Electronic Journal of e-Learning

Riding The Wave of Technology Integration by Applying Student-Centered, Blended Learning Course Design Principles in a Human Anatomy Course

2024-12-30T14:28:38+00:00

This case-study focuses on improving the teaching and learning experience of second year students in a Human Anatomy course at a Health Sciences University in South Africa. The students were underperforming, and the repeaters caused classes to become overcrowded. In search of a solution an instructor of the course and an instructional designer at the University worked on a re-design of the course by including technology and increasing interaction with the course content and peer collaboration as supported by research and best practices. A mixed-methods research methodology was utilized by collecting qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data was collected from an interview with the lecturer and a feedback survey from the students. For the analysis of the qualitative data a thematic analysis was applied to identify themes and subthemes which were sorted under the following sub-questions: what were the challenges, successes and suggestions of the newly designed course? Additionally, quantitative data was collected from the students’ grades. The application of technology and increased student engagement proved to be successful, and the study proposes a framework based on best practices and feedback from the lecturer and students for an improved course design for the future.

Prompting Minds: Evaluating how Students Perceive Generative AI’s Critical Thinking Dispositions

2025-02-15T08:59:56+00:00

As generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT become increasingly integrated into educational environments, understanding their impact on critical thinking is crucial. Despite growing concerns about AI's potential to diminish students' independent reasoning, there is a lack of research tools specifically designed to evaluate students' perceptions of AI's cognitive capabilities. To address this gap, this study introduces the Perceived Critical Thinking Disposition of Generative Artificial Intelligence (PCTD-GAI) scale, aimed at measuring how students perceive generative AI’s (GAI) six critical thinking dispositions (reasoning, access to justice, search for evidence, search for truth, open-mindedness, and systematicity). While this study validates the scale using ChatGPT, the instrument is adaptable for evaluating other generative AI tools, supporting broader research in AI-driven learning environments, to assess not only how students engage with AI, but also how their reliance on AI may affect their cognitive development and self-regulated learning skills in digital education. To develop and validate the PCTD-GAI scale, the Marmara Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale (MCTDS) was adapted, ensuring relevance to AI assessment while maintaining conceptual robustness. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted with 931 university students from Portugal and Poland, employing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA & CFA) to assess the scale’s validity and reliability. The results demonstrate that the PCTD-GAI effectively captures students’ perceptions of ChatGPT’s critical thinking dispositions across six key dimensions. Findings indicate moderately positive perceptions across both countries, with Portuguese students consistently rating ChatGPT marginally higher across domains and showing less response variability, suggesting greater consensus. Notably, perceptions were most neutral in the "truth-seeking" domain, while systematicity received the highest ratings, reflecting ChatGPT’s perceived systematic capabilities among students. These findings have significant implications for e-learning and AI-driven education. The PCTD-GAI scale enables educators to track students’ evolving AI literacy and develop targeted interventions that promote critical AI engagement rather than passive reliance on AI-generated content. Moreover, this research advances the field of e-learning by offering an empirical basis for integrating AI assessment into digital learning strategies, ensuring that AI serves as a cognitive tool rather than a substitute for independent reasoning. The validated PCTD-GAI scale provides a reliable, scalable method for assessing students’ perceptions of AI's cognitive capabilities, supporting evidence-based AI pedagogy, and guiding institutional policies on AI integration in education.

Slideshows as a Tool for Learning and Assessment: Pros and Cons as Perceived by Students

2025-03-03T09:26:16+00:00

In academic studies, some course assignments take the form of presentations. The art of presentation involves conveying messages and one of the methods is by delivering presentations, either face-to-face, synchronously, and/or asynchronously. Presentations require analyzing a topic, processing an article, analyzing ideas, dilemmas, lesson plans, etc. This study examines the benefits and shortcomings of slideshow presentations as a means for learning and as an assessment tool, as perceived by students. The study included 66 respondents, undergraduate students in a department of education at an Israeli university. The study combined qualitative and quantitative tools. From the research findings it is evident that the students perceive the benefits of slideshow presentations as improving learning capabilities, as well as enhancing learning and the student’s personal development. Another benefit emerging from the findings is that students see presentations as a means not only for presenting their knowledge to the lecturer but rather also for conveying information to their peers. Namely, the presentation has meaning both on the academic level and on the collaborative level. This benefit is perceived by the students as very important in the current era, where the collaborative dimension is receiving extensive place and emphasis in processes of teaching, learning, and assessment, as well as constituting part of students’ learning outcomes. Creating a supportive learning community that generates a social-academic climate and boosts one’s sense of efficacy and resilience in an era of change is meaningful and will remain with them in their future jobs as well. Concerning the difficulties experienced by students, they noted that slideshow presentations give rise to stage fright, a finding that tops the list of human fears. At the same time, the students noted as benefit the fact that facing an audience is an important skill that should be mastered, where through use of presentations they can attempt to overcome their inner difficulties and develop. The research findings shed light on the use of slideshow presentations as a tool and as a means for supporting learning and assessment. These findings may contribute to improving students’ learning processes and to assessing their scholastic and personal development. For this purpose, however, it is necessary to train students to experience the preparation of effective presentations and to present to an audience, as well as to develop a culture that entails a collaborative-learning climate suitable for an era of digital innovation. Delivering presentations and speaking to an audience are essential skills in the modern workplace. Students will find themselves in professional situations that require them to present information, usually via slideshows and by conveying messages to an audience of listeners or viewers. It is possible to learn how to present to an audience and to acquire presentation skills, and there are even ways of successfully dealing with fear and enhancing confidence in such situations. Good strategies and techniques will grant the necessary training and tools to prepare and deliver presentations in an efficient and relevant manner.