Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE July 2012 ISSN 1302-6488 Volume: 13 Number: 3 from EditorDear TOJDE Readers,Welcome to the Volume 13 Number: 3 of TOJDE! In this issue, 2 Notes for Editor and 26 articles of 51 authors from 14 different countries around the world have been published. These published articles are from, Algeria, Australia, Bengaldesh, Greece, India, Iran, Malaysia, Mariutius, Nigeria, Oman, Spain, Turkey, USA and Zimbabwe.First all, you should know that if a submission picks up from 3 TOJDE editors between 4.5 and 9 over all 9 credits, it means that this submission can be published in TOJDE in the coming issues. However, since the publishing priority of the accepted papers belongs to the highest scored ones, submissions which receive a score between 4.5 and 5 or 6 should wait and be archived for publishing later on. TOJDE administration respected this publishing rule up to now. Therefore, some accepted submissions which obtained over 4.5 have not been published yet up to now. These submissions were waiting for publishing in TOJDE in the future. In this issue, we decided to give them a chance to be published. For this reason, the current issue includes more papers than the previous issues. The 1st Notes for editor arrived from USA and written by Steve McCREA on Transforming Teachers, Transforming Schools: Turning "Sages" Into "Guides on The Side". He mentioned that teachers, educational managers and learners must realize that new opportunities are offered by modern communication. When a teacher becomes a "guide on the side," there is a change in the school's culture that can be measured. This presentation is extracted from a newly published book, Let's Lecture Less, edited by Steve McCrea (Visualandactive.com) and Mario Joel Llorente Leyva. The 2nd notes for editor is titled as “Challenges Encountered By A Distance Learning Organisation” which is written by Dr. Sangeeta MALIK, from Education, Humanities and Social Sciences Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Pune, Maharashtra, India. This study explores; the rapid growth of the adult learner population is increasing the demand of distance learning techniques. The demographic study of the learners will help target the adult learner population and proper training will help organizations to develop course materials and techniques appropriately.The first article is from Australia titled as “Developing A Framework For” written by Dr Mahesh JOSHI, RMIT University, Victoria and Alperhan BABACAN from Swinburne University, Australia. The aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss the importance of infusing blogs as a formative assessment tool in university education. After describing the theoretical aims, design, implementation and evaluation of blogging as a formative assessment tool; the paper supports the argument for the educational use and pedagogical importance of blogging.The second article is titled as “Exploiting ICT and E-Learning In Teacher’s Professional Development in Algeria: The Case of English Secondary School Teachers”, written by Boutkhil GUEMIDE and Chellali BENACHAIBA, from University of Bechar, Algeria. This paper explains why e-learning is a crucial factor in teacher development and outlines how both ICTs and E-learning can help English secondary school teachers’ professional development in Algeria through the creation of an effective e-learning web-site.The 3rd article is titled as “A Model for Beliefs, Tool Acceptance Levels and Web Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Science and Technology Preservice Teachers Towards Web Based Instruction”. Written by Mehmet Barıs HORZUM and Ozlem CANAN GUNGOREN, from Sakarya University, TURKEY. The aim of this study is to examine this relation. In accordance with this aim, the study group of the study is consisted of 363 pre-service teachers. The data collected from pre-service teachers under the research were collected with scales of belief, tools acceptance and WPCK towards WBI. As a result of the research, behavioral and contextual beliefs in WBI beliefs were medium level. The 4th article from Turkey, Anadolu Univesity. Suzan DUYGU ERIŞTI has written on A Multi-Cultural Interaction Through Video Conferencing In Primary Schools. Her study investigated Turkish and Canadian primary school students’ ways of expressing their perception of cultural understanding through video conferencing and that of cultural interaction through video conferencing. Most of the students indicated that videoconferencing encouraged them to learn and understand about different cultures, helped them develop cultural awareness, attracted their attention and increased their motivation.The 5th article is join(bu kelimeden emin değilim joint olabilir!) study from Bengaldesh and India. It is titled as “Teaching English Through Open Non-Formal Education (Onfe) in Bangladesh With An Effective Integration of ICT To Support