مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - Experiences of Instructors and Learners in a Virtual Classroom Environment

Abstract :

The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences and perceptions of instructors and students in the e-learning process. For this purpose, 5 instructors and 7 students that have e-learning experience participated in this case study. The instructors were interviewed with a semi-structured interview form while an online survey consisting of open-ended questions were posed to the students. According to the results; preparing course materials, studying and checking hardware were the preparatory works of both instructors and students before entering the virtual classroom. When the problems experienced in a virtual classroom were considered, instructors and students mentioned that they had technical problems; moreover students experienced communication and concentration problems. Instructors are preferred both face-to-face and distance education, whilst students are firstly preferred face-to-face education and then secondly preferred distance education depending on the circumstances. The competencies that instructors must have are being well equipped in terms of pedagogical and technical. Both of the instructors and students thought as the same about e-learner profile, e-assessment criteria and e-course components. Students should give importance to the communication, organize their work habits, have self-regulation strategies and complete assignments on given time to be successful in e-learning. Finally, to improve the quality of e-courses, instructors focused on creating instructional material, solving technical problems and qualifications of instructors; in addition to technical improvements, students focused on other educational factors.