E-Learning

Online learning has recently turned to one of the most well-known channels of education; however, the controversy over the quality and outcome of such online medium is still a concern. This study sought to determine the pros and cons of online courses as perceived by Iranian language teachers and learners. Two tailor-made questionnaires, along with a semi-structured interview, were used to collect the data. The participants were 71 college students who have experienced online educations and 31 language teachers who taught web-based classes in the Department of English Language Education at three universities in Iran, Isfahan, Sheikhbahaee, and Ashrafi. An overall analysis of questionnaires and interviews revealed that students and teachers could not find online education easier than its conventional counterpart. Online education provides teachers with a precise image of applying the appropriate teaching methodology in their online classes as well as enhancing their autonomy. The research recapped that online educators and administrators of faculties ought to lay the foundations for making the benefits of online education bold for learners. The findings may be a contributing factor for teacher educators to create the climate for professional development.

This research aimed to explore the impact of administering Nicenet as one of the virtual learning environments (VLE)'s on linguistic use and grammar instruction in writing. The design of the research was quasi-experimental method having a pre-test and a post-test. The participants were chosen through the convenience sampling strategy and were assigned randomly into experimental and control groups (female = 21, male = 21) and control (female = 21, male = 21). The participants were chosen concerning their performance on the Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and were homogenized accordingly. The outcome of Mann-Whitney, depicted that there was a statistically significant variation between the accomplishments mean scores of the learners of the experimental group who learned the grammar through computer and the control group who studied the same syntactic item utilizing the traditional strategy. The results demonstrated that computer as a tool and Nicenet as an application can help students to increase their grammar learning. The findings also showed that acquiring grammar point using Nicenet can be effective in improving learners’ grammar scores for both male and female learners, equally. This implies that both teachers and material developers can rely on computer software as the main platform for teaching grammar or the supplementary source of teaching grammar to EFL learners. Using established platforms such as Nicenet can even make the process of material development and instruction easier for teachers since they can provide more customized materials.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, all face-to-face instruction at higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide has been suspended. Therefore, many institutions and universities relied on online learning to continue the instruction process. The perceptions of teachers and students who went through this experience can provide useful information regarding the success of the online instruction. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers and students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Additionally, it aimed at exploring the main advantages and disadvantages of online instruction during this time. To this end, 250 English language teachers and students were selected from different English language institutes and universities in Iran. Drawing upon Khan et al.’s (2021) questionnaire and an open-ended question, this study showed that both teachers and students had positive perceptions towards online learning and teaching during COVID-19 lockdown despite the fact that some students had not the necessary facilities and infrastructure for online classes. Furthermore, this study showed that validity, reliability, construction, administration, and effectiveness of online assessment was a major concern for both teachers and students. Besides, both groups expressed the benefits of online instruction more than its drawbacks. The results of this study have implications for higher education teachers, and stakeholders to get a better understanding of the students’ and teachers’ perception toward online instruction

The adoption of E-learning in academic environments, particularly in Iran, has accelerated over the past decades. However, the lack of established guidelines for instructional design seems to have hindered the creation of effective online educational environments. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a comprehensive qualitative research synthesis (QRS) to identify the criteria for an optimal online learning environment for Iranian university students. The study followed Major and Savin-Baden's three-phase QRS model and included 12 studies with 252 participants and 42 researchers. The synthesis integrated findings from multiple studies to gain insights into experts’ opinions and students’ perceptions, preferences, and experiences within online learning environments. The research identified four overarching themes: targeted learning, effective teaching management, socio-affective engagement, and learner empowerment. Targeted learning focuses on problem-oriented and need-oriented teaching; effective teaching management emphasizes balanced content and time management, clear objectives, and diverse presentation and evaluation methods; socio-affective engagement involves interactive feedback, social presence, and emotional communication; learner empowerment stresses autonomy, agency and active learning, including experiential and discovery learning. Applying these findings seems to offer a genuine contribution, leading to the development of culturally relevant and high-quality E-learning experiences and addressing the challenges posed by the nascent E-learning system in Iran.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to present and explain the establishment pattern of the fifth-generation university in Islamic Azad Universities. Future thinking and the university system's policy in higher education have become necessary with the effectiveness of virtual and electronic learning. Higher education based on digital developments has entered a new era where competition and quality are its main characteristics. One of the challenges facing universities in the new millennium is the concept of the fifth-generation universityMethod: This research was conducted using a qualitative-inductive approach and the Strauss-Corbin grounded theory method. The research tool (data collection) is a semi-structured interview. Using the grounded theory method, the data obtained from the interviews, conducted with 10 professors and managers of Islamic Azad University, were analyzed during three stages of open, central, and selective codingFindings: 20 general categories in the form of a paradigm model including factors including causal conditions ( knowledge development; new social needs; internal organizational factors; external organizational factors; mechanisms of first-generation universities, second-generation universities, third-generation universities, and fourth generation universities) central phenomenon (establishment of the fifth generation university), underlying conditions (creating social, cultural and political in the university; economic development of the university; organizational support platforms), intervening conditions (the existence of a dynamic environment and structure in the university) and strategies (changing the educational approach; environmental re-engineering; academic effectiveness; development architecture) and consequences (elite development; comprehensive effectiveness of the university; The emergence of the characteristics of the fifth generation university) is the result of this investigationConclusion: The establishment of a fifth-generation university in higher education can lead to the optimization of the resource allocation behavior of different stakeholders and prevent the waste of resources (financial resources, life or time of students, etc.), which leads to the overall effectiveness of the university; The establishment of the fifth generation university and the development of civilization. 

