The purpose of this study is to explore the integration of the iPad as a learning and teaching technology into the Foundations Program at the two Higher Colleges of Technology in Fujairah: Fujairah Men’s College (FMC) and Fujairah Women’s College (FWC) in the United Arab Emirates. The new technology was introduced to enable the Program’s teachers and students to support their teaching and learning of English as a foreign language. Specifically, the study investigates how these teachers and students used the iPad’s technical affordances to create pedagogical affordances designed to construct and promote English language teaching and learning. It also examines the challenges they faced in doing so, the types of tasks and activities for which the new technology was used. Finally, it sheds light on the limitations of the iPad as perceived by these users as well as other relevant issues arising from the launch of the technology in the two colleges. The data for the research were drawn from class observations, interviews and surveys. Six Foundations Program classes were observed, five teachers were interviewed, five more teachers were asked one written research question, and ten students were asked another written research question. In addition, two surveys – one for the teachers and one for the students – were conducted to obtain further data. The study finds that the Foundations Program’s teachers and students used the iPad’s technical affordances effectively to construct activities that largely enhanced their teaching and learning by making it more interesting, and engaging. In doing so, they faced challenges that they tried to resolve and which had some impact on their teaching and learning. In addition, the study has identified a number of issues relating to the use of the iPad in the Program as well as what these iPad users perceived as limitations of the new technology. Finally, the study stresses the importance of conducting a pilot scheme prior to any proposed rollout of a new educational technology and suggests longitudinal studies with larger and more representative samples to assess and measure any contributions or lack thereof the iPad makes to the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language. I believe that the study contributes to the area of TESOL and mobile learning by its focus on the rich experience of two higher education colleges using the iPad as a teaching and learning technology in classes of Arab learners and by highlighting the challenges the teachers and students at these two colleges faced in their attempt to integrate the new technology in their context as well as what they perceived as the technology’s pedagogical and technical limitations. Another important contribution of the study is the exploration of other issues arising from the use of the iPad in the Fujairah colleges’ teaching and learning environment. It is also important to note that study findings could provide insights into the integration of the iPad into the foundations programs of the other fifteen colleges in the Higher Colleges of Technology system given the similarities these colleges share with the two Fujairah colleges. Neither would it be an exaggeration to suggest that these findings could also provide an insight into the experience of using the iPad in similar learning environments in other UAE educational institutions.

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether interactivity yields a learning effect when used appropriately in e-Learning Systems, and whether this effect enhances learning. The importance of interactivity for success in learning has always been paramount; however, little scientific evidence can be found to support this importance (Sims, 2003; Leiner & Quiring, 2008). Thus, this research aims to provide evidence of the impact of interactivity on e-Learning Systems considering three main agents: the learner, the teacher and the system (educational triangle). A key element often found to be related to learning and the three previously-mentioned agents is the concept of feedback. The use of interactivity as part of a feedback mechanism for enhancing learning is well documented in this research. Three empirical studies were designed to investigate interactivity within the educational triangle. These three studies, developed to support the research hypotheses, were conducted based on the framework of positivism and action research paradigms. The first study, entitled “Interactive Pedagogical Feedback”, aimed to gather evidence for how highly interactive pedagogically-designed formative feedback enhances students’ memory and understanding. The two student groups to which the interactive conditions were added showed a significant difference in the post test scores. A one-way ANOVA with a Turkey HSD post hoc test for all pair wise comparisons reveals a significant difference between the transfer and no condition scenario. The second study, entitled “Interactive Audio Feedback”, examined whether the speed enhancements of oral feedback improve the conditions for the production of lecture’s feedback and the quality of the feedback delivered to the students. The use of the interactive condition reduces by 40 to 65% the time it usually takes to prepare feedback for final assignments, and an unpaired Student’s t-test shows significant differences in the use of the two conditions. The final study, “Interactive Texting Feedback”, took a pedagogical approach to provide formative feedback to a student audience using mobile text messages. It aimed to determine whether Interactive Texting Feedback enhances the leaning experience within the e-Learning environment. Inferential analysis demonstrated good correlations in the use and benefits obtained by the introduction of the interactive mechanism. The results indicated that interactivity is critical in promoting and enhancing effective learning. Learning theories led by the generative theory of learning (Wittrock, 1974) and the principles of multimedia learning (Mayer, 2001) provide scientific explanation for this findings.

