Students’ use of digital learning resources: diversity, motivations and challenges

This chapter looks at the results of a study carried out in the five Nordic countries[i] that analysed recent developments in the area of digital learning resources (DLR) from the perspective of systemic innovation. Three different types of innovation are examined: government-initiated innovations; innovations initiated by commercial actors; bottom-up innovations (user-generated). The authors point out how technology makes the conditions for DLR innovation different from many other fields of education and present five embryonic scenarios illustrating the ways that DLR might be strengthened, promoted, developed and incorporated are presented. The chapter concludes with recommendations directed towards to the production and use of DLR, and to the more general issue of systemic innovation in education.

This study examines the effect of the usage of digital tools by 15-year-old students on their mathematics achievement. The data for the study was retrieved from the publicly available information in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 database. The six study constructs for this study are: time of using digital resources for learning, digital resource use for learning math content, use of digital resources in feedback, use of digital resources at school, use of digital resources out of school, and use of digital resources during leisure time at schools whereas mathematics achievement score is additional main dependent variable. The sample of the study consists of 256,411 participants. The data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling technique. The findings revealed that the time of using digital resources for learning mathematics and using such resources out of school were the strong predictors of mathematics achievement. While analyzing the mediating effects, time of using digital resources has significant mediating roles in the use of digital resources at school, out of school, and leisure time on mathematics achievement. Likewise, the usage of digital resources at school significantly mediates in relationship between the use of digital resources for learning, use during leisure time, and use for feedback on mathematics achievement.

This chapter explores affordances of mobile technology for learning, and emphasizes that emerging mobile technologies are effective platforms for the delivery of digital learning resources, anytime and anywhere. The central focus of this book is on digital resources for learning and their uses in learning-centered activities. In this sense, mobile technology is discussed in the context of its affordances to deliver such digital resources for learning, while these resources for learning are examined in the context of their design for such an application.

The digital technologies employed in education have skyrocketed due to widespread online learning during the pandemic. Subsequently, the recent development has brought into question whether new digital learning resources online tools that students can use to supplement their learning challenge the century-old class inequality in education. As we return to face-to-face learning, it is critical to evaluate whether digital resources can be combined with conventional school resources to uplift students' academic achievement in low-income households. The methods of literature review of past papers and theoretical investigation are applied in this paper to discuss empirical observations and offer explanations. Sources of materials include the United States Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. By synthesizing classical Bourdieus theory of capital and a nascent digital pedagogical framework, the author finds that, contrary to popular clamor, digital learning resources are not benefiting the lower class significantly. In fact, digital inequality is emerging from three compounding factors: access, surroundings, and the self. By discussing the learning environment, parents' background, self-regulation, and motivation, this paper not only underscores the interacting components that amount to the corruption of meritocratic education but also advances the inquiry into online resources and possible future pathways for the empowerment of low-income students.

BackgroundGood health decisions depend on one’s ability to think critically about health claims and make informed health choices. Young people can learn these skills through school-based interventions, but learning resources need to be low-cost and built around lessons that can fit into existing curricula. As a first step to developing and evaluating digital learning resources that are feasible to use in Kenyan secondary schools, we conducted a context analysis to explore interest in critical thinking for health, map where critical thinking about health best fits in the curriculum, explore conditions for introducing new learning resources, and describe the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure available for teaching and learning.MethodsWe employed a qualitative descriptive approach. We interviewed 15 key informants, carried out two focus group discussions, observed ICT conditions in five secondary schools, reviewed seven documents, and conducted an online catalog of ICT infrastructure in all schools (n=250) in Kisumu County. Participants included national curriculum developers, national ICT officers, teachers, and national examiners. We used a framework analysis approach to analyze data and report findings.FindingsAlthough critical thinking is a core competence in the curriculum, critical thinking about health is not currently taught in Kenyan secondary schools. Teachers, health officials, and curriculum developers recognized the importance of teaching critical thinking about health in secondary schools. Stakeholders agreed that Informed Health Choices learning resources could be embedded in nine subjects. The National Institute of Curriculum Development regulates resources for learning; the development of new resources requires collaboration and approval from this body. Most schools do not use ICT for teaching, and for those few that do, the use is limited. Implementation of Kenya’s ICT policy framework for schools faces several challenges which include inadequate ICT infrastructure, poor internet connectivity, and teachers’ lack of training and experience.ConclusionTeaching critical thinking about health is possible within the current Kenyan lower secondary school curriculum, but the learning resources will need to be designed for inclusion in and across existing subjects. The National ICT Plan and Vision for 2030 provides an opportunity for scale-up and integration of technology in teaching and learning environments, which can enable future use of digital resources in schools. However, given the current ICT condition in schools in the country, digital learning resources should be designed to function with limited ICT infrastructure, unstable Internet access, and for use by teachers with low levels of experience using digital technology.