Pendant le COVID-19, les universités et les établissements d'enseignement supérieur ont été appelés à dispenser un enseignement en ligne en raison de la pandémie. Le nouvel environnement d'enseignement a créé une nouvelle méthode d'enseignement qui a inspiré la plupart des pays à adopter l'enseignement en ligne même après la pandémie. L'Université de Yarmouk, parmi d'autres en Jordanie, a établi ses classes post-COVID-19 entièrement en ligne ou hybride (partiellement en ligne). L'étude actuelle vise à révéler l'efficacité de l'apprentissage en ligne des langues étrangères après la pandémie de COVID-19 du point de vue d'étudiants universitaires choisis au hasard dans différentes universités. Pour mener à bien la présente recherche, nous avons élaboré un questionnaire et l'avons envoyé à des étudiants universitaires de différentes universités jordaniennes.  Les réponses ont été recueillies et analysées dans le programme SPSS. Les résultats de l'étude ont montré que l'interaction par le biais de l'e-learning a obtenu une moyenne de (3,09), avec un pourcentage de (62%). De plus, la capacité des étudiants à accéder aux ressources d'apprentissage en ligne a obtenu une moyenne de (3,06) et un pourcentage de (61,3%), tandis que l'efficacité de l'enseignement par l'apprentissage en ligne a obtenu une   moyenne   de (3,04)   et   un   pourcentage   de (61%).  La   recherche   a   abouti   à   plusieurs recommandations, notamment la nécessité pour l’administration universitaire de se concentrer davantage sur les besoins des étudiants en langues étrangères en matière d'e-learning à l'avenir et de développer des systèmes bien connus tels que le système modèle.

The combination of face-to-face and online teaching, also called Blended learning (BL) has practically become one of the prevalent models of teaching and learning all over the world. Particularly, it has been applied as a new trend of using technology to concurrently combine in-class and out-of-class learning to optimize the educational impacts on students. However, BL is still quite a new learning model and has not been applied widely in teaching English in Vietnam. The current study was conducted to explore students’ perceptions of BL, the difficulties students think they have, and the percentage of face-to-face and online learning they prefer when learning in the BL environment. Sixty civil engineering students participating in the survey filled out a questionnaire after the forms of BL and the Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle had been introduced to them. The findings indicated that more than half of the participants were stimulated by BL and willing to take on the challenges.  Nevertheless, some concerns about the lack of IT skills to fulfill the requirements of the BL course cannot be ignored.  

The Iranian Distance Education Journal (IDEJ) is one of the most critical journals in electronic education that publishes articles in the field of distance education. This research aims to review and analyze the content and citations of IDEJ articles. The research method, content analysis, and citation were done using Excel and SPSS software. The research findings showed that 81 articles were published in 10 issues of this quarterly magazine, from number 1 of volume A to number 2 of volume 4. Findings show that 83 percent were written in groups, the rest were written individually, 54% were university faculty members, and Payam Noor University had the most significant number of authors. Quantitative methods were used more with 66%, the keyword "e-learning" with 14 repetitions had the most extensive range of articles, and three professors from Payam Noor University had the most significant articles. Also, some authors were from Brazil, Nigeria, and Alaska, and women are as active as men. Suggestions were also made to correct the deficiencies and develop the magazine.

