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The purpose of this study was to develop and measure the usability of the software prototype of formative assessment in the LMS. This study was applied in terms of research objective and mixed method (qualitative-quantitative) in terms of data collection in which an exploratory sequential mixed methods design was used. In addition, in order to collect data in the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews and focus group sessions were held, while in the quantitative part, a researcher-made questionnaire was employed. The content analysis coding method was used to analyze the data obtained from interviews. The findings of the qualitative phase of the research revealed that there are a total of 12 main needs and solutions to improve the LMS in the field of formative assessment. Moreover, based on these needs and solutions, five main processes of Dynamic Dashboard, Mirror, Treasure, Real Me, and Step-by-Step to the Goal were designed for the prototype of formative assessment software. Furthermore, one-sample t-test was used to analyze the data collected in the quantitative phase of the research. Findings showed that the developed software enjoys the necessary usability.

Increasing children's access to media has attached greater significance to media literacy education, the content and methods of which have changed with media development. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) method on media literacy competencies in elementary students. To this end, 95 female sixth-grade elementary students were selected from Moalem Elementary School, Hamedan, Iran, in the academic year 2019-2020 as the sample using multistage random cluster sampling. This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups, i.e. CoI, Direct Teaching (DT), and Control (CON). For data collection, three tests including functional evaluation, self-evaluation, and parent evaluation were used, whose reliability and validity had been verified using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, content validity ratio (CVR), and content validity index (CVI), was employed to collect data and evaluate media competency dimensions. The results from the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the post hoc Scheffé's test demonstrated the significantly higher media literacy level of students in the CoI group compared with the DT and CON groups at a 95% confidence interval. A significant difference was also observed in the subscales of Critical Consumption, Functional Prosumption, and Critical Prosumption. Based on these findings, the CoI is suggested to be applied in the design, development, and implementation of media literacy programs to allow students to use media properly, critique their content, and actively participate in online content creation.

This study investigates and fully identifies the challenges of the Iranian e-learning system. The approach was qualitative and the method was research synthesis. The statistical population consisted of studies from 2006 to 2019 in the field of challenges of the e-learning system of Iran collected with specific keywords from the country's databases. A total of 48 studies were identified as relevant. They were screened in stages and evaluated based on their title, abstract, and content. The final 19 articles selected underwent content analysis, revealing that Iran's e-learning system faces problems in eight dimensions: legal, human, educational, technological, sociocultural, support, economic, and managerial-organizational. The results of the analysis could serve as a model for countries with similar technology infrastructure and cultural features wishing to improve their e-learning systems.

The present study seeks to critically review the state of the blended learning researches in the Iranian context. For this critique, 47 papers about blended learning were found in a number of indexing databases and their contents were analyzed. The contents mainly revolved around use of relevant terminology, features of blended learning, methodology, levels of blended learning, variables of the study, and the analyzed educational programs. Some major criticisms that can be leveled at these studies include limited range of terminology, inappropriate use of key concepts, overemphasis on quantitative methods, overuse of pseudo-empirical method, lack of case studies, mistaking blended learning for application of computers in education, excessive concentration on the level of educational programs, superficial treatment of the distinction between learning and retaining, lack of attention to some of the variables of blended learning, and use of blended learning for primary and secondary education.

In the present era, blended learning (BL) is one of the most frequently used concepts related to integrating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with the curriculum. Numerous research is conducted annually in the field of blended learning in different regions of the world. The purpose of the present research is to determine the status of blended learning researches in Iran. For this, 60 articles were selected, using systematic review and observing inclusion and exclusion criteria, and analysed based on six themes including terminology, methodology, topic, blending level, context and technology. The results revealed that the researches on blended learning in Iran are similar to international studies in some themes such as terminology, context and blending level and different in other themes including topic, methodology and terminology. Based on the findings, suggestions are made for international and Iranian blended learning researchers.

