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E-learning has become a polarizing issue. Some say that it enhances accessibility to education and some say that it hinders it. While the literature on the subject underscores the effectiveness of the pedagogical frameworks, strategies and distance learning technologies, the firsthand accounts of students, parents and practitioners challenge the validity of experts’ assessments. There is a gap between theory and practice and between the perceptions of providers and consumers of online learning. Following a period of lockdowns and a transition to online learning during the recent pandemic, the prevailing sentiment toward a distance mode of instruction became one of strong skepticism and negative bias. The aim of the study was to examine why e-learning has struggled to meet stakeholder expectations. Specifically, the study posed two research questions: 1. What are the reasons for dissatisfaction with online learning? 2. What are the implications for future research and practice?

The study used a mixed methods approach to examine the reasons behind negative perceptions of online learning by comparing the firsthand accounts posted on social media with the literature. To this end, n = 62,874 social media comments of secondary and postsecondary students, as well as parents, teachings staff and working professionals, covering the span of over 14 years (2008–2022), were collected and analyzed.

The study identified 28 themes that explain the stakeholder’s discontent with the online learning process and highlighted the importance of user-centric design. The analysis revealed that the perceived ineffectiveness of distance education stems from the failure to identify and address stakeholders’ needs and, more particularly, from the incongruence of instructional strategies, blindness to the cost of decisions related to instructional design, technology selection and insufficient levels of support. The findings also highlight the importance of user-centric design.

To address dissatisfaction with e-learning, it is imperative to remove barriers to learning and ensure alignment between technology and learners’ needs. In other words, the learning experience should be personalized to account for individual differences. Despite its cost-effectiveness, the one-size-fits-all approach hinders the learning process and experience and is likely to be met with resistance.

Drawing from the extensive literature, the study offers an explanation for stakeholders’ discontent with e-learning. Unlike survey research that is prone to social desirability bias, the sample provides a rare opportunity to observe and measure the visceral reactions that provide a more authentic sense of stakeholders’ perceptions toward online learning. The authors offer recommendations and identify areas for future research.

The outbreak of COVID-19 significantly disrupted educational activities and forced universities to rapidly transition from the traditional face-to-face (F2F) environment to online learning formats. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of self-directed learning (SDL) on three instructional modalities (F2F, online and HyFlex) among emerging adults. The authors propose that class interaction enjoyment serves as a channel to understand how SDL relates to students’ satisfaction and stress reduction.

An online survey was distributed to the emerging adults, aged 18–25, at six universities across five different US states. Construct validity and reliability were tested by using confirmatory factor analysis. The moderated mediation relationship was examined by calculating the indirect effects of each course delivery format.

The results show that the positive indirect effect of SDL on stress reduction via interaction enjoyment was stronger for F2F classes. In addition, the positive indirect effect of SDL on class satisfaction via interaction enjoyment was stronger for HyFlex classes.

This literature has shown contradictory results: the effects of SDL on student satisfaction and stress reduction prove to be sometimes positive, sometimes non-significant. To better understand this relationship, the authors aim at a mediating variable – enjoyment of class interaction – as a mechanism, and a moderating variable – the instructional modality – as a boundary condition. This research contributes to emerging adults learning literature by involving the interplay among SDL, enjoyment of class interaction and the instructional modality.

A systematic investigation of postgraduate leadership programs for health and/or human services offered by Australian higher education institutions was undertaken.

Quantitative analysis identified the core characteristics of the programs. A thematic analysis of the course learning outcomes was conducted and six major themes of disciplinary leadership and management knowledge; research and analytical skills; professional practice; communication and collaboration; creativity and innovation; and system knowledge are shared in this study.

The authors conclude that Australian universities have taken an evidence-based approach to leadership education.

More work might need to be undertaken to ensure leadership theories are incorporated into learning outcomes.

The study aimed to identify the best practices for open educational resources (OER) management in Nigerian open education university libraries and the implications for policymakers.