With the increasing access to mobile devices in developing countries, the number of pilots and projects embracing mobile devices as learning tools is also growing. The important role it can play in improving education is also positively received within education communities. But, providing a successful mobile learning service is still significantly challenging. The considerable problems arise due to existing pedagogical, technological, political, social and cultural challenges and there has been a shortage of research concerning how to deploy and sustain this technology in a resource constrained educational environment. There are studies mainly conducted in sub-Saharan countries, India, and Latin America, which provide some guidelines for incorporating technology in the existing educational process. However, considering the contextual differences between these regions and other countries in Asia, such as Nepal, it requires a broader study in its own challenging socio-cultural context. In response to this difficulty, the aims of this exploratory research work are to study the distinct challenges of schools’ education in Nepal and evaluate the use of open-source devices to provide offline access to learning materials in order to recommend a sustainable mobile learning model. The developmental study was conducted in University of West London in order to assess the feasibility of these devices. The main study in Nepal explored i) the overall challenges to education in the challenging learning environment of schools with limited or no access to ICT, ii) how ICT might be helping teaching and learning in the rural public schools, and iii) how an offline mobile learning solution based on the open source platforms may facilitate English language teaching and learning. Data collection primarily involved interviews, questionnaires, observations and supplemented by other methods. This thesis presents the sustainable model for deploying and supporting mobile technology for education, which is based on the findings emerging from completed exploratory studies in Nepal. It highlights all the aspects that need to be addressed to ensure sustainability. However, to translate this understanding to a design is a complex challenge. For a mobile learning solution to be used in such challenging learning contexts, the need is to develop simple and innovative solutions that provide access to relevant digital learning resources and train teachers to embed technology in education. This thesis discusses these findings, limitations and presents implications for the design of future mobile learning in the context of Nepal.

Society is moving rapidly towards a world, where technology enables people to exist in a blend of physical and virtual realities. In education, this vision involves technologies ranging from smart classrooms to e-learning, creating greater opportunities for distance learners, bringing the potential to change the fundamental nature of universities. However, to date, most online educational platforms have focused on conveying information rather than supporting collaborative physical activities which are common in university science and engineering laboratories. Moreover, even when online laboratory support is considered, such systems tend to be confined to the use of simulations or pre-recorded videos. The lack of support for online collaborative physical laboratory activities, is a serious shortcoming for distance learners and a significant challenge to educators and researchers. In working towards a solution to this challenge, this thesis presents an innovative mixed-reality framework (computational model, conceptual architecture and proof-of-concept implementation) that enables geographically dispersed learners to perform co-creative teamwork using a computer-based prototype comprising hardware and software components. Contributions from this work include a novel distributed computational model for synchronising physical objects and their 3D virtual representations, expanding the dual-reality paradigm from single linked pairs to complex groupings, addressing the challenge of interconnecting geographically dispersed environments; and the creation of a computational paradigm that blends a model of distributed learning objects with a constructionist pedagogical model, to produce a solution for distributed mixed-reality laboratories. By way of evidence to support the research findings, this thesis reports on evaluations performed with students from eight different universities in six countries, namely China, Malaysia, Mexico, UAE, USA and UK; providing an important insight to the role of social interactions in distance learning, and demonstrating that the inclusion of a physical component made a positive difference to students’ learning experience, supporting the use of cross-reality objects in educational activities.

Although there has been an increase in the availability of digital technology and related media (DT&RM) in many educational institutions across the UK, it has been frequently suggested that the barrier to the successful development of an effective digital learning environment is teachers' (digital immigrants) lack of technological proficiency to take into account the needs of the new digital generation of students (digital natives). With the aim of contributing to this debate, I investigated the adoption of technology by exploring digital differences between a population of students (n = 444) and teachers (n = 158) in a further education (FE) college in South East England, addressing the research question, 'In what ways do students and teachers differ in how they relate to digital technology in the context of teaching and learning practices?' In order to understand more about how students and teachers relate to DT&RM, this study utilised sequential mixed methods research with a collaborative approach to data collection. This entailed giving the participants a voice and an active role in some aspects of the qualitative recording of evidence, as well as enabling a reflection on the processes of the study. The results of the research indicate differences in digital awareness and the ability to use DT&RM among students and teachers. Although observable, those differences are not specific or age- or gender-related. The findings suggest that many participants among students and teachers struggle with and have limited knowledge of technology, and that differences in how they relate to DT&RM are associated with the different roles they play in an educational setting, as well as the role that technology plays in meeting their individual needs. The data also indicates that both groups of participants recognised the potential of using DT&RM in the classroom. Furthermore, they presented critical awareness of technology, seeing the role of technology in education as supportive rather than transformational.