The continuing trend of integration and the consequent decrease in student‐instructor contact hours in basic science curricula in professional schools makes digital ancillary resources increasingly important. Majority of learning resources for basic sciences however are varied in content, accuracy and are presented in a discipline‐specific manner. Few integrated educational resources exist and even fewer studies report the effectiveness of an integrated presentation of the material in the digital environment. The objective of the study was to investigate educational effectiveness of a digital learning resource presented in an integrated manner compared to the traditional, discipline‐specific presentation. Two digital resources covering female pelvic anatomy, embryology and histology were created, both presenting the same content but one presenting each discipline separately while the other presents the material in an integrated manner. First‐year graduate students enrolled in a gross anatomy course at the University of Colorado Modern Human Anatomy Program were recruited and randomly assigned to view one of the two learning modules. The learning outcome was quantitated by pre‐ and post‐test score comparison as well as a retention study 30‐days after viewing the resource. A survey was conducted to analyze students' preference and perception of the effectiveness of the digital resources. The results of the study have important implications in designing and presenting educational resources in the digital age.

Introduction: Effective study strategies are essential for success in medical education, particularly during the pre-clinical years. This study explored the use and perceived effectiveness of physical and digital learning resources among Year 1 and Year 2 medical students at the University of Buckingham. Methodology: An electronic survey was distributed, gathering both qualitative and quantitative data on resource usage patterns. A total of 21 students responded, with 52% in Year 1 and 48% in Year 2. Participants reported their highest educational qualification and rated the frequency and manner (active, passive, neither) in which they used various digital and physical resources. Results: Chi-squared statistical analysis revealed several significant findings related to the frequency of use of various resources and their association with perceived learning effectiveness. Among digital resources, the university’s Moodle VLE (χ2 = 35.29, p = 0.000001) and online teaching videos (χ2 = 13.57, p = 0.019) were significantly associated with effective learning. While flashcards (χ2 = 15.29, p = 0.09) and question banks (χ2 = 10.14, p = 0.071) showed a positive trend, these did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05). Among physical resources, written notes (χ2 = 5.57, p = 0.035) and group work (χ2 = 5.57, p = 0.040) were both significantly associated with improved learning outcomes. Interestingly, support from family members (χ2 = 11.29, p = 0.046) also showed a statistically significant association, suggesting the value of peer-teaching strategies. In contrast, passive use of physical resources literature (χ2 = 8.43, p = 0.134) and online textbooks (χ2 = 5.00, p = 0.416) appeared to have minimal impact on perceived learning effectiveness. Discussion: While the study suggests that students tend to favour online resources to support their learning, limitations such as a small sample size and reliance on self-reported data highlight the need for further research to confirm this. Conclusion: This study offers insight into the resource preferences of pre-clinical medical students, advocating for active engagement with both digital and traditional tools to promote academic success and professional development.

The digital transformation of higher education, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to much greater use of digital learning resources, including digital texts, images, videos, interactive programmes, quizzes and so on. While the digitalisation of the publishing industry and the rise of new media businesses are well-documented, questions of who now produces digital education resources and who pays for them have been largely overlooked. This chapter examines the ways in which new business models are shaping universities’ and students’ access to educational content, distinguishing between content paid for by students, content paid for by universities and open access content whose production is sponsored by a wide range of organisations with diverse motivations. Traditional academic publishers, slow to respond to the shift to digital learning platforms, now find themselves in fierce competition with edutech firms, media companies, individual online content producers, governments and non-government organisations. The chapter concludes by observing that the proliferation of digital educational content requires academics to more often and more actively select appropriate content from a rapidly growing smorgasbord of options provided across multiple platforms, by thousands of producers, of variable quality.

The rapid development of new media technology has reduced the degree of restrictions on education for the elderly, and digital learning resources have gradually become the foundation of autonomous learning, providing effective guarantees for elderly English learning. Therefore, this paper conducts research on the construction of digital learning resources for elderly English. Firstly, the current situation of digital learning resources for elderly English in China was analyzed. Based on this, quality standards and strategies for constructing different types of digital learning resources were proposed. Finally, the construction methods of digital learning resources were concluded, including positioning learning resource construction goals, clarifying content systems, enriching learning resources, and evaluating resources.

To reuse existing digital learning resources, a teacher has to perform a complex and creative in order to adapt them to the students’ needs and fit their cognitive abilities. Nevertheless, metadata do not generally describe the cognitive facets of a digital learning resource. We give here a partial account of a trace-based system in its current state of development to index digital learning resources according to the metadata describing their “cognitive features”. By “cognitive feature” we mean the cognitive activities (e.g., reading, listening, body interactions, etc.) associated with different message formats (e.g., text, audio, interactive animations, etc.).