The purpose of current study is to explore the critical challenges of e-learning in higher education institutions. The data for this research were collected through a qualitative approach using a descriptive phenomenological method and semi-structured interview tool, then the findings were analyzed by Colaizzi's (1978) 7-step method. The research field included 12 academic experts in E-learning at the University of Tehran through purposeful Sampling. The validity of qualitative data, based on the four criteria of Lincoln and Goba (1985) including; credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability and also reliability by re-coding and two coders have been examined and confirmed. The results of the analysis led to exploring142 main concepts, then in the form of 10 critical challenges related to the most components of the educational system including; learner, teacher, technology, financial and information resources, ethical considerations, university culture, classroom leadership, support system, learning effectiveness, and satisfaction of internal stakeholders. Finally, using a systematic approach, the mentioned challenges have been classified into three main dimensions of learning-teaching system such as; input, process, and output.

Purpose: The objective of this research was to present an e-learning model with an emphasis on psychological capital at Mellat Insurance. Methodology: This research is qualitative in nature and employs thematic analysis as its method. The qualitative section of the study population included experts in education, e-learning, and psychology, focusing on psychological capital. Through purposive sampling, criterion-based, the desired sample was selected, and sampling continued until theoretical saturation of the data was reached. Thus, the participants in the study included 18 experts and managers. The data collection tool in this research was semi-structured interviews. It is noteworthy that the extraction of these indices was conducted by reviewing existing theoretical foundations and implementing interview transcripts using the thematic analysis method of Braun and Clarke in ATLAS.ti software. Findings: Based on the qualitative technique of thematic analysis, 141 initial codes were identified in 20 initial themes, and finally, 6 constructive themes were determined. The 6 constructive themes are: educational content, e-learning infrastructure, institutionalization of psychological capital, intra-organizational factors, extra-organizational factors, and effectiveness. Conclusion: One of the main necessities for implementing an e-learning model with an emphasis on psychological capital at Mellat Insurance is to increase organizational productivity. Organizational maturity refers to the ability of the organization to respond to challenges, adapt to changes, and continuously improve. This concept addresses the organization's ability to utilize internal and external knowledge, experiences, and resources to enhance processes, improve performance, and create added value. The primary necessity is that Mellat Insurance must seek to establish an advanced and flexible educational structure that enables employees to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to face emerging challenges and opportunities.

The study evaluated the opportunities and challenges of e-learning for university students and investigated their experiences. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative) was used. In the quantitative phase, a survey was conducted to explore students' competencies in coping with e-learning attributes, involving 237 university students (46.9% male, 53.1% female). Descriptive and analytical tests were used to analyze the data. The results indicated the mean scores of students' perspectives on the opportunities and challenges of e-learning in university were 4.05 ± 0.49 out of 5. In the qualitative phase, data were collected through semi-structured interviews. To provide a richer context and better understanding and interpretation of the quantitative findings, the current research employed qualitative research methodologies, including focus group discussions with ten interviewees—five academic staff members and five students. Combining both student and academic staff perspectives provides a more comprehensive understanding of the research topic. Students and staff may have different viewpoints, experiences, and needs related to the subject matter. The qualitative analysis identified five significant themes: communication defects, technical challenges, personal-level challenges, curricular-level issues, and social challenges. The study's findings may be utilized to design better policies and strategies to enhance e-learning and address its issues among both instructors and students. Finally, the study provides implications for relevant stakeholders

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the most significant disruption of education systems in human history worldwide. In the present condition, E-learning platforms have gained more importance and become a permanent part of teachers’ and students’ lives. Consequently, studying E-learning platforms from a systemic approach gained the most prominence. One of the available and most used online platforms in Iran is “Adobe Connect”. Therefore, this study has investigated the challenges and benefits of using “Adobe Connect” in the Iranian E-learning system from the point of view of EFL students and teachers. This is a case study in which an in-depth understanding of language learning through the mentioned online platform was sought. The participants consisted of 10 EFL teachers and 158 students studying English at Islamic Azad University and Ilia Language Institute in Sirjan, who were selected based on purposive sampling. The data were collected using a researcher-made five-Likert scale questionnaire, including 27 items and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated a moderately positive attitude of language learners’ toward “Adobe Connect”. In addition, the EFL teachers presented a series of advantages and disadvantages of this platform. The obtained outcomes could serve the online platform creators and developers, teachers and learners as users of this platform and as a model for countries with similar technology infrastructure and cultural features wishing to improve their e-learning systems.