Learning”, written by Mizanoor RAHMAN, Bengaldesh and Santosh PANDA from India. They analyzed the program which is entitled “English in Action (EIA)”, 9 year period DFID funded project in Bangladesh, was launched in 2008, for the desire to bring a change in the learning of English language. EIA works to reach a total of 25 million primary and secondary students and adult learners through communicative language learning techniques and the use of ICT, textbooks and supplementary materials in an innovative way. The 6th article is experienced as PhD research and summarized for TOJDE by Serpil KOCDAR and Cengiz Hakan AYDIN from Anadolu University Faculty of Open Education, TURKEY, conducted on “Accreditation of Open And Distance Learning: A Framework for Turkey”. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for the accreditation of higher open and distance learning (ODL) programs in Turkey. The 7th article is from Spain and entitled as “Critical Reading of Research Articles As Oral Activator In The Language Class”, written by Veronica VIVANCO, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain. Her paper reports on an experience carried out with second course students of the School of Aeronautical Engineers the Polytechnic University of Madrid in the subject class Modern Technical Language. The students have experienced an evident improvement in the speed of the discourse since the interest for the subject matter has made them lose their inhibitions in the participation in the oral activities; it has also noticed that a better intonation which has become richer and more lively when compared to the monotonous tone they had before the critical reading experience. But, apart from these linguistic factors, we believe that the exposition of their critical ideas has developed both their humanism and their scientific mind.Next and 8th article is titled as “Comparison of Novice Programmers’ Performances: Blended Versus Face-To-Face” and written by Unal CAKIROGLU, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. In his study, he investigated the effect of blended learning on novices’ understandings of the introductory programming. A quasi-experimental design with participants of preservice computer and instructional technologies teachers, one control group (CG, N=64) and one experimental group (EG, N=61) who received the course 11 weeks. While face-to-face courses were taught face-to-face in classroom and in lab, blended courses were conducted in synchronous and asynchronous settings and also in lab sessions. The pretest, posttest and delayed tests were used to collect data. The participants in two groups were separated into three categories (poor, average and good) according to the pretest results. The results of the study showed that blended and face-to-face courses have statistically similar effects on academic achievements among the three categories. The 9th article titled as “An Investigation Into The Attitude of College Teachers Towards E-­ Learning in Purulia District Of West Bengal, India” and written by Dr. Santosh Kumar BEHERA, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, India. In the present study, the investigator made an attempt to study the attitude of college teachers towards E-learning in Purulia district of West Bengal. One hundred teachers (both male and female) teaching in Arts and Science streams were taken as representative sample of the whole population. An attitude scale was used for collecting the data. The means of both groups were tested for significance of difference by using ‘t’ test. The differences in the groups were statistically significant and the attitude of College teachers was more favourable towards E-learning.The 10th article is “Developing Conceptual Framework For Revising Self-Learning Materials (SLMS) of The Open School (OS) of Bangladesh Open University (BOU) At A Digital Environment”, written by Sabina YEASMIN, Bangladesh Open University and CRK MURTHY, Professor of Distance Education, STRIDE, IGNOU, INDIA. This study collects data from tutors, distance educators, writers and reviewers and finally develops a framework for revising the OS SLMs at a digital environment for Ministerial project entitled Teaching Quality Improvement (TQI) partnering with the BOU School of Education with new texts.The 11th one is “Challenges of Attending E-Learning Studies in Nigeria” from Nigeria, written by Stephan Z. BUGI, National Open University of Nigeria. This study set out to find out what challenges the E-leaner faces in the Nigerian environment. Survey research design was used to obtain the opinion of 200 randomly selected E-learners in Kaduna metropolis. Their responses revealed that the most prominent challenges they face are, Inadequate Power supply, Internet connectivity problems, Efficacy of service providers, Affordability of computer hardware, Software and other accessories, Depth of knowledge and skills of internet