A mixed-methods approach was used, which included a survey questionnaire administered via Google Forms to academic librarians and other library staff of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The study’s population was 398 and 273 participants responded to the survey. The study included all academic librarians and other library staff representing the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study’s results were presented using frequency counts, percentages tables and the qualitative data analysis was done thematically.

The findings of the study are consistent with existing literature on best practices for managing OER, which emphasized the importance of establishing clear policies and strategies for OER management practices, such as guidelines for acquiring, creating, curating and disseminating OER.

The originality of the study concludes by recommending that policymakers should develop policies that support the implementation of best practices in OER management to improve access to educational resources and reduce costs for students.

The substantial expansion of technology and the efficacy of digital platforms in reaching young audiences have led to enhanced targeting and customization of promotional communications. Notwithstanding the expansion and efficacy of contemporary advertising platforms, scholarly attention has not kept pace with this domain of inquiry. This study aims to assess the antecedents of Google Shopping Ads (GSA) on intention to purchase behavior among the Generation Y and Z cohorts.

The current study used a quantitative approach and snowball sampling technique to gather primary data via a questionnaire and Google Forms, which resulted in the collection of 5,808 questionnaires among the cohort members. A principal component analysis and multigroup confirmatory multigroup structural equation modeling (between Generation Y and Z) were used to assess the research data and model.

The results show positive trust and perceived value associations with intention to purchase, particularly among Generation Y and Z consumers. The findings also show negative irritation, product risk and time risk associations with intention to purchase, especially among the Generation Y cohort, which indicates that young consumers generally do not observe perceived risk due to the usage of GSA.

GSA will continue to grow and become an increasingly important integrated marketing communications tool as the digital landscape develops. It can be concluded that young consumers show a high degree of perceived value and low levels of perceived risk due to the use of GSA. This study, therefore, promotes improved understanding among academics, marketers and businesses of search engine advertising among young cohorts of consumers (Generation Y and Z) in a developing country context.

The need to enhance student support is evident in higher education (HE) curricula. In addition to the complications created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the current strategies used in academia are criticised for their lack of appropriate student support in HE. The study focused on the themes under Section 4 of the National Student Survey (NSS): availability to contact tutors, receiving good advice and guidance and availability of good advice. The study aimed to provide recommendations for enhancing academic support by developing drivers that need implementation during course delivery.

A documental analysis and a qualitative survey were adopted for this study. A documental analysis of 334 mid-module reviews (MMRs) from levels three to six students in the built environment (BE) discipline. Critical themes identified from the MMRs were fed forward in developing a questionnaire for academics. A sample of 23 academics, including a Head of school, a Principal lecturer, Subject leads and Lecturers, participated in the questionnaire survey. Content analysis is adopted through questionnaire data to develop drivers to enhance academic support in BE. These drivers are then modelled by interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to identify their correlation to NSS Section 4 themes. A level partition analysis establishes how influential they are in enhancing academic support.

The study identified nine drivers, where two drivers were categorised as fundamental, two as significant, four as important, and one insignificant in enhancing academic support in HE. Module leaders’/tutors’ improving awareness and detailing how academic support is provided were identified as fundamental. Differentiating roles in giving advice and the importance of one-to-one meetings were identified as significant. A level partitioning diagram was developed from the nine drivers to illustrate how these drivers need to be implemented to promote the best practices in academic support in HE.

The identified drivers and their categories can be used to set prioritised guidelines for academics and other educational institutions to improve students’ overall satisfaction.

Novelty from the study will be the developed drivers and the level partitioning diagram to assist academics and academic institutions in successfully integrating academic support into HE curricula.

The purpose of this research paper was to determine which needs for incentives influence positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) among international tourists and how these needs differ based on the cultural orientation toward individualism and collectivism.

This research used online surveys to gather data from 959 Australian, US, UK, Japanese and Korean respondents who had visited Beijing. A random sampling method was used, and data were analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0. By adopting the existence relatedness growth theory, the findings explain how cultural orientation affects the impact of needs for incentives in generating PWOM.

