Electronic Journal of e-Learning

How Blended Work-integrated Learning Fosters Students’ Creative Design Competencies

Luqian Wang, Kin Wai Michael Siu, Bolton K H Chau, Yi-Teng Shih — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Grounded in boundary crossing theory, we developed and examined a Blended Work-Integrated Learning (B-WIL) framework. Guided by an action research design, this study implemented the model in an undergraduate toy design course characterised by a blended ecology, dual-scale mentorship, and student-centred education. Operating as a critical “boundary broker,” the local mentor translated high-level global insights into the material realities of physical practice. 28 group reflection reports were collected and analysed through a dual-track qualitative strategy: (1) deductive process tracing of design episodes and (2) inductive thematic analysis of perceived competency development. Findings suggest that students encountered recurring challenges, including contextual dissonance, interpretive disconnects, prototype failures, and design fixation, yet resolved them through evolving patterns of support-seeking, experimentation, and cross-boundary communication. The local broker emerged as a key figure in mediating cultural misunderstandings, reframing global critiques, and validating physical prototypes that remote experts could not directly assess. Across the two project cycles, students demonstrated a marked behavioural shift: from epistemic dependence on expert authority towards autonomous, peer-driven experimentation and earlier engagement with material prototyping. The thematic analysis points to three emergent trans-boundary competencies cultivated through the B-WIL environment: sociomaterial fluency, contextual agility, and cross-boundary communication. These competencies equip students to navigate the digital-physical divide, reconcile local cultural identity with global market expectations, and synthesise complex knowledge across spatial and disciplinary boundaries. The study concludes that the B-WIL framework reframes the disembodiment risk of virtual WIL as productive boundary friction that accelerates professional growth. It also offers an actionable, scalable blueprint for institutions seeking to integrate global virtual networks with local physical mentorship, helping students remain materially grounded while becoming globally fluent.

Digital Inequality and e-Learning Barriers for Incarcerated Students in UNISA Correctional Hubs

Molefe Maloma — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Open distance e-learning (ODeL) has broadened access to higher education for marginalised groups worldwide. However, for incarcerated students, correctional environments impose restrictions on internet access, communication, and study time that undermine the flexibility central to ODeL. In South Africa, the University of South Africa (UNISA) operates e-learning hubs in partnership with the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). Despite this initiative, limited empirical evidence exists on the study experiences of incarcerated students, particularly regarding cognitive and contextual barriers. This study investigates (i) the cognitive and learning barriers faced by incarcerated distance students (RQ1) and (ii) the ways their experiences differ from those of non-incarcerated students (RQ2). A quantitative survey of 45 students across three UNISA hubs (Kgoši Mampuru II and Brandvlei Correctional Centres) was conducted using anonymous paper questionnaires to protect respondent anonymity. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, with results reported as headcount frequencies due to the small sample size. Findings reveal significant structural constraints. 58% of respondents reported insufficient access time, with internet use restricted to weekday mornings and middays, and no evening or weekend access. The importance of this finding lies not only in the quantity of available time but in the fragmentation and unpredictability of access. ODeL systems assume continuity of engagement, whereas correctional access structures interrupt study routines and reduce students’ ability to regulate their own learning. Nearly half engaged with the online library for less than one hour daily, while 62% received little or no librarian support. Peer collaboration was limited, with 40% unable to participate in online forums, and DCS oversight further constrained autonomy, with 58% requiring daily approval for educational activities. 87% enrolled with UNISA for the first time after incarceration, meaning that the correctional hub was their initial point of contact with tertiary e-learning. These results demonstrate a mismatch between ODeL requirements and correctional conditions. Recommendations include extending hub access hours, strengthening library and digital literacy support, improving academic responsiveness, and enabling supervised collaboration mechanisms compatible with security requirements. By providing empirical evidence from South Africa, this study advances understanding of correctional e-learning. It contributes to international debates on digital inclusion in correctional education and informs policy interventions aimed at promoting educational equity for incarcerated students. The findings also highlight the importance of aligning institutional support structures with pedagogical needs, ensuring that incarcerated students are not disadvantaged compared to their non-incarcerated Peers.

LMS-supported Metacognitive Scaffolding and Digital Competence in Pre-service Teachers

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Digital competence and metacognitive self-regulation are increasingly treated as core outcomes of teacher education, yet their co-development through routine learning management system (LMS) use remains underexamined. This study evaluated a 15-week Platonus-based intervention at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan. The intervention integrated metacognitive prompts with professionally relevant digital tasks, connecting learning-to-learn support with digital pedagogy in teacher preparation. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent groups design involved 249 final-year pre-service teachers: 125 students completed structured LMS activities combining multimedia modules, reflective journals, prediction–feedback quizzes, discussion forums, peer review and digital lesson production, while 124 students received the same course content through conventional instruction with minimal LMS use. Baseline equivalence was assessed, and outcome changes were analysed using 2 × 2 mixed-design analyses of variance; open-ended responses and LMS activity data were used to contextualise the quantitative findings. Metacognitive awareness was measured with the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, and perceived professional digital competence with a DigCompEdu-informed self-report questionnaire. Mixed-design analyses of variance showed significant Time × Group interactions for metacognitive awareness, F(1, 247) = 98.3, p < .001, partial η² = .285, and perceived digital competence, F(1, 247) = 123.5, p < .001, partial η² = .333. The experimental group gained 11.8 points in metacognitive awareness and 17.8 points in perceived digital competence on 0–100 scales, whereas control-group changes were small. Supplementary open-ended feedback identified immediate formative feedback and peer exchange as the most salient affordances of the LMS activities. The design offers a practical model for teacher-education programmes: structured cycles of prediction, reflection, feedback, peer interaction and digital production can connect self-regulation with pedagogical technology use without requiring a new platform. Within this single institutional context, the findings indicate that an existing LMS can be redesigned as a pedagogical scaffold linking planning, monitoring and evaluation with authentic digital teaching practice; however, the unusually large effects require independent replication before broader conclusions are drawn.

