Many students in South Africa are unable to cope with the academic demands of tertiary education as they are not fully prepared for Higher Education (HE). Various inefficiencies in the South African HE system have been identified, including low throughput rates, student dissatisfaction, unsatisfying graduation rates, learner dropouts, learner repetition, motivation, self–efficacy, attitude, personality differences, maturation, the retention of failing learners and unit costs. Student performance and satisfaction cause concern for the government and the HE sector. The purpose of this study is to understand student satisfaction amongst Open Distance Learning BEd Hons students. It further aims to improve student satisfaction and quality in the programme by recognising the context sensitive needs, expectations and experiences of students from different cultural–language groups, as well as constructing guidelines to improve satisfaction. The purposeful sampling consisted of Second year BEd Hons teacherstudents enrolled for open distance learning at the School for continuing teacher education (SCTE). A total of 34 students participated in the study. This number comprised of fifteen students from the focus–group interviews and nineteen students who completed open–ended questionnaires. Students were chosen according to three criteria dimensions: major language groups, gender and number of years teaching experience. This study followed a qualitative investigation of two semi–structured, open–ended focus–group interviews in the format of conversations, as well as documentary analysis of the teaching and learning policy of the North West University (NWU), and an open–ended questionnaire. The data were taperecorded for accurate transcription and analysed by using Atlas.ti. Through the use of Atlas.ti, I constructed categories of recurring patterns in the dataset, and explored the relationships of these categories. Different strategies were used to enhance validity and reliability respectively. The findings indicated that students’ satisfaction with HE environment is influenced by the quality of the programmes offered to them, communication between lecturers/facilitators and students, environment at the learning centres and the support that students received from HEI. The students in their capacity as clients with Higher education institutions (HEIs) are influenced by the support they receive from their work environment, as well as the level of appreciation they receive from HEI regarding their own culture and values. They also value iii the environment they experience during course facilitations at the HEIs. The various student attributes also play a significant part in their satisfaction levels towards the HEIs. Findings also highlighted that students were not satisfied with the support they received from the Open distance learning (ODL) unit. It is clear that the students’ perception of the quality of the programme influences their level of satisfaction. Students are mostly satisfied with the quality of the programme but they feel the communication as well the support from HEI and ODL is not adequate. The students indicated that HEI and ODL do not display sufficient understanding and concern for students. They feel there should be a greater commitment from HEI and ODL to understand and consider the profiles of the students. HEI and ODL should actively consider the background, culture, values, attributes, and personal, as well as domestic circumstances of their students. The BEd Hons programme is a valuable and popular programme, but the responsibility rests with both HEI and ODL to ensure that both the quality and delivery of this programme are enhanced and improved so as to guarantee higher levels of satisfaction amongst students. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Many students in South Africa are unable to cope with the academic demands of tertiary education as they are not fully prepared for Higher Education (HE). Various inefficiencies in the South African HE system have been identified, including low throughput rates, student dissatisfaction, unsatisfying graduation rates, learner dropouts, learner repetition, motivation, self–efficacy, attitude, personality differences, maturation, the retention of failing learners and unit costs. Student performance and satisfaction cause concern for the government and the HE sector. The purpose of this study is to understand student satisfaction amongst Open Distance Learning BEd Hons students. It further aims to improve student satisfaction and quality in the programme by recognising the context sensitive needs, expectations and experiences of students from different cultural–language groups, as well as constructing guidelines to improve satisfaction. The purposeful sampling consisted of Second year BEd Hons teacherstudents enrolled for open distance learning at the School for continuing teacher education (SCTE). A total of 34 students participated in the study. This number comprised of fifteen students from the focus–group interviews and nineteen students who completed open–ended questionnaires. Students were chosen according to three criteria dimensions: major language groups, gender and number of years teaching experience. This study followed a qualitative investigation of two semi–structured, open–ended focus–group interviews in the format of conversations, as well as documentary analysis of the teaching and learning policy of the North West University (NWU), and an open–ended questionnaire. The data were taperecorded for accurate transcription and analysed by using Atlas.ti. Through the use of Atlas.ti, I constructed categories of recurring patterns in the dataset, and explored the relationships of these categories. Different strategies were used to enhance validity and reliability respectively. The findings indicated that students’ satisfaction with HE environment is influenced by the quality of the programmes offered to them, communication between lecturers/facilitators and students, environment at the learning centres and the support that students received from HEI. The students in their capacity as clients with Higher education institutions (HEIs) are influenced by the support they receive from their work environment, as well as the level of appreciation they receive from HEI regarding their own culture and values. They also value iii the environment they experience during course facilitations at the HEIs. The various student attributes also play a significant part in their satisfaction levels towards the HEIs. Findings also highlighted that students were not satisfied with the support they received from the Open distance learning (ODL) unit. It is clear that the students’ perception of the quality of the programme influences their level of satisfaction. Students are mostly satisfied with the quality of the programme but they feel the communication as well the support from HEI and ODL is not adequate. The students indicated that HEI and ODL do not display sufficient understanding and concern for students. They feel there should be a greater commitment from HEI and ODL to understand and consider the profiles of the students. HEI and ODL should actively consider the background, culture, values, attributes, and personal, as well as domestic circumstances of their students. The BEd Hons programme is a valuable and popular programme, but the responsibility rests with both HEI and ODL to ensure that both the quality and delivery of this programme are enhanced and improved so as to guarantee higher levels of satisfaction amongst students. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

