Journal of Learning for Development - JL4D
Not a member yet
392 research outputs found
Sort by
Problems Confronting the Teaching Profession in Tanzania and Implications towards Educational Excellence in the Digital Age
No full textThis study examined the problems encountered by the teaching profession in Tanzania and their impact on achieving educational excellence in the digital age. It was a qualitative phenomenological study involving 33 participants, including key educational administrators, heads of schools, and teachers. Interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) formed the main data collection methods, whereas, data collected were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings revealed several problems, including technology integration in teaching due to a lack of ICT resources, teachers' lack of digital competence, nonchalant attitudes towards technology and a reluctance to change, deplorable working and living conditions, limited opportunities for professional development and professional misconduct. These problems affect the quality of teaching and the country's education system. The study recommends the improvement of training programmes by equipping teachers with technological competencies needed in the contemporary digital age
Leading Strategic Reset: A Framework for Revisioning University Strategic Priorities
No full textStrategic reset is the process of reassessing an institution’s strategic priorities, making changes if warranted, and assessing whether the institution can effectively engage and respond to any zeitgeist in the future through agility, flexibility, innovation, and responsiveness to all key stakeholders. The prerequisite for strategic reset is, Why change? What forces are the catalyst for change? The author notes that stakeholder demands for change in education are not new and not all institutions necessarily have to engage in all priority strategic areas for strategic reset. Moreover, reframing strategic priorities must be phased-in based on priority synergy areas. Attempting to do everything fragments resources, increases negative public perceptions about mission ambiguity and diminished quality and leads to mediocrity. Competitors will reframe their institutions with new architectures and streamlined strategic priorities to ensure focus, agility, and responsiveness to highly complex market forces. Competition will drive your institution off the playing field unless the leaders step back, reset, engage and focus their leadership team on resetting strategic priorities and creating the university of the future
BOOK REVIEW: Critical digital pedagogy in higher education
No full text“Critical Digital Pedagogy in Higher Education,” edited by Suzan Köseoğlu, George Veletsianos, and Chris Rowell, is a seminal work that addresses the pressing need for a pedagogical shift in higher education. Rooted in the digital landscape, the book critiques traditional power structures and advocates for a learner-centred approach that resonates with students’ socio-cultural contexts. Drawing inspiration from Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” the editors present a contemplative framework that challenges educational norms and promotes critical consciousness, shared learning experiences, and a nurturing online environment.
The volume stands out for its collaborative nature, incorporating diverse expert voices to explore themes like care ethics, Indigenous knowledge, and the pervasive influence of digital tools. This approach not only enriches the discourse on digital pedagogy but also encourages the practical application of theory in contemporary teaching and learning. The book is a valuable resource for a wide audience, seeking to foster meaningful engagement and transform higher education in the post-COVID-19 era
Taming the Monster: How can Open Education Promote the Effective and Safe use of Generative AI in Education?
No full textThe development, use, and timely promotion of Open Education (OE) has been effective in addressing myriad educational concerns, including inclusivity, accessibility and learning achievement, among many others. However, limited information exists in the literature concerning how OE could enhance Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), which is receiving extensive interest and criticism at this time. To address this research gap, this study relies on the Open Educational Practices (OEP) framework of Huang et al. (2020) to provide various OEP scenarios that could help to promote and facilitate the effective and safe adoption of GenAI in education. The findings of this study could provide guidelines on how relying on OEP when adopting GenAI could help in ensuring quality education which is the sustainable development goal (SDG 4) of the United Nations (UN)
Mapping Students' Readiness for E-Learning in Higher Education: A Bibliometric Analysis
No full textThis paper reports the findings of a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer on 392 Scopus database documents published from 2003 to 2022, aiming to understand the global landscape of the e-learning field and to identify the most prominent authors, institutions, countries and reference publications, as well as the research topics that have recently received the most attention in students’ readiness for e-learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The findings indicate that there has been an upward trend in e-learning readiness among students in HEIs over time. Among the countries studied, the United States, Taiwan, Australia, and Malaysia were found to have the most effective approaches to addressing students' readiness for e-learning. The most highly cited author in this field is M-L. Hung. Based on the citations, the most recognised journal in this field was Computers and Education and the universities that were most persuasive were two Taiwan universities in the first position. The data also revealed relatively low levels of collaboration among authors, institutions and nations regarding students' readiness for e-learning
Preparedness and Competencies of Higher Education Teachers to Teach Online: A Study in North-East India
No full textThis study explores the significance of the online teaching ability of higher education teachers, and how teachers perceived their level of competence in teaching online in north-east (NE) India. The Faculty Readiness to Teach Online (FRTO) instrument developed by Martin et al. (2019) was adapted to conduct a study from 130 teachers in higher education institutions across NE India. The ability to teach online was categorised into four categories, i.e., course design, course communication, time management, and technical competence. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was carried out to do direct and indirect path analysis of the proposed conceptual model. Multiple regression analysis was used in analysing the demographic profiles of the teachers and their perceptions of the importance of online teaching competencies. The findings indicate that the perceived readiness to teach online was not significantly influenced by course design, course communication, time management and technical competencies. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that both age and gender negatively impacted perceptions towards readiness to teach online, with older and female teachers having lower perception scores
Development for Empowerment: Mobilising Online and Digital Micro-Credentials for Refugees
No full textDevelopment for empowerment focuses on leveraging education via digital technologies and micro-credentials for training and education as part of the integration, social inclusion and capacity building for displaced persons. Development for empowerment builds upon the previous concepts of development including Amartya Sen’s ‘development as freedom,’ the core concept of education and learning as development, and the use of digital technologies for building human capacity so people can make their own choices and pursue the lives they wish to lead. Development for empowerment for refugees broadens the construct of development and is integral to promoting and nurturing ‘equity, access and success’ amongst refugee populations. The authors highlight critical resources that support the basic tenets of human empowerment such as the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights, the UN’s Basic Needs Approach to Refugees, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and the key strategies of online delivery and micro-credentials development. Moreover, the authors emphasise that the integration, social inclusion and integration of refugees is a highly complex construct to implement and sustain, thus reflecting the constant tension of refugees’ emotional desire to return home versus rebuilding a new life in a new country. In the final analysis, ‘development for empowerment’ + open and distance learning + digital micro-credentials create a powerful synergy for serving refugees and fulfilling the spirit of preserving human rights through education and the pursuit of one’s chosen life as a precious human ideal
Teacher Professional Development @scale: Achieving Quality and Sustainability in Zambia
No full textThis paper presents a conceptual model which explains the challenges of providing high quality sustainable, teacher professional development at scale. It provides a framework to support holistic thinking at a systemic level, applicable across different systems.
It draws on sociocultural theories of learning and encourages the user to think about the knowledge and skills required by actors at different levels of the system and the structures required to support their learning. It brings together the needs of teachers, school leaders and Education Officers (at the County, District or Provincial level). The empirical evidence for this model comes from a seven-year programme of activity supporting school-based professional development in Zambia. Evaluation findings highlight the importance of the role of mid-level professionals (District and Provincial Officers) in ensuring the sustainability of gains made through development projects. This is important because the professional development needs of those supporting teachers are often neglected
A New Agenda on Micro-credentials: Filling the Gaps in the European Approach
No full textThis paper analyses the potential of micro-credentials in adult education through upcoming EU policies and initiatives, bearing in mind the increasing use of online learning platforms globally. Understanding national and international approaches to micro-credentials allows undergraduate programmes and teaching practices to flourish in economically less developed countries. The Republic of Serbia welcomes new approaches in the search for acceptable models of distance learning and equality in the labour market
Website Builder as an Assistive Technology Tool for Reflection, Collaboration and Skills Development in Learning ESP
No full textThis study investigates students' evaluations of the effects of using a website builder-based project (WBP) on learning English for Specific Purposes (Legal English), specifically in relation to reflection, collaboration and skills development. The study also examines how WBP affects student learning motivation and academic achievement, as well as students' beliefs about the feasibility and potential of using WBP in learning. The study employs mixed-method design that includes qualitative and quantitative approaches. Three hundred and three second-year students, who enrolled in the Legal English course at a university in Vietnam participated in the study, basing on the stratified sampling. The main instruments include questionnaires followed by the open-ended questions, and interviews. The findings demonstrate that WBP had a positive impact on students' collaboration, reflection and skills development. Additionally, the use of WBP significantly influenced students' academic achievement, and there was a slight difference in academic achievement between the group using WBP and the group without WBP use. Students acknowledged that using WBP in learning is a feasible, innovative and potential approach for both present and lifelong learning. The changes in teaching and learning approaches by teachers should be made to be compatible with this innovation in a smart educational environment