The study was aimed at identifying the potentials of and barriers to the Smart School Project (SSP). Through the use of a mixed methods design, data were garnered from 746 school teachers, principals, and information technology experts, semi-structured interviews with 21 key informants and two researcher-designed questionnaires on the potentials of and barriers to SSP. The qualitative data were analyzed using three-stage coding and quantitative data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis. The findings from the three data collection tools indicate 8 potentials and 9 barriers. SSP potentials include improving teachers', principals', and students' knowledge, skills and attitudes toward using information and communication technology (ICT), access to quality e-content, increasing school facilities, potentials available in the social environment, developing curriculum beyond schools, student participation in the learning process, enhancing school and parent relationship, and social supports and enacted laws. Further, SSP development barriers are comprised of 9 themes including teachers', principals' and students' lack of access to ICT and using it, vagueness in policies, missions, and goals of ICT integration into school curriculum, lack of support system and supervision, lack of specialized training for principals and teachers, barriers concerned with the nature of ICT, incompatibility of curriculum structure with ICT, structural and organizational barriers, cultural conditions and barriers, and lack of space and equipment.

In the present era, blended learning (BL) is one of the most frequently used concepts related to integrating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with the curriculum. Numerous research is conducted annually in the field of blended learning in different regions of the world. The purpose of the present research is to determine the status of blended learning researches in Iran. For this, 60 articles were selected, using systematic review and observing inclusion and exclusion criteria, and analysed based on six themes including terminology, methodology, topic, blending level, context and technology. The results revealed that the researches on blended learning in Iran are similar to international studies in some themes such as terminology, context and blending level and different in other themes including topic, methodology and terminology. Based on the findings, suggestions are made for international and Iranian blended learning researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to work out solutions for reducing Social Media(SM) harms based on the media ecological perspective. According to media ecology perspective, SM should be addressed at micro-, meso-, exo-, macro-, and chrono-levels. Drawing on meta-synthesis method, Magiran, SID, Noormags, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Springer, Ebscohost, and Sage databases were searched for the data using related keywords. Accordingly, a number of 129 articles were retrieved from the databases. Further analyses on the article titles, abstracts and full texts led to the exclusion of 47, 26, and 14 articles from the set, respectively. Eventually, 42 articles were selected and analyzed as the research sample. The eligibility criteria included peer-reviewed journal articles or full conference papers on social media harms or abuse, published between 2002 -2020, available in English and Persian. As other sources (e.g. dissertations) are not peer-reviewed, and we aimed to identify rigorous best practice literature, we excluded these. The results showed that solutions could be worked out by studying the why and how to use and to participate along with the harms simultaneously. The why and how to use as well as the harms may be determined at micro-, meso-, exo-, macro-, and chrono-levels so that solutions could be proposed at five levels including nurturing time management skills; promoting critical thinking; encouraging family, peer, and colleagues' participation in creating recreational, sports and leisure contexts; teaching media literacy; passing binding and persuasive laws, then review the historical trend of technology adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the factors influencing the use of mobile learning in the higher education milieu. The research has used the descriptive survey methodology. The participants in this study were 265 professors at Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. These participants were chosen randomly. The data were collected by a questionnaire consisting of 42 questions. The questionnaire was developed through a review of existing literature in this field. The reliability of the questionnaire was measured 0/89, using the Cronbach's alpha with SPSS software. To analyze the data and identify the factors, the exploratory factor analysis was run. The results revealed the factors affecting the use of mobile learning in higher education from the perspective of teachers, including technical and technological factors, Attitude factors, personal factors, skills and knowledge factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates and fully identifies the challenges of the Iranian e-learning system. The approach was qualitative and the method was research synthesis. The statistical population consisted of studies from 2006 to 2019 in the field of challenges of the e-learning system of Iran collected with specific keywords from the country’s databases. A total of 48 studies were identified as relevant. They were screened in stages and evaluated based on their title, abstract, and content. The final 19 articles selected underwent content analysis, revealing that Iran’s e-learning system faces problems in eight dimensions: legal, human, educational, technological, sociocultural, support, economic, and managerial-organizational. The results of the analysis could serve as a model