O uso de tecnologias digitais de informação e comunicação tem alterado a sociedade e seu emprego tem estimulado o debate na esfera pedagógica. A incorporação de tecnologias na educação pode ser considerada uma ferramenta facilitadora para transmissão de conhecimento ao aluno. O objetivo deste estudo de caso é identificar os desafios encontrados e as propostas de superação apresentadas. Buscou-se ainda analisar a satisfação e a usabilidade do ambiente virtual de aprendizagem (AVA) e dos materiais didáticos nele disponíveis, experimentados pelos alunos da graduação na Disciplina Odontologia Forense, na Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de São Paulo (FOUSP), dos cursos integral e noturno, no primeiro semestre de 2016. A tecnologia utilizada foi o software Moodle (\"Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment\"), onde foram depositados os objetos de aprendizagem: apostilas, vídeos, questionários e jogos. Participaram da pesquisa 113 estudantes. Como fonte de dados foram utilizados o grupo-focal, o questionário online semi-estruturado e os relatórios de logs do Moodle. Os dados foram analisados quantitativamente (análise descritiva) e qualitativamente (análise de conteúdo) e os resultados foram triangulados. Os desafios encontrados pelos alunos foram: dificuldade em acessar o AVA pelo celular; sobrecarga da estrutura curricular; não haver cobrança e lembretes para realizar as atividades online; desconexão entre a aula presencial e o ambiente virtual; haver mais de um site utilizado pelas disciplinas da faculdade. Em relação ao material didático, as atividades foram as mais visualizadas, com 1309 visualizações em média, seguida das apostilas (n=230), e dos vídeos (n=122). Os alunos sugeriram que tivesse mais atividades práticas no ambiente virtual. Para eles a realização de atividades no AVA foi importante para a fixação do conteúdo e para identificar eventuais dificuldades na aprendizagem (n=98%). As melhorias propostas, e concretizadas, foram no sentido de superar os desafios citados, ou seja, utilização da versão mobile do Moodle, diminuição da carga horária presencial e notificação de prazos e de atividades via redes sociais e correio eletrônico. Esta pesquisa demonstra a importância de ouvir os alunos durante o processo de ensinoaprendizagem para ajuda-los nas dificuldades encontradas e para que sejam estimulados a buscar o conhecimento. Demonstra também que o uso da tecnologia na educação é uma ferramenta facilitadora da aprendizagem, com alto nível de satisfação dos alunos. / The use of digital information and communication technologies has changed society and its employment has stimulated the debate in the pedagogical area. The incorporation of technologies in education can be considered a facilitating tool for transmitting knowledge to the student. The aim of this case study is to identify the challenges founded and the overcoming proposals presented, and to analyze the satisfaction and usability of the virtual learning environment (VLE) and of the teaching materials available there, in the University of São Paulo, School of Dentistry, of the integral and nocturnal courses, in the first semester of 2016. The technology used was Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment), where the learning objects, such as workbooks, videos, questionnaires and games. 113 students participated in the study. The focus group, the online semi-estructured questionnaire, and the Moodle\'s log reports were used as data sources. Data were analyzed quantitatively (descriptive analysis) and qualitatively (content analysis), and the results were triangulated. The challenges encountered by the students were: difficulty in accessing the VLE through the cell phone; overload of the curricular structure; there are no charges and reminders for online activities; disconnection between the classroom and the virtual environment; more than one site used by college subjects. Regarding teaching material, activities were the most visualized, with 1309 views on average, followed by workbook (n = 230), and videos (n = 122). The students suggested that they had more practical activities in the virtual environment. For them, the VLE activities were important for determining the content and for identifying difficulties in learning (n = 98%). The proposed and implemented improvements were aimed at overcoming the aforementioned challenges, namely, the use of the mobile version of Moodle, the reduction of classroom hours and the notification of deadlines and activities via social networks and electronic mail. This research demonstrates the importance of listening to students during the teachinglearning process to help them in the difficulties encountered and to be stimulated to seek knowledge. It also demonstrates that the use of technology in education is a facilitating tool for learning, with a high level of student satisfaction.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate student perceptions of the design and consistency of the online learning environment in relation to motivation, satisfaction, and self-efficacy. Through surveys, think-aloud observation sessions, and reflection interviews, data were collected concerning student perspectives of design and consistency in the online learning environment. SPSS was used to process the survey data and a multi-step process was used to code the observations and interviews. Nine categories emerged from the analysis: (1) frustration; (2) excitement; (3) feeling of being lost; (4) confusion; (5) disgust; (6) positivity; (7); anxiety; (8) understanding; (9) action. The findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided to inform future development of online courses.