This research explores the educators’ attitudes and perceptions about their utilisation of digital learning technologies. The methodology integrates measures from ‘the pace of technological innovativeness’ and the ‘technology acceptance model’ to understand the rationale for further ICT investment in compulsory education. A quantitative study was carried out amongst 241 educators in Malta. It has investigated the costs and benefits of using digital learning resources in schools from the educators’ perspective. A principal component analysis has indicated that the educators were committed to using digital technologies. In addition, a stepwise regression analysis has shown that the younger teachers were increasingly engaging in digital learning resources. Following this study’s empirical findings educational stakeholders are better informed about how innovative technologies can support our students. In conclusion, this contribution puts forward key implications and recommendations for regulatory authorities and policy makers for better curricula and educational outcomes.

Key factors influencing digital learning adoption among cambodian university students: An integrated theoretical approach

Institutions of higher education have strategies on digitization and the use of digital learning resources for their teaching in place. One initiative from the university libraries aiming to operationalize such strategies is a three-year Nordplus project that was completed in the autumn of 2019. The libraries at Aarhus University, Lund University and the University of Bergen have worked together on the development of e-learning objects, and their implementation and evaluation. The aim of the project was to develop the library's teaching of information literacy in a co-creation between libraries, the academic community and students. 
 This article will shed light on the prerequisites that must be met for competency development among participants in a project to take place. We present relevant research and literature, and take a closer look at the project's activities and processes. In the analysis we discuss our experiences in relation to the literature presented, and we conclude, among other things, that participating in a project is engaging and enhances quality in learning processes. We also believe that collaboration in a wider academic network for educational librarians in the future will contribute to a stronger and clearer position as an educational actor for Nordic libraries in higher education.

У статті на основі аналізу особливостей фінської системи педагогічної освіти визначено, що підготовку учителів у Фінляндії характеризують: варіативність змісту освіти, гнучкість структури й технологій навчання, наявність у студента можливості проектування адекватного його інтересам і потребам індивідуального освітнього маршруту. Основою підготовки майбутнього учителя фінської початкової школи у виконанні професійних обов’язків вважається компетентнісний підхід як ефективна освітня парадигма. Серед професійних компетентностей (предметна компетентність, дослідницька компетентність, курікулярна компетентність, компетентність безперервного навчання, емоційна компетентність, соціальна компетентність, комунікативна компетентність, інформаційно-комунікаційна компетентність, інтелектуальна компетентність, ситуативна компетентність, часова компетентність) особливе місце відведено інформаційно-комунікаційній компетентності (Information and Communication Technologies – ICT Competence), яка є сукупністю знань та вмінь, що формуються в процесі навчання та самонавчання в галузі інформаційних технологій (ІТ), а також здатність до виконання педагогічної діяльності за допомогою ІТ.
 З’ясовано, що освітня програма підготовки вчителів початкової школи включає освоєння модулю за вибором «Інформаційні та комунікаційні технології» обсягом 4 кредити на рівні бакалавра та вивчення навчальної дисципліни «Інформаційні комунікаційні технології в керівництві та консультуванні» обсягом 5 кредитів на рівні магістра.
 В університетах Фінляндії з метою формування інформаційно-комунікаційної компетентності майбутніх вчителів початкової школи застосовують різноманітні підходи: використання цифрових навчальних ресурсів (Digital Learning Resources), відкрите та дистанційне навчання (Open and Distance Learning), систему управління навчанням (Learning Management Systems).
 Доведено, що вивчення досвіду підготовки учителів початкової школи у Фінляндії відкриває нові можливості для удосконалення системи педагогічної освіти в Україні в умовах її адаптації до вимог загальноєвропейського освітнього простору.

The study aimed to identify the impact of digital learning resources on the development of the educational process for faculty members at the PAAET, and its role in developing the academic capabilities of faculty members, including the areas of academic advancement and the quality of scientific research in the international publishing observatories, where the study applied the curriculum standards survey descriptive; The questionnaire was applied as a main tool to measure the impact of digital learning resources on the development of the educational process for faculty members through a sample of (78) faculty members from various disciplines. The study concluded that digital learning resources are one of the most important sources for developing the educational process for faculty members. Teaching, whether at the level of scientific research or academic promotion, with its active role in the development of the educational process. The study recommended the need to expand the use of faculty members for digital learning resources, with the need to intensify training courses and workshops in this field, with the need to develop policies and decisions related to their field of work, which In turn, it enhances the development of the educational process.