Three hypothesized relationships were significant for Australia/UK/USA and Japan/Korea – the effect of needs for incentives on motivation, the effect of motivation on PWOM and the effects of needs for incentives on PWOM were significant and positive for Australia/UK/USA and Japan/Korea. The effect of needs for incentive type on motivation varied across national populations, and the intensity of the effects of needs for incentive type on PWOM was also different. For Australian, UK and the US tourists, the honorary title was the most influential need to stimulate word-of-mouth motivation. The need for cultural learning was the most influential for Japanese and Korean tourists.

This research contributes to the literature by exploring and comparing the needs for incentives that influence PWOM among tourists from the perspective of individualism and collectivism. The results also increase the understanding of the relationships among needs for incentives, motivation and PWOM.

本研究旨在确定哪些激励需求会影响国际旅游者的积极口碑（PWOM）, 以及这些激励方式的影响在个人主义和集体主义文化取向的群体中有何不同。

本研究通过在线调查收集了 959 名曾到访北京的澳大利亚、美国、英国、日本和韩国的国际游客数据。研究采用了随机抽样的方法, 使用 SmartPLS 4.0 对数据进行了分析。基于ERG理论, 本研究解释了文化如何影响激励类型对积极口碑的影响。

研究结果显示, 三个假设关系在澳大利亚/英国/美国和日本/韩国两个群组中均显著, 即激励需求对动机的影响、动机对积极口碑的影响、以及激励需求对积极口碑的影响在澳大利亚/英国/美国和日本/韩国群组中都是显著和正向的。激励需求类型对动机和积极口碑的影响在不同国家群体中存在差异。对于澳大利亚、英国和美国的国际游客, 满足名誉需求的激励对产生积极口碑动机的影响更大。对于日本和韩国的国际游客, 满足文化学习需求的激励对产生积极口碑动机的影响更大。

本研究从个人主义和集体主义的角度, 探讨比较了影响国际旅游者积极口碑的激励需求, 为相关领域研究做出了贡献。研究结果加深了对激励需求、动机和积极口碑之间关系的理解。

El objetivo de esta investigación era determinar qué necesidades de incentivación influyen en el boca a boca positivo (PWOM por sus siglas en inglés) entre los turistas internacionales y cómo difieren estas necesidades en función de la orientación cultural hacia el individualismo y el colectivismo.

Esta investigación utilizó encuestas en línea para recopilar datos de 959 encuestados australianos, estadounidenses, británicos, japoneses y coreanos que habían visitado Pekín. Se empleó un método de muestreo aleatorio y los datos se analizaron con SmartPLS 4.0. Adoptando la teoría del Crecimiento de la Relación con la Existencia (ERG por sus siglas en inglés), los resultados explican cómo afecta la orientación cultural al impacto de las necesidades de incentivos en la generación del PWOM.

Tres relaciones hipotetizadas resultaron significativas en los dos grupos de Australia/Reino Unido/Estados Unidos y Japón/Corea: el efecto de las necesidades de incentivación en la motivación, el efecto de la motivación en la PWOM y los efectos de las necesidades de incentivación en la PWOM fueron significativos y positivos para Australia/Reino Unido/Estados Unidos y Japón/Corea. El efecto del tipo de necesidad de incentivación sobre la motivación varió entre las poblaciones nacionales, y la intensidad de los efectos del tipo de necesidad de incentivos sobre la PWOM también fue diferente. Para los turistas australianos, británicos y estadounidenses, el título honorífico fue la necesidad más influyente para estimular la motivación WOM. La necesidad de aprendizaje cultural fue la más influyente para los turistas japoneses y coreanos.

Esta investigación contribuye a la bibliografía al explorar y comparar las necesidades de incentivación que influyen en la motivación boca a boca entre los turistas desde la perspectiva del individualismo y el colectivismo. Los resultados también aumentan la comprensión de las relaciones entre las necesidades de incentivación, la motivación y el PWOM.

