) compared to a control group (73 students) from a university class. The results show the effectiveness of the hypertext systems course design compared to direct online course design. Indeed, the results of cognitive performance have demonstrated that the average time to answer achievement tests is lower for flexible instruction compared to average time for direct instruction. The number of students’ accesses to learning resources in the e-learning platform is higher in case of flexible instruction compared to direct instruction. Results of the experimentation also demonstrate that there are significant differences between the experimental group and the control group, regarding the attitudes of students toward using flexible online course design based cognitive flexibility hypertext theory and direct online course design.
Keywords: E-learning, Online teaching, Flexible online course design, Direct online course design, Cognitive flexibility, Hypertext systems