operation, Cost of accessing Internet and production of hard copy. Of all these problems, power supply and its inadequacy ranked highest while depth Internet knowledge and skills ranked last. Recommendations were made on how to solve these challenges.The 12th article again from Turkey which is titled as “Primary School Students’ Attitudes Towards Computer Based Testing And Assessment In Turkey” written by Irfan YURDABAKAN and Cicek UZUNKAVAK, Izmir. This study investigated the attitudes of primary school students towards computer based testing and assessment in terms of different variables. The sample for this research is primary school students attending a computer based testing and assessment application via CITO-OIS. The “Scale on Attitudes towards Computer Based Testing and Assessment” to collect data and the results obtained were compared in terms of school type, gender, and grade level. The results of this study revealed that significant differences exist between attitudes of students from different schools. The 13th article from USA-Texas on “Examination Of Factors Impacting Student Satisfaction With A New Learning Management System” written by Lucy Santos GREEN, Fethi A. INAN and Bree DENTON from Texas Tech University, USA. The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influenced student satisfaction with a new learning management system and to identify which of these factors were most important. The data was collected using an an online survey tool that was administered to students enrolled in courses designed and taught by faculty who participated in a pilot group testing a new learning management system (LMS). Study findings will be used to improve LMS training and institution-wide technology support.The 14th article arrived from Mauritius on “The Pan African E-Network Project: A New Learning Culture” written by Nundoo-Ghoorah SUNITI and Joyejob TARA from Mauritius College of the Air, Mauritius. This paper sets out to explore the paradigm shift in learning culture brought about by the advent of online learning in the mostly print-based ODL system at the Mauritius College of the Air (MCA). It delves into the perceptions of learners and MCA staff involved in a range of undergraduate to Master’s programmes forming part of the Pan African e-Network Project that wires 23 African countries with top-ranking Indian universities through synchronous and interactive state of the art technology.The 15th article arrived to us from Turkey and written by Hacer OZYURT, Ozcan OZYURT and Adnan BAKI from Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, on “Architecture and Design Process of The Individualized Assesment System Integrable To Distance Education Softwares”. Study covers the structure, characteristics and architecture of the computerized adaptive test systems in detail. It dwells on the Item Response theory which is used for improving computerized adaptive test systems and the models with which this theory is used. Besides, processing steps which are required to realize a computerized adaptive test system and algorithms used for the validation of the test systems are introduced in detail. The 16th article is 1 from Greece. The article is titled as “Support And Promotion of Self-Regulated Learning Through The Educational Material At The Hellenic Open University”, written by Evi NIKOLAKI and Maria I. KOUTSOUBA, Greece. The study indicates that the self-regulated learning is considerably supported and promoted by the printed educational material at the HOU due to its interactive pedagogigal structure. However, it is pointed out that it is possible to maximize the support provided through the improvement of the present structures’ function.The 17th article is “Empowering the Human Resources and The Role of Distance Learning”, written by Sukmaya LAMA and Mridusmita KASHYAP, RTA, KKHSOU, India. The present paper aims to look into the role of distance education in Assam and the potential it carries in building a huge wealth of human resources. In the 18th article, again from India, written by Bhagwan SHREE RAM and M. SELVARAJ, Anna University of Technology, Tamil Nadu. Their paper titled as “Impact of Computer Based Online Entrepreneurship Distance Education in India”. This research paper investigates the impact of computer based online entrepreneurship on distance education in India.The 19th article written by Satya Sundar SETHY, from Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India, on “Cognitive Skills: A Modest Way of Learning Through Technology“. This article discusses how cognitive skills assist learners in their learning through technology instructions. Further, it elucidates the technological impacts in the distance learning scenario. Consequently, it argues that the intervention of suitable and advanced technology helps learners to develop their cognitive skills and assists in their learning activities.The artice 20th, “A Case For Quality And