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Readability of Modules and its Relationship with Student Performance in Open Distance Learning (ODL)
Get PDFTHE RELEVANCE OF ARABIC LANGUAGE IN ISLAMIC STUDIES PROGRAM: A CASE STUDY OF OPEN UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA (OUM)
Get PDFNumerous studies have been carried out to identify the relevance of Arabic language to Islamic studies subjects. As a medium of communication like other languages, Arabic has its own function in conveying Syariah knowledge. This is mainly because Arabic is the language of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, which are the primary sources of Islam. This study attempts to analyze the relevance of learning the Arabic language amongst Open University Malaysia (OUM) students. This research involves students of two programs in OUM, Bachelor of Islamic Studies and Diploma in Islamic Studies. A survey was conducted to identify a relationship between student’s Arabic language proficiency and their learning process on courses taught. It is also intended to know student’s perception on the relevance of Arabic language to Islamic studies courses. The study found that most respondents agree on the importance of mastering the Arabic language in Islamic studies. [Abstract by authors
Programme and Service Evaluation by the Teacher and Non-Teacher Group of Students - Implications on Student Persistence in an ODL Institution
Get PDFA significant proportion of Open University Malaysia’s student population is made up of the “inservice
teachers” sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The intake of the “in-service
teachers” had stopped since 2013 and the present day students hail from various organizations
whereby a majority of these students are self-sponsored. It is crucial for the university to take
note of the changes that ought to be implemented to better serve the non-teacher students. This
paper reports on the results of a 2015 tracer study (centrally administered by the Ministry of
Higher Education) by looking at programme completion rates of the undergraduate “Teacher”
and “Non-Teacher” group of students who attended their convocation in September and
November 2015. The evaluation of the programmes and services by the two groups of graduates
were compared, and areas that differ significantly were highlighted and discussed in the context
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of improving completion rates. It is important to note that institutions need to be aware that
there are tangible and intangible factors related to students’ persistence when it comes to
finances, as in the sponsored and non-sponsored students.
Keywords: in-service teachers, non-teacher group, completion rates, evaluation of programmes
and service
Students’ Learning Outcomes in Online Courses: Continual Quality Improvement
Get PDFAbstract: Much has been written to enumerate the reasons for the success and failures of
online learning, and the common view is that the relative success and failure of a student
is caused by a combination of three major factors: the student, the environment, and the
curriculum. This exploratory research looks into how adult students who are taking fully
online courses in an open and distance learning institution evaluate the extent the online
learning dimensions influence their achievement of the expected learning outcomes. An
online survey was administered to students taking online courses in the May 2015
semester. The online learning dimensions evaluated include: module (clear statement of
learning outcome, workload, learning resources and instructional design), feedback,
learning experience, assessment, and student self directedness and motivation with
student satisfaction as a dependent variable. The average mean obtained for these
dimensions is 3.69 out of 5. Relative comparison between the dimensions highlights four
areas of concern: workload, instructional design, feedback and learning experience. The
student satisfaction level is indicated by a mean of 3.36 (a satisfaction level at 67.2%).
The objective was to use the results of this survey as a guide in developing an integrated
and robust system linked to the institution’s Learning Management System (based on
Moodle) for course evaluation. The results will assist the institution in coming up with
effective intervention strategies for improving problematic courses so as to increase
students’ online learning experience and satisfaction. The instrument can also serve as
an internal benchmark on the courses offered. The findings highlight OUMH1103
(Learning Skills for Open and Distance Learners) with rating above 4 for all dimensions
and a satisfaction rating at 4.13 (82.5%). In general, the results indicate that student
satisfaction with online courses is correlated to all the online learning dimensions.
Student satisfaction shows strong positive correlation to learning resources, feedback
and student motivation. The course evaluation imposed on the students at regular
intervals will enable the institution to delve into quality improvement, management of
academic performance, curricular and pedagogic review and easy tracking and
monitoring of the quality of the courses and programmes
LEARNING OUTCOMES IN ONLINE AND DISTANCE LEARNING: A STUDY OF LEARNERS’ EXPERIENCE
Get PDFODL institutions have often been seen as possessing an innovative and technology-driven delivery
approach in teaching and learning practices. The key is in the online delivery of instruction for working
learners. Online delivery would require e-tutoring and the use of learning materials to faciltate instruction
across diverse groups of learners in a ubiquitous learning environment. This study focuses on Open
University Malaysia’s approach in leveraging online learning for its stakeholders via its academic
programmes. This study attempts to ascertain factors which affect the learning outcomes in ODL. The
study was conducted via web survey on 397 learners enrolled at Open University Malaysia from 2012 to
2015. The sample consisted of learners aged between 18 to 64 years. The measurement of learning
outcomes was determined via a 5-point Likert rating scale questionnaire. In addition, open-ended
responses were also elicited to confirm quantitative findings. Three key constructs emerged from factor
analysis, i.e. i. teaching and materials, ii. e-tutoring, and iii. learning experiences. These 3 factors were
then confirmed using Structural Equation Modeling techniques to determine model fit derived from
exploratory factor analysis. The results show a good fit of the hypothesised model with the structure of
the data. As ODL institutions enrol learners from various demographic groups, this study attempted to
look into whether demographic differences such as gender, age categories, experience in online learning,
learners’ CGPA results and time spent on online learning had a significant bearing on learning outcomes.