To investigate the influence of logistics and transportation workers’ perceptions of their management’s simultaneous safety and operations focus (or lack thereof) on related worker safety and operational perceptions and behaviors.

This multi-method research consisted of two studies. Study 1 aimed to establish correlational relationships by evaluating the impact of individual-level worker perceptions of operationally focused routines (as a moderator) on the relationship between worker perceptions of safety-related routines and workers’ self-reported safety and in-role operational behaviors using a survey. Study 2 aimed to establish causal relationships by evaluating the same conceptual relationships in a behavioral-type experiment utilizing vehicle simulators. After receiving one of four pre-task briefings, participants completed a driving task scenario in a driving simulator.

In Study 1, the relationship between perceived safety focus and safety behavior/in-role operational behavior was strengthened at higher levels of perceived operations focus. In Study 2, participants who received the balanced pre-task briefing committed significantly fewer safety violations than the other 3 treatment groups. However, in-role driving deviations were not impacted as hypothesized.

This research is conducted at the individual (worker) level of analysis to capture the little-known perspectives of logistics and transportation workers and explore the influence of balanced safety and operational routines from a more micro perspective, thus contributing to a deeper understanding of how balanced routines might influence worker behavior when conducting dynamic tasks to ensure safe, effective outcomes.

Previous studies on social influence and virtual product adoption have mainly taken users’ purchase behavior as a dichotomous variable (i.e. purchasing or not). Given the prevalence of competing versions (basic vs upgraded) of a virtual product in online communities, this paper investigated the differences in the effect of social influence on users’ adoption of basic and upgraded choices of a virtual product. It also examined how the effect varies with users’ social status and user-level network density.

A natural experiment was conducted in an online game community. Two competing versions (basic vs upgraded) of a virtual product were provided for in-game purchase while a random set of users selected from 897,765 players received the notification of their friends’ adoption information. A competing-risk model was used to test the hypotheses.

Social influence exerts a stronger positive effect on users’ adoption of the upgraded virtual product than of the basic virtual product. Middle-status users have the greatest (least) susceptibility to social influence in adopting the upgraded (basic) virtual product than low- and high-status users. User’s network density enhances the effect of social influence on adoption of both virtual products, even more for the upgraded one.

This research contributes to the social influence and product adoption literature by disentangling the different effects of social influence on basic and upgraded versions of a virtual product. It also identifies the boundary conditions that social influence works for each version of the virtual product.

With so many placement opportunities around the students in their final or prefinal year, they start to feel the strain of the season. The students feel the need to be aware of their position and how to increase their chances of being hired. Hence, a system to guide their career is one of the needs of the day.

The job role prediction system utilizes machine learning techniques such as Naïve Bayes, K-Nearest Neighbor, Support Vector machines (SVM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to suggest a student’s job role based on their academic performance and course outcomes (CO), out of which ANN performs better. The system uses the Mepco Schlenk Engineering College curriculum, placement and students’ Assessment data sets, in which the CO and syllabus are used to determine the skills that the student has gained from their courses. The necessary skills for a job position are then extracted from the job advertisements. The system compares the student’s skills with the required skills for the job role based on the placement prediction result.

The system predicts placement possibilities with an accuracy of 93.33 and 98% precision. Also, the skill analysis for students gives the students information about their skill-set strengths and weaknesses.

For skill-set analysis, only the direct assessment of the students is considered. Indirect assessment shall also be considered for future scope.

The model is adaptable and flexible (customizable) to any type of academic institute or universities.

The research will be very much useful for the students community to bridge the gap between the academic and industrial needs.

Several works are done for career guidance for the students. However, these career guidance methodologies are designed only using the curriculum and students’ basic personal information. The proposed system will consider the students’ academic performance through direct assessment, along with their curriculum and basic personal information.