Search

This study aims to develop a measuring instrument for determining the sense of community in online learning. The group of subjects included 245 students who studied in the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology in 2011-2012 academic year and participated in an online learning community. Explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out on the acquired data. As a result of the explanatory factor analysis, a 28-item measuring instrument with 3 factors was produced; the total variance that the factors explained regarding the scale was 42.65%. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of internal consistency, which was calculated depending on the item analysis for the reliability of the scale, was found to be 0.88 for the whole factor; the reliability coefficient for the test-retest measures of the scale was found to be 0.84. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the scale model was theoretically and statistically appropriate. The acquired values showed that the psychometric characteristics of the scale were within acceptable limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the second half of the 20th century, the developments in the field of information technologies and the Internet have introduced significant changes in both traditional and distance learning and e-learning has become one of the fundamental elements of education. While e-learning and educational use of the Internet have been getting more common, higher education institutions have been reviewing and restructuring their own positions in line with the developments in these areas. Around 50 universities in Turkey started remote education programs. Furthermore new tools to promote face to face education continue to exist on the Internet and to increase the efficiency of the courses. Since the beginning of the second part of 2000s, the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) has been leading the work for the implementation of the project of open course materials in order to improve the effectiveness of face to face courses and it has been supported by a number of universities. In the study, the situation in Gazi University was evaluated; the informatics system and the open course materials developed by the university in the process of e-learning were examined and the study also determined the extent to which students use the Internet for educational purposes. The result of the research shows that the efforts for creating open course materials in Gazi University have not proved sufficient yet. According to the results of the research, it was determined that the students' belief in their self-efficacy in the educational use of the Internet was at medium level. Gender and educational status of father were found to be related with self-efficacy. On the other hand, it was revealed that self-efficacy was not linked to the educational status of mother, having a computer, or taking computer classes in high school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]