The current research aimed to identify the main factors that affect students’ performance in web-based courses in a university in Jordan. In order to achieve this goal the current research design employed a mixed methods approach in that it embraced an exploratory approach in the first phase and moved to an explanatory approach in the second phase. The exploratory phase consisted of conducting four group interviews with students enrolled in web-based courses at the Accounting Department at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and one group interview with Accounting instructors. While the explanatory phase employed a quantitative method (questionnaire) to examine the study’s proposed models. Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcomes (I-E-O) guided the current study’s framework to investigate factors that may influence student performance in web-based courses. Input variables were computer experience, student attitude toward web-based learning, self-efficacy, motivation, and prior performance. Environmental variables included student perceptions of the interaction of instructors; use of technology; and participation in the online learning environment. Data was gathered from a survey of 461 undergraduate students enrolled in two web-based accounting courses at the Hashemite University in Jordan. The most important contribution of the current study is that it conducted the analysis in the context of a developing country (Jordan). Therefore, this study will fill the gap in the literature regarding the effect of using web-based learning on student performance in Jordan and will provide the basis for further research in developing countries on student performance in web-based learning. The study also adds to collective knowledge of the effects of e-learning by adding a case study set in a new context to the existing range of studies. In doing so it broadens the scope of research on e-learning effectiveness. The results indicated that the study’s model was valid and fit the data and it was reasonable to test the model in terms of path significance. The study explained 73% of the variance in student performance, but only 3% of the variation in change in performance was explained. The findings of the current research revealed that input variables (particularly prior performance and student attitudes toward web-based learning) were the most significant, direct input factors affecting student performance. In addition, it was found that environmental variables (particularly student participation in web-based courses and student perceptions of the interaction of their instructors) also had a significant direct effect on student performance. These findings underline that it is not the technology used in the learning process that makes a difference in student performance in web-based learning, but it is instructor interactivity and the pedagogy used in teaching the Accounting courses at the Hashemite University. This is not to say that technology is unimportant or that it can be ignored. However, the functionality, usability and reliability of e-learning technology have rapidly improved to the point where questions of how it is deployed and exploited become more important than what it is capable of doing.

There has been an increasing focus on web-based instruction (WBI) systems which accommodate individual differences in educational environments. Many of those studies have focused on the investigation of learners’ behaviour to understand their preferences, performance and perception using hypermedia systems. In this thesis, existing studies focus extensively on performance measurement attributes such as time spent using the system by a user, gained score and number of pages visited in the system. However, there is a dearth of studies which explore the relationship between such attributes in measuring performance level. Statistical analysis and data mining techniques were used in this study. We built a WBI program based on existing designs which accommodated learner’s preferences. We evaluated the proposed system by comparing its results with related studies. Then, we investigated the impact of related individual differences on learners’ preferences, performance and perception after interacting with our WBI program. We found that some individual differences and their combination had an impact on learners' preferences when choosing navigation tools. Consequently, it was clear that the related individual differences altered a learner’s preferences. Thus, we did further investigation to understand how multiple individual differences (Multi-ID) could affect learners’ preferences, performance and perception. We found that the Multi-ID clearly altered the learner’s preferences and performance. Thus, designers of WBI applications need to consider the combination of individual differences rather than these differences individually. Our findings also showed that attributes relationships had an impact on measuring learners’ performance level on learners with Multi-ID. The key contribution of this study lies in the following three aspects: firstly, investigating the impact of our proposed system, using three system features in the design, on a learner’s behavior, secondly, exploring the influence of Multi-ID on a learner’s preferences, performance and perception, thirdly, combining the three measurement attributes to understand the performance level using these measuring attributes.

This is a study of the influence of the familiarity of students with the narrator of video tutorials, in a blended learning situation, on both the perceived and actual effectiveness of the learning materials, in terms of students’ learning efficiency – where a course is traditional in format and online learning is carried out with the help of Narrated Video Screen Captures (NVSCs). The study also focused on the interaction of student-narrator gender similarity and students’ individual differences (conscientiousness and test-anxiety) with voice familiarity. Thus, the study sought to fill a gap in knowledge regarding the influence of familiarity with the narrator in multimedia learning material on the efficiency of learning within a blended learning context. The research paradigm was deductive, employing a mixed methods and a case study research and using quasi-experiments. In order to compare the relational efficiency of the different instructional conditions, a calculative approach was used that combined measurement of mental effort with task performance. In addition to the mental effort questionnaires and task performance, students completed an assessment questionnaire for the NVSCs. In addition, semi-structured interviews and a follow-up questionnaire were used for collection of corroborative data, in order to shed more light on this matter. Findings showed significant influence of voice familiarity on most of the learning efficiency indices and on perceived effectiveness of NVSCs. Gender similarity was significant only with unfamiliar voice and there was no significant interaction between conscientiousness and test anxiety and voice familiarity. Thus, it was concluded that when students have a personal relationship with the class teacher, exposure to multimedia learning materials with an unfamiliar narrator has an adverse influence on their learning efficiency. These findings add to the established voice related principles of Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and Social Agency Theory. Contribution to knowledge was made by filling the gap in knowledge in the area of multimedia instructional design.

Based on the idea of broadening access to learning opportunities for all by means of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement has gained ground during the first years of the 21st Century while capturing the imagination of educators, university leaders, policy-makers and opinion leaders all over the globe. Drawing on socio-technical theories and adopting a case study research design, which involved the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, this thesis addresses the manifold tensions and paradoxes that may emerge out of the interplay between a highly predefined model of OER provision and the everyday realities and institutional contexts of different higher education settings. In particular, it focuses on the process of implementation by Spanish universities of OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiatives, a widely adopted model of OER provision that was originally devised at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By examining the enactment of technology as a situated phenomenon, this study sheds light on the roles that OCW initiatives play in relation to the strategic orientation of universities and how the actual involvement of scholars in the creation of this type of materials is often curbed by some entrenched institutional arrangements and prevailing academic cultures. The findings of this thesis have theoretical as well as practical implications, which suggest that the replication of models of OER provision outside the specific settings in which they were originally devised is a rather problematic endeavour. More generally, it supports the idea that the implementation of ICTs must be always accompanied by social structures that are mindful and respectful of local specificities and institutional arrangements. Another key conclusion is that, if universities are genuinely committed to broadening access to higher education opportunities and supporting participation in life-long learning by means of ICTs, it is crucial to understand the ways and extent to which OER initiatives can actually contribute to achieving such goals.

Due to the rapid growth of Internet technology, universities and higher educational institutions around the world are investing heavily in web-based learning systems to support their traditional teaching and to improve their students’ learning experience and performance. However, the success of an e-learning system depends on the understanding of certain antecedent factors that influence the students’ acceptance and usage of such e-learning systems. Previous research indicates that technology acceptance models and theories may not be applicable to all cultures as most of them have been developed in the context of developed countries and particularly in the U.S. So far little research has investigated the important role that social, cultural, organizational and individual factors may play in the use and adoption of the e-learning systems in the context of developing countries and more specifically there is almost absence of this type of research in Lebanon. This study aims to fill this gap by developing and testing an amalgamated conceptual framework based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and other models from social psychology, such as Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and TAM2 that captures the salient factors influencing the user adoption and acceptance of web-based learning systems. This framework has been applied to the study of higher educational institutions in the context of developing as well as developed countries (e.g. Lebanon and UK). Additionally, the framework investigates the moderating effect of Hofstede’s four cultural dimensions at the individual level and a set of individual differences on the key determinants that affect the behavioural intention to use e-learning. A total of 1197 questionnaires were received from students who were using web-based learning systems at higher educational institutions in Lebanon and the UK with opposite scores on cultural dimensions. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to perform reliability and validity checks, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in conjunction with multi-group analysis method was used to test the hypothesized conceptual model. As hypothesized, the findings of this study revealed that perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), subjective norms (SN), perceived quality of work Life (QWL), self-efficacy (SE) and facilitating conditions (FC) to be significant determinants of behavioural intentions and usage of e-learning system for the Lebanese and British students. QWL; the newly added variable; was found the most important factor in explaining the causal process in the model for both samples. Our findings proved that there are differences between Lebanese and British students in terms of PEOU, SE, SN, QWL, FC and AU; however no differences were detected in terms of PU and BI. The results of the MGA show that cultural dimensions as well as demographic factors had a partially moderated effect on user acceptance of e-learning. Overall, the proposed model achieves acceptable fit and explains for 68% of the British sample and 57% of the Lebanese sample of its variance which is higher than that of the original TAM. Our findings suggest that individual, social, cultural and organisational factors are important to consider in explaining students’ behavioural intention and usage of e-learning environments. The findings of this research contribute to the literature by validating and supporting the applicability of our extended TAM in the Lebanese and British contexts and provide several prominent implications to both theory and practice on the individual, organizational and societal levels.