From Awareness to Action: Online Learning and the Enhancement of University Students’ Understanding and Intentions in Social Entrepreneurship

Ludmiła Walaszczyk, Remigiusz Mazur — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores university students’ awareness and understanding of social entrepreneurship and examines changes associated with participation in an online learning intervention based on the upskillingRural modular course. The research aims to identify both existing knowledge gaps and the extent to which changes in students’ self-reported competences were observed following participation in structured digital education. A predominantly quantitative pre-post research design, complemented by a qualitative focus group component, was applied. The quantitative component involved 404 students from rural areas who completed the upskillingRural modular online course. Awareness and knowledge were positively, but weakly correlated (rₛ = 0.14, p = 0.005), indicating that greater awareness was associated with only slightly higher substantive knowledge. The quantitative pre-post assessment was complemented by 50 focus group discussions involving 300 students across five participating countries (Poland, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and Austria). The focus groups explored students’ educational needs, perceptions of rural entrepreneurship, barriers to applying entrepreneurial knowledge, and the perceived usefulness of the course. The questionnaire assessed awareness, conceptual understanding, and attitudes toward social entrepreneurship. For students who completed the upskillingRural online course, pre- and post-course comparisons were conducted to assess changes in self-reported knowledge and competences. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, paired-samples t-tests, and effect sizes were used to analyse the data. The intervention comprised twelve interconnected modules (M1-M12) combining social entrepreneurship with digital, environmental, relational, and market-oriented competencies. Descriptive and exploratory focus-group observations suggested as application-level gap: although students appeared familiar with individual business-model components, integrating these elements into a coherent business concept remained challenging. Participants also identified limited promotion of rural opportunities and youth migration towards larger cities as barriers, while targeted training and advisory support were perceived as important support mechanisms. Before the upskillingRural course, students showed general awareness of the social mission of entrepreneurship, but limited understanding of its operational and financial mechanisms. Following the online course, participants reported statistically significant pre-post increases in self-reported competence, including perceived understanding of operational models (+24.3%), self-reported knowledge of funding mechanisms (+23.1%), and perceived ability to assess social impact (+50.6%). The overall self-assessment score increased from 3.12 (SD = 0.98) before the course to 4.27 (SD = 0.89) after the course. This change was statistically significant, t(403) = 17.73, p < .001, with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.88). The study provides that empirical evidence of improvements in self-reported competences following participation in the upskillingRural modular online course can effectively strengthen both theoretical and applied competencies in rural entrepreneurship. By linking questionnaire outcomes with the learning objectives of each upskillingRural module, the findings suggest the potential of digital pedagogies to foster pro-social, entrepreneurial, and digital skills in higher education. The findings offer valuable guidance for the design of comprehensive, competency-based e-learning course in social entrepreneurship. The measurable improvements observed after participation in the online course indicate that modular, interactive online education such as that developed within the upskillingRural framework may have potential to support the transition from theoretical understanding to practical application. Educators are encouraged to integrate experiential and practice-oriented digital components, including simulations, collaborative projects, and virtual incubators, to enhance students’ engagement, critical thinking, and applied learning outcomes. Moreover, aligning course content with established modular frameworks can improve the coherence and transferability of learning objectives across institutions.

Clustering Student Performance Across Changing Teaching Modalities: A Three-year Longitudinal Learning Analytics Study

Miran Zlatović, Igor Balaban, Marko Matus — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Learning Analytics research frequently examines learner behaviour and performance within a single cohort or teaching context, leaving limited evidence on whether comparable learner profiles recur across different teaching modalities. This study addresses this gap by analysing three consecutive cohorts (N=636) of the same university course delivered under fully online, blended, and on-site teaching conditions. Data included knowledge-domain mastery estimates and LMS activity logs used for clustering, while final course grades were used post hoc to characterise the resulting learner profiles. K-means clustering was used to identify and compare learner profiles, while non-parametric tests examined differences in mastery and final grades across cohorts. Three broadly comparable profiles emerged: higher-performing students (C1), failing students (C2), and struggling students comprising failing and low-passing students (C3). While their performance-based structure remained recognisable across cohorts, LMS activity patterns varied considerably. C2 consistently exhibited the lowest activity, whereas higher activity did not consistently distinguish higher-performing from struggling students. Significant differences in knowledge-domain mastery were observed across cohorts, with higher mastery levels in later cohorts in four of seven domains, while significant differences in final grades emerged primarily for the third cohort. The findings extend previous single-cohort research and demonstrate how learner profiles can inform differentiated educational support.