MOOC participants from different disciplines are becoming increasingly common. This study aims to identify whether students from different genders, online learning experiences, and academic... Show More

MOOC participants from different disciplines are becoming increasingly common. This study aims to identify whether students from different genders, online learning experiences, and academic backgrounds in the same course have differences in perception of teaching, social, and cognitive presence. A survey was conducted to investigate the level of these presences that learners perceived in an xMOOC-based blended course using CoI instrument. Results show no significant differences of perceived presences among different genders and online learning experiences. However, significant group differences were observed in perception of social and cognitive presence among students from different academic backgrounds, but no significant group difference was found in teaching presence. The level of cognitive presence perceived by art students in triggering event and resolution stage is lower than that of humanities and science students. The level of social presence perceived by art students on the three subcategories of social presence is lower than that of humanities and science students.

Due to the emergency educational consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, it is necessary to find an effective and alternative way of learning. Moreover, during this epidemic, the Chinese Ministry of... Show More

Due to the emergency educational consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, it is necessary to find an effective and alternative way of learning. Moreover, during this epidemic, the Chinese Ministry of Education announced the “Disrupted Classes, Undisrupted Learning” initiative, offering flexible online learning. With the aim of facilitating a sound learning environment when using online learning systems, various kinds of tools can be applied. Tencent Meeting is one tool that offers various learning features. This study aimed to investigate how students perceived the effect of the Tencent Meeting system features on the two main determinants of the TAM model, namely perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). The study further analyzed the effects of these two determinants on learning performance. Data were analyzed using regression analysis. The study found the Tencent Meeting system features could account for 55.1% of PEOU and 40% of PU. Another finding shows that PEOU and PU had a significant effect on the students' learning performance. Finally, a discussions and implications are presented.

This work presents a new approach to the learning path model in e-learning systems. The model uses data from the database records from an e-learning system and uses graphs as representation. In this... Show More

This work presents a new approach to the learning path model in e-learning systems. The model uses data from the database records from an e-learning system and uses graphs as representation. In this work, the authors show how the model can be used to represent visually the learning paths, behavior analysis, help to suggest group formation for collaborative activities, and thus assist the teacher in making decisions. To validate the practical utility of the model, the authors created two tools, one to visualize the learning paths and another to suggest groups of students for collaborative activities. Both tools were tested in a real environment, presenting useful results. The authors carried experiments with students from three programs: physics, electrical engineering, and computer science. Experiments show that it is possible to use the proposed learning path to analyze student behavior patterns and recommend group formation with positive results.

Online proctoring generally refers to the practice of proctors monitoring an exam over the internet, usually through a webcam. This technology has gained relevance during the current COVID-19... Show More

Online proctoring generally refers to the practice of proctors monitoring an exam over the internet, usually through a webcam. This technology has gained relevance during the current COVID-19 pandemic, given that the social distance owing to health reasons has consequently led to the switching of all learning and assessment activities to online platforms. This paper summarises the available state-of-the-art of commercial proctoring systems by identifying the main features, describing them, and analysing the way in which different proctoring programs are grouped on the basis of the services they offer. Furthermore, the paper reports on two case studies concerning online exams taken with both automated and human proctoring approaches. The outcomes from state-of-the-art approaches and the experience gained by the two case studies are then summarised in the conclusion, where the need for an organisational effort in loading photographs that can be used to easily recognise student faces, and using an automated online proctoring program to support manual proctoring have been suggested.

Most undergraduates in Mainland China receive distance education from home because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The unique physical environment of distance learning may have effects not only on student... Show More

Most undergraduates in Mainland China receive distance education from home because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The unique physical environment of distance learning may have effects not only on student learning but also on student physical and mental health. This study reviewed related studies of the physical learning environment and its influence on learners' physical and mental health. Using factor analysis, the authors developed a questionnaire to measure students' perceptions towards their physical learning environment and their physical and mental health and verified the reliability. Regression analysis was used to explore the influence of physical environment perception on physical health and mental health perception, as well as the predictive ability of these three factors on learning satisfaction. The results of this study provide researchers and educators with insight into learners' perceptions of the physical learning environment and their physical and mental health under COVID-19 and offer suggestions for improving distance-learning satisfaction.