The findings show that female learners perceived teaching and materials, e-tutoring and learning
experiences better than male learners but these differences are statistically not significant. From the
perspectives of age groups, the study found that age maturity results in slight differences in teaching and
outcomes, i.e. the older the learners the more positive the outcomes. However, across the different age
groups, no statistical differences exist (p > .05). This study also found no significant differences (p > .05)
in the perception of outcomes between learners who had previous experience in online learning compared
to those who had not. Based on the learners’ CGPA scores, this study shows a general tendency for
learners who score high in CGPA to also perceive positively in the 3 constructs, viz. teaching and
materials, e-tutoring and learning experiences. However, no significant differences (p > ,05) existed
across the different CGPA groups. An interesting finding of this study is that the time learners spent in
logging-in to the online sessions - this had a significant effect on the outcomes (p < .05). The study
concluded that the more time expended in logging-in online, the better would be the outcomes on
teaching and use of the materials, e-tutoring and learning experiences. Based on the empirical evidence of
the study, this paper puts forth a proposition that ODL is an effective delivery system for working
learners - leading to good learning outcomes. ODL can guide learners towards the acquisition of desired
knowledge and skills needed to excel in academic pursuits among working learners.
Key Words: learning outcomes, online and distance learning, programme evaluation
(Abstract by author
Benefits And Challenges Of Massive Open Online Courses
Get PDFEducation trend has changed over the years with easier access, within
practical reach to mass learners. Massive Open Online Course or MOOC is
one of the most recent innovations in education. It is a form of open source
learning system that offers free short online courses to anyone who has
accessibility to the Internet. Massive Open Online Courses are available to
anyone in the world with a huge number of learners. It offers a lifelong learning
opportunity to anyone. This opportunity is made possible by innovation,
experimentation and use of technology. This paper outline a brief history of the
beginning of the MOOC, different types of MOOC as well as the benefits and
challenges derived from offering MOOC from the perspectives of various
stakeholders. [ABSTRACT BY AUTHOR
Prioritizing services and facilities in a higher education institution Importance-satisfaction quadrant and gap analyses
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the “selling points” for Open University Malaysia
(OUM) to be used in its marketing activities and the “critical points” that OUM should focus on for further
improvements in providing its services to its students. These selling and critical points are derived from
the analysis of the importance and satisfaction data collected from OUM’s postgraduate students.
Design/methodology/approach – This study employs a two-dimensional, i.e., Importance-Satisfaction
Survey which consists of 47 items, categorized under eight dimensions. Items are phrased as positive
statements and students are asked to indicate how important it is to them using a seven-point Likert scale
ranging from not at all important (1) to very important (7). They are then asked to rate their level of
satisfaction, using the same scale from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (7). A total of 709 postgraduate
students responses were used in this study. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to explain the
relationship between the dependent variable, overall satisfaction and eight independent variables.
The “selling points” and “critical points” are determined by combining the quadrant and gap analyses. The
“selling point” items are the high-importance-high-satisfaction (HIHS) items with relatively small gap scores while the “critical points” are those in the high-importance-low-satisfaction and HIHS quadrants with
relatively large gap scores.
Findings – The overall results of the Importance-Satisfaction Survey showed that the postgraduate
students are generally satisfied with OUM’s programmes and services. The multiple regression analysis
of all dimensions against overall satisfaction as the dependent variable showed that the five dimensions
of facilitator, curriculum, faculty, support services and learning centre account for 75.7 per cent of the
variation in overall satisfaction. The selling points include: the learning management system (MyVLE),
online registration, course contents, modules and facilitators. The critical points include those related to facilitator interaction and feedback, students’ sense of connectedness with the faculty staff, timely
responses to enquiries and complaints and accessibility to digital library and learning centre staff.
Practical implications – Importance-Satisfaction Surveys can be used to help an institution to
identify the services and facilities that can be marketed and also those that need to be improved in
order to better meet its students’ expectations.
Originality/value – While many similar studies had been conducted elsewhere, this study had
identified the “selling points” and “critical points” which are unique to OUM. In addition, most previous
studies were focused on conventional institutions, carried out in many different countries with differing
learning environments and cultures. [Abstract by authors
HARNESSING THE POWER OF SERVICE QUALITY TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN STUDENTS: AN OUM EXPERIENCE
Get PDFThe increase in the number of open and distance learning (ODL) providers in Malaysia has provided potential
students with bigger opportunities to access tertiary education. However, the challenge faced by the providers is
that they have to compete with each other to capture the largest number of students. Getting a good intake is a
necessity, retaining the existing students is equally critical as these two factors determine the financial
sustainability of the institution. As in any service industry, service quality is key to the success of any higher
education including ODL institution. Past studies have proposed that satisfaction is one of the key competitive
advantages for a HEI as it will lead to profitability and customer loyalty. In this light, this study examines the
relationship between service quality and satisfaction of Open University Malaysia (OUM) students. A
performance-based instrument called SERVPERF developed by Cronin and Taylor (1992) was used as a guide
for this study, some modifications were made to suit the context of OUM. The instrument consists of two sections,
one of which contains 15 demographic questions and the other 65 questions measured on a 5-point Likert-type
scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Out of 22,000 active students population, 4062
(18.5%) responded and 3290 completed questionnaires were used. Data were analysed using descriptive
statistics, correlation and multiple regression. The results indicated that ‘programme’, ‘teaching & learning’,
‘assurance’, ‘responsiveness’, ‘empathy’ and ‘reliability’ explained 77.9% of the variation in student
satisfaction. ‘Empathy’ and ‘responsiveness’ have the greatest impact on satisfaction in the students’ perception
of service quality rendered by OUM. The overall satisfaction level measured falls at 77.0% with a mean score of
3.85 on a 5 point Likert scale