for countries with similar technology infrastructure and cultural features wishing to improve their e-learning systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper will address the question of whether there is any tendency among Iranian virtual universities to apply research findings to contribute not only to upgrading knowledge but to make their system more effective. It should be noted that some of the essential missions of the educational institutes and universities include; providing solutions for community problems and opening new horizons to increase the citizen's welfare. Every community, as the supporter of educational institutes are expected to do research on technical, social, cultural and industrial issues in order to provide help for decision-makers and policy-makers. In this regard, variety of theoretical efforts has been made to explain how research findings can be turned into plans and practices. This has further resulted in innovating terminology, dissemination of innovation, knowledge transmission, and knowledge and research mobilization and so on. These terms indicate that application of research findings is a progressive, interactive, manifold, structured and social context process. Here, we tackle the issue further to see what is happening in Iranian virtual universities in that regard. Problem statement: Application of research findings is a multidimensional phenomenon and requires close attention. To use the research findings in order to make decisions and put them into practice, one must trust the validity of the findings; also the research finding should be distributed among decision-makers in a reliable manner. In order to disseminate the research findings among those who would use them, there should be a reliable and comprehensive information system that can transfer the research findings to real users. After that the research findings should be defined and be translated into some operational and administrative decision-making terms so that practitioners in all institutions can use them in actual scenes. Social context and the role of various other factors in the process are also crucial. Therefore, with the emergence of information & communication technology and development of virtual universities in Iran, the question raised here is what factors affect the application of research findings in Iranian virtual universities? Theory and method: In order to tackle the issue, we will use the model of Levine (4112) as the base model as we believe it will provide a better framework for analyzing the question of how it is possible to apply research findings in virtual universities in Iran. The model illustrates the fact that the application of research findings in practice depends on the situation and to the society that produced cyclic process, as well as to the interaction between research findings, exchange of findings and functional status of the educational institution. Levine (4112) believes research must first be validated in terms of feasibility of its methodology, as well as the problem it tackles, plus how it applies methods, how it defines its target population, how it approaches its sample population, and how it goes about to utilize methods of data analysis and finally what conclusions it makes and whether these results are reliable and plausible. According to this model, valid research findings should be distributed through systematic exchanges of ideas through conferences, journals and publications. Levin argues that the research findings in fact involve complex social activities and if they fail to be implemented they may not be of any use any more as the social context will change and will require different research findings from the previous ones. Using Levin's model we set the aim of this study to be an identification of and ranking the factors involved in application of research findings at virtual universities in Iran. Statistical populations of this research were considered to Iranian virtual universities which included the key informants and domestic researchers of e-learning totaling about 171 individuals. In order to select the research sample, we assumed a simple random sampling method through which 111 individuals were selected to be surveyed. The content validity of research questionnaire was tested through reviews of eight expertise precise reviews. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated amounting to /117 which is an acceptable rate. In order to analyze the collected data we used T and F parametric tests and non parametric Scheffe test. Findings: the research findings revealed that there are six factors that influence the process of application of research findings in Iranian virtual universities. These factors include: addressing the critical research problems, choosing appropriate research methodology, considering an appropriate mechanism for presenting research findings, organizing the findings and using modes of distributing information, presenting the research finding in accurate and operational forms, expressing findings adaptable to the requirements of the educational context of the organization. Also we used the Friedman test to show that factors affecting the application of research findings in Iranian Virtual Universities, are at the level of 1/99 significant differences. Accordingly, the expression of findings with regard to the educational context of the organization is consistent with the highest impact. And the impact of other factors in sequential importance include: organizing the findings and using modes of distributing information, selecting appropriate mechanism for presenting research findings, presenting the research finding in accurate and operational forms and choosing appropriate research methodology. The factor of addressing the critical research problem indicated the lowest rate of importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]