1,720,955 research outputs found
Exploring the Introduction of e-Learning as an Open and Distance Learning Delivery Mode in Botswana
Get PDFPCF5 Sub-theme: Livelihoods // This paper presents findings from a survey whose primary objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of introducing e-learning as an alternative mode of delivery or as a supplementary intervention at Botswana College of Distance and open Learning (BOCODOL). The survey used questionnaire instrument on learners taking Certificate and Diploma courses. The study revealed that a very satisfactory number of learners have positively indicated that they had computer skills and that some had access to computers at work. However the major shortcoming is that more than half of them had no access to internet connectivity. Internet services are a core vehicle for e-learning and as such this can be an impediment in the implementation of this project. // The paper concludes by suggesting a cautious decision with regard to the implementation of the e-learning initiative as access to internet and a matter relating to the availability of enabling infrastructure proves very vital for the project of this nature. // Paper ID 7
Artificial Intelligence's Role in Open and Distance Education for Sustainable Development in Global South: A Systematic Literature Review
No full textThe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in open and online education is transforming learning experiences, particularly in the Global South, where educational inequalities persist. Methodology: EBSCO, among other academic web databases, has been used to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) on AI-driven solutions in the Global South. The study found that AI enhances engagement, retention, and educational results by personalising material to address individual requirements. However, challenges such as digital infrastructure deficiencies, computational biases, policies, and ethical issues with data privacy persist, amongst others.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Gender, Technology and Innovation in Open Education
Paper ID: 932
Contextual Background to supporting Learning in the Digital Age: A comparative Study of Botswana and Lesotho
Get PDFThe government of Botswana in line with its Vision 2016, the National Development Plans – NDP-8 and NDP-9, developed a National ICT Policy which envisioned to position Botswana for sustainable growth in the digital age by serving as a key catalyst in achieving social, economic, political and cultural transformation within the country (Botswana National Information and Communications Policy V 2005, 8) A formal assessment on the current state of e-learning in Botswana preceded the introduction of the policy as it enabled the authorities to be in a position to determine the level of effort required to introduce this very important development. The results of the benchmarking and ereadiness assessments indicate that Botswana has a good infrastructure and supporting legislation in place, which provides the country with a solid foundation for accelerating an integrated National ICT agenda. (Botswana National Information and Communications Policy V 2005, 10) // In November 2007, the Tertiary Education Council facilitated a workshop the resultant of which was an intergraded tertiary education plan for the period 2009-2015. This white paper adopted a holistic view of how the tertiary education sector will deliver benefits by amongst others “the establishment of a sector wide tertiary education e-learning system that can be accessed by all the tertiary education institutions”. (Tertiary Education Council, formulating the NDP10 plan consultation paper, January 2008, 13) // Botswana College of Distance and Open learning (BOCODOL) has, ever since its inception had technology as one of the issues that were top on its agenda. For instance in the BOCODOL Strategic Business Plan 2000-2003, Planning for Progress and Excellence in Distance Education, the MultiMedia and ICT Department was mandated to support the introduction and strengthening of the ICT development through the review and development of the ICT strategy. In the strategic plan of 2003-2006, the College adopted the efficient and effective application of technology as one of the key result areas. The idea behind this was to harness technology for efficient and effective development and delivery of quality products and services. // As part of its strategic goals, BOCODOL is currently working towards developing ODL and ICT expertise, in order to progressively increase College bandwidth to facilitate delivery of on-line programmes and services. This is done to ensure that the College is in a position to respond more effectively to the needs of its learners in these matters. // Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning embraces the e-learning initiative not for its strategic growth in increasing access but also to position itself in a global market by reaching out far away learners. The effect of this would be to expand the market base and also inadvertently improve on quality of the service due to the external scrutiny the product will be subjected to internationally. // As part of ministry of Education and Training’s stress on practical programmes and the desire to bridge the ‘digital divide’ and achieve its strategic goal 1 of improving access and equity of education and training at all levels by 2015, the Kingdom of Lesotho intends to develop sufficient, skilled and motivated human resource for the education and training system through the use of ICT and implementation of ICT programmes for all institutions of learning. This will be done through increased utilisation of ICT in teaching and learning and the use of ICT as an important tool for expanding the learning environment (ESSP, 2005). According to the Education Sector Strategic Plan (2005), the government of Lesotho is aware of the existing knowledge or information gaps between itself and the advance world as a development impediment that needs to be addressed. // Lesotho College of Education in line with the ESSP (2005) recognises technology based learning and in its Strategic Plan (2006/7) clearly articulates the integration of technology in the teaching and learning of College programmes, the use of ICT to support learners through e-learning streamline administration and enhancement of communication skills development among staff and learners
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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