Standards Within The Context Of Open And Distance Education: A Case Study of One Zimbabwean University”, is written by Wellington SAMKANGE, Zimbabwe Open University, Zimbabwe. A study was carried out to assess the assessment procedures used at one Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institution in Zimbabwe. The study focused on the views and perceptions of current and former students of the university. The study also analyzed some documents on assessment procedures at the university. The study used the qualitative methodology and data was qualitatively analyzed. Results indicated that both current and former students were generally satisfied in their programmes.The 21th article is “Blended Learning (BL) As Pedagogical Alternative To Teach Business Communication Course: Case Study of Uum Executive Diploma Program”. Conducted by Hisham DZAKIRIA, Mohd Sobri DON @ A. Wahab and Hamzah Dato’ A. RAHMAN, Universiti Utara Malaysia. Article suggests that BL offered a comfortable middle ground, and has lots of potential in HE for Malaysia. It is a pedagogical alternative that could play a significant role not only for teaching BC, but has the potential to promote lifelong learning initiatives in Malaysia in a much meaningful and inviting way. The 22th article is about “TOJDE”, which is titled as “Tojde: Electronic Publishing and A Review of Ten Years’ Experience in Turkey” written by Yasin OZARSLAN, Osmangazi University, Jale BALABAN-SALI and Ugur DEMIRAY. his review examines The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE) over a ten years period from 2000-2010. The study provides an opportunity to examine publishing activities such as number of published articles, authors, research topics and methods, and analyses of TOJDE’s website such as time users stay on site and user profiles. After a content analysis, the articles were reviewed according to the selected criteria. These data were categorized according to emerging themes. Most parts of the data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and presented with tables and figures. The results can be used to review current DE research trends and to explore potential research directions.Article 23rd written by Soghra OMRANI, Payam-e-Noor University, Hashem FARDANESH, Tarbiat Modarres University, Nima HEMMATI, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Naser HEMMATI, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IRAN on “Exploring An Appropriate Instructional Design Model For Continuing Medical Education” from Iran. The purpose of this study was to identify an appropriate integrated instructional design model for continuing Medical Education using electronic learning method and compare it with traditional method. Professional Development Between Iranian Distance Education PNU EFL University Teachers And Traditional Non-Pnu EFL University Teachers” is written by Hassan SOLEIMANI and Monir KHALILIYAN from Payame Noor University, IRAN and placed as 24th article in this issue. They examined university teachers’ attitude to professional development in a type of distance learning educational system in Iran and examined their attitudes with their counterparts teaching in on-campus educational systems.The 25th article of this issue is from Oman. It is titled as Interactions Quality in Moodle as Perceived By Learners And Its Relation With Some Variables written by Ahmed Yousif ABDELRAHEEM, from Sultan Qaboos University of Oman. The aim of this articlewas to identify learners’ perceptions of the quality of interaction in Moodle and investigate the effects of gender, grade point average (GPA), individualized learning experiences and their experiences in using Moodle factors in perceiving the quality of interaction.The last one on “Education Systems And Academic Satisfaction: A Study on Rural and Urban Students of Traditional Vs Open Education System in India, written by Shashi SINGH, Ajay SINGH and Kiran SINGH from India. This paper aims to compare the level of academic satisfaction among the students of Traditional Education System and Open Education System. This paper also investigates academic satisfaction of urban and rural based students and comparing them over traditional (Urban: 110; Rural: 90), and open (Urban: 80; Rural: 71) education system.Dear readers, please contact TOJDE Secretariat at the below address or e-mail us to tojde@anadolu.edu.tr to receive further information and send your recommendations and remarks, or to submit your articles for consideration. Hope to stay in touch and meet in our next Issue, on 1st of October 2012.Cordially, Prof. Dr. Ugur Demiray Editor-in-Chief Anadolu University Yunusemre Campus 26470-Eskisehir TURKEY Tel: +90 222 335 0581 ext. 2521 or 2522GSM: +90 542 232 21 167 Fax: +90 222 320 4520 or Email(s) : udemiray@anadolu.edu.tr or udemiray33@gmail.comURL: http://home.anadolu.edu.tr/~udemiray or http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr