Needs analysis of SNSPA academic staff for e-learning development

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Needs analysis of SNSPA academic staff for
e-learning development
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Methodology

• Questionnaire sent to 187 staff members
• Questionnaire answered by 63 people
• 8 people expressed interest in training and have
  been interviewed
• Interview grid covered the following topics
• Reflection upon self-experience in teaching
• Perceived advantages / disadvantages of
  e-learning
• Activities / technologies used
• Factors encouraging greater use of e-learning
• Perceived strenghts and weaknesses of their own
  department in implementing e-learning
• Previous training experience

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Institutional profile (1)

• Staff from three faculties/ departments have
  participated in the survey
• - Faculty of Public Administration 19 of all
  respondents.
• - Faculty of Communication and Public Relations
  50.8 of all respondents.
• - Faculty of Political Sciences 30.2 of all
  respondents.

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Institutional profile (2)
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E-learning training paths

• 34 of the respondents have previously
  participated in training sessions on the use of
  ICT in the teaching/learning process
• Types of past training experiences
• too long ago
• limited to basic competences
• redundant, not tailored to individual needs

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Understandings of e-learning (1)
In the following list of terms, mark the ones you consider you understand In the following list of terms, mark the ones you consider you understand
(please tick all that apply) Response Frequency
Instant messaging / Chat 93,7
eCourse packs 92,1
e-Learning 90,5
Digital repositories 90,5
Social software (blogs, wikis) 82,5
Portals 79,4
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) 73,0
Web conferencing 71,4
Online survey creation tools 57,1
Plagiarism detection software (PDS) 47,6
ePortofolios 19,0
I don't understand any of these terms 3,2
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Understandings of e-learning (2)

• Computer assisted education, access to
  resources, capability to organize resources and
  learning process
• Distance education by using technology
• E-learning is more effective for the elites, for
  the bright students whose learning outcomes are
  better compared to traditional education on the
  other side, it seems to be less effective for the
  learning performances of the average student

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Understandings of e-learning (3)

• Conclusion
• Understandings of e-learning are vague,
  divergent (e-learning for elites vs e-learning
  for mass education), general, very much tied to
  distance education, more focused on technology
  and less on the specifics of the learning process.

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Making use of e-learning - activities
Answer Options To what extent do you consider you are able to carry out this task/activity? -Large and very large extent In your teaching, are you currently performing this task/activity? Do you intend to further develop your abilities to carry out this task/activity?
Using the internet to locate teaching resources 100 96 91
Emailing students for academic purposes 98 96 80
Supporting students to search for information on the Internet 89 93 87
Writing open / distance learning materials 82 69 89
Facilitating/ tutoring online discussions with students 76 60 87
Using audiovisual media for teaching and learning 73 75 89
Integrating e-learning components into a face-to-face course 64 51 89
Using computer-based / online assessment 64 51 78
Creating computer-based learning materials 53 45 78
Working with visualisation tools (e.g. Mind maps, image/ diagram editing) 40 38 80
Design online activities and discusions 36 38 85
Creating a simple website 36 29 73
Using computer-based simulations and games for teaching and learning 22 7 76
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Making use of e-learning - technologies
Answer Options How would you rate your skills in using this technology? (Expert, good, sufficient for my needs) In your teaching, do you currently use this technology?
Synchronous communication software 83,02 45,28
eJournals 73,58 37,74
Streaming audio and/or video 71,70 43,40
Blogs 69,81 30,19
Conferencing systems (FirstClass) / Discussion boards 64,15 35,85
Wikis 50,94 35,85
Authoring tools (FrontPage) 47,17 28,30
Virtual Learning Environments (Blackboard, Moodle, WebCT) 41,51 26,42
Online survey creation tools 39,62 24,53
Plagiarism detection software 30,19 26,42
ePortofolios 22,64 16,98
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Factors triggering e-learning
Answer Options What would encourage you to make (greater) use of e-learning?
Getting support form the university administration 66,0
Get more training 58,5
Having more resources 56,6
Having more time 43,4
Other 9,4
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OE

• Having appropriate equipment in class/lecture
  rooms
• I don't need more competences in e-learning than
  my current level
• Would my disciplines allow an e-learning
  approach, I'd make greater use of IT
• An active community of practice
• Software acquisitions (VLE and plagiarism
  detection software)

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Preferred modes of training and support
Answer Options Select two modes of training and support that would suit your working patterns
brief self training materials/ how-to guides 62,3
internet resources 62,3
online training 58,5
short face to face sessions (up to two hours) 50,9
half day face to face session 32,1
all day face to face session 17,0
Other learning by trial and error / personalised sessions 3,8
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Projections of future developments
  Which of the following apply to you (please tick all that apply) Which of the following apply to you (please tick all that apply) Which of the following apply to you (please tick all that apply) Which of the following apply to you (please tick all that apply)
Answer Options I am currently using e-learning for teaching and learning I have been using e-learning for teaching and learning in the past I expect to use e-learning for teaching and learning in the future I am involved in research related to e-learning
I am an e-learning expert 20,00 17,39 6,67 40,00
I am not an expert, but experienced in e-learning 67,50 56,52 50,00 53,33
I am an e-learning novice 12,50 26,09 43,33 6,67
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Use of e-learning by participation in previous
training
Have you participated in previous training sessions?  Which of the following applies to you (please tick all that apply) Which of the following applies to you (please tick all that apply) Which of the following applies to you (please tick all that apply) Which of the following applies to you (please tick all that apply)
Answer Options I am currently using e-learning for teaching and learning I have been using e-learning for teaching and learning in the past I expect to use e-learning for teaching and learning in the future I am involved in research related to e-learning
YES 44,12 28,57 18,52 60,00
NO 55,88 71,43 81,48 40,00