No description available.

<p>  </p> <p>Mentorship has served as an effective strategy in helping African American college students persist at predominantly White institutions of higher education (Sinanan, 2016). African American students have reported finding these campus environments to be unwelcoming, even racist. These environmental challenges along with the challenges of unfamiliar academic terrain merge to form frequently formidable barriers to their satisfaction and success. The presence of African American mentors has helped African American students overcome the wide range of challenges they face on such campuses. This qualitative study analyzed the perceptions of African American mentors and mentees about the impact of mentorship on the college persistence of the mentees. The target mentorship community was situated at a private school in the Midwest. Semi-structured interviews were used to solicit the experiential knowledge of participants about their lived experiences. The data was codified and thematically analyzed. Six themes emerged from participant responses including (1) targeted mentorship and modeling, (2) belonging, (3) connections (4) advocacy, (5) racism and anti-Blackness, and (6) persistence. These themes fortify the existing research affirming mentorship as an invaluable tool in helping African American undergraduates persist through degree completion. The assertions and recommendations at the conclusion of the study are purposed to assist scholar-activists, university staff, and students with improving the conditions in which African American students’ study and push toward persistence.</p>

No description available.

The problem of this study concerned the needs of business students and their perceptions of effectiveness with respect to their satisfaction at two universities. A related purpose was to measure, evaluate, and analyze students' needs and perceptions of the effectiveness of their universities with respect to their level of education.

Abstract The main purpose of this study has been to examine the working life correspondence of education both theoretically and empirically. In this study, three different conceptual interpretations have been used to define working life correspondence: interpretation emphasizing the know-how needs of the working life, interpretation emphasizing the educational expectations of the working life and the interpretation emphasizing the career development of the individual. This phenomenon has been studied from the point of view of computer science education in particular. The interpretations emphasizing know-how needs and educational expectations are examined using gap analysis. The correspondence between the know-how capacities and the educational expectations is significantly different from that between the know-how capacities and the know-how needs. The gaps between the individual’s know-how capacities and the educational expectations are clearly more positive, less dependent upon external factors closely related to the respondent and there was considerably less variation among them than between the know-how capacities and the know-how needs. The results showed that the know-how needs of working life are very heterogeneous and strongly dependent on the external factors relating closely to the individual. The educational expectations were shown to be very homogeneous. Therefore it seems natural that the development of the contents of instructions and the structure of the education – particularly in the case of the compulsory core contents – should be based on the very homogeneous and independent educational expectations of the working life. In the light of the results, the educational expectations point of view brings a completely new and significant perspective to the examination of the working life correspondence and the effectiveness of the education, as well as the development of the contents of instruction. In terms of explaining and anticipating student satisfaction, the results turned out to be interesting. The results showed that learning results, the age of the respondent and the satisfaction in studying are significantly interconnected. The most