Academic success depends on the comprehension of a language, which is linked to vocabulary learning. Many distance students in South Africa find it difficult to comprehend learning in a language other than their mother tongue. Finding effective strategies for enhancing English vocabulary of university students amidst the spatial, temporal, and pedagogic distance associated with Open Distance Learning (ODL) practices remains a challenge. To address the need for enhancing vocabulary development, mobile application systems (apps) were explored as the best vehicle for the delivery of the vocabulary learning. Mobile learning technologies are ideal in the ODL context because they are flexible, accessible, available, and cater for a myriad of interaction activities. The purpose of the study is to design and implement a mobile-based application aimed at enhancing English vocabulary teaching and learning. Using the Design-Based Research methodology, this study maps the steps taken to develop a vocabulary learning mobile app named VocUp; it describes the architecture, user interface, features of VocUp, and advocates for contextually-conscious and learning-driven app development.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the pedagogical suitability of using cellphones to enhance learning through social interaction in distance education. Social interaction was used as a conceptual framework to explore the potential for using "MXit"-a cellphone instant messaging system-to support and enhance learning for distance education students. In exploring how MXit could be used to facilitate social interaction, a pilot study was conducted with University of South Africa's (UNISA) students to determine how communities of learning are established. The findings suggest that MXit has the potential to be used to support collaborative learning amongst distance learners. Using MXit is even more appropriate in this context because in most black South African cultures, collaborative learning is a strong factor determining values and social interaction.
A 60-item questionnaire on conceptions of learning was mailed to students taking preparatory courses by distance learning with The Open University in the United Kingdom. Complete data were provided by 372 respondents. Their scores on six factor-based scales showed satisfactory internal consistency, cluster analysis identified five groups of students with distinct patterns of scores, and discriminant analysis identified the scales that served to distinguish among the clusters. Three groups had conceptions of learning based on critical thinking, personal development, and personal change, but the other groups had conceptions that were defined in largely negative terms. Adult learners embarking on distance education seem to hold distinctive conceptions of learning, which suggests that conceptions of learning are culturally and contextually dependent.
Evaluating the quality of students' support services in distance education institutions is vital because by nature Open Distance Learning (ODL) is a high-involvement service industry, with multiple student support service encounters. Most quality evaluation models tend to view quality from the institutional perspective. As a result, little is known about the determinants of service quality, which distance education students can use to evaluate the support services provided by their institutions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of support services from the current users of the services. It is through students' expectations and perceptions of their experiences that we shall understand the quality of the support services needed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand distance students' perceptions and expectations of the service received. The results of the study indicated that service quality in distance education can be measured by six dimensions namely; tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, delivery, assurance and student participation. Each dimension can be measured by a number of attributes. The dimensions will be useful in helping distance education institutions evaluate the quality of their support services from students' perspective; by so doing monitoring the overall performance of their services.
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