significant external factor anticipating satisfaction in the field of computer science was the career development of an individual, which refers to the long-term effects of the education. In terms of method, this study was conducted as field research with the help of a questionnaire. The target group were students who had graduated from the department of Information Processing Science of the University of Oulu from 1976 through 2006. The questionnaire was sent to a total of 680 persons, 210 of whom replied. This was 31.3 % of the entire target group. / Tiivistelmä Tämän tutkimuksen pääasiallisena tarkoituksena on ollut tutkia sekä teoreettisesti että empiirisesti ilmiötä ”koulutuksen työelämävastaavuus”. Tutkimuksessa koulutuksen työelämävastaavuudelle on määritelty kolme erilaista käsitteellistä tulkintaa: työelämän osaamistarpeita korostava tulkinta, työelämän koulutusodotuksia korostava tulkinta sekä yksilön urakehitystä korostava tulkinta. Ilmiötä on tarkasteltu erityisesti tietojenkäsittelytieteiden koulutuksen näkökulmasta. Osaamistarpeita korostavassa tulkinnassa työelämävastaavuutta voidaan tarkastella osaamistarpeiden ja koulutuksen tuottamien osaamisvalmiuksien vastaavuutena. Koulutusodotuksia korostavassa tulkinnassa työelämävastaavuutta voidaan vastaavasti tarkastella koulutusodotusten ja koulutuksen tuottamien osaamisvalmiuksien vastaavuutena. Urakehitystä korostava tulkinta tarkoittaa sitä, kuinka hyvin koulutuksen tuottamat osaamisvalmiudet tukevat yksilön urakehitystä. Osaamistarpeita ja koulutusodotuksia korostavia työelämävastaavuuden tulkintoja on tarkastelu kuiluanalyysin avulla. Osaamisvalmiuksien ja koulutusodotusten keskinäinen vastaavuus poikkeaa merkittävästi osaamisvalmiuksien ja osaamistarpeiden vastaavuudesta. Osaamisvalmiuksien ja koulutusodotusten väliset kuilut ovat selvästi positiivisempia, riippumattomia vastaajaan kiinteästi liittyvistä ulkoisista tekijöistä ja niiden vaihtelu huomattavasti vähäisempää kuin osaamisvalmiuksien ja osaamistarpeiden välisten kuilujen tapauksessa. Koulutuksen vaikutuksia yksilön urakehitykseen ei ollut mahdollisuuksia tutkia, joskin ammattiryhmäkohtaiset kuiluanalyysien tulokset osoittivat, että muodollinen koulutus ei kykene tuottamaan yksilön urakehityksen myötä laajenevia ja kasvavia osaamistarpeita. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittivat, että työelämän osaamistarpeet ovat hyvin heterogeenisia ja ne ovat vahvasti riippuvaisia yksilöön kiinteästi liittyvistä ulkoisista tekijöistä. Tämä osaamistarpeiden heterogeenisuus muodostuu ongelmaksi tarvelähtöisen koulutuksen työelämävastaavuuden kehittämisessä. Sen sijaan koulutusodotukset osoittautuivat hyvin homogeenisiksi. Todella merkittävä havainto on nimenomaan se, että koulutusodotukset eivät ole yksilön osaamistarpeiden johdannaisia eivätkä lainkaan riippuvaisia vastaajien taustatekijöistä, vaan ne perustuvat mitä ilmeisimmin vastaajien näkemyksiin tietojenkäsittelytieteiden ydinalueista ja sisällöistä. Siksi tuntuu luonnolliselta, että opetussisältöjen ja rakenteen kehittäminen – etenkin pakollisten ydinsisältöjen osalta – tulisi perustua työelämän hyvin homogeenisiin ja riippumattomiin koulutusodotuksiin. Tulosten valossa koulutusodotusnäkökulma tuo täysin uuden ja merkittävän näkökulman koulutuksen työelämävastaavuuden ja vaikuttavuuden tarkasteluun sekä opintosisältöjen kehittämiseen. Opiskelijatyytyväisyyden selittämisen ja ennustamisen osalta tulokset osoittautuivat mielenkiintoisiksi. Tutkimuksessa opiskelijatyytyväisyys jakaantui kahteen osaan: opiskelutyytyväisyyteen ja koulutusalatyytyväisyyteen. Tulokset osoittivat, että oppimistuloksilla, vastaajan iällä ja opiskelutyytyväisyydellä on merkittävä keskinäinen yhteys. Ulkoisista tekijöistä merkittävimmäksi koulutusalatyytyväisyyttä ennustavaksi tekijäksi nousi yksilön urakehitys, joka viittaa koulutuksen pitkäaikaisiin vaikutuksiin. Menetelmällisesti tutkimus oli kyselymetodiin perustuva kenttätutkimus, jossa kohdejoukon muodostivat Oulun yliopiston tietojenkäsittelytieteiden laitokselta vuosina 1973–2006 valmistuneet opiskelijat. Kyselyt lähetettiin 680 henkilölle ja niihin vastasi 210 henkilöä, mikä on 31,3 % koko kohdejoukosta.