Virtual Learning in a Hong Kong Vocational Education Program

Jones International University (JIU) was the first online university to be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to offer Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Specialist and Doctoral degree programs in the fields of business and education. During the past decade, "the virtual learning market especially in the higher education sector worth approximately US$25 billion is continuing to expand" (Casey, 2008). There were more institutions delivers e-learning approach by purely online even more ‘bricks and mortar' institutes of education are opting to deliver courses using a blended learning, which some of the contents still deliver under physical mode and the rest of them will deliver online. "The Sloan Consortium reported that more than 96% of the largest US colleges and universities offered online courses and almost 3.

2 million US students were enrolled in at least one online course during the Autumn semester of 2005” (New Sloan Survey, 2006). Edwards, 2011). The research will identify distinct roles system requirements and education strategies to apply all these elements into the eLearning contents. The different outcomes may occur if students with a different background such as IT literacy, traditional attitude, and mindset. Teaching presence may need to aware of how this factor could impact a student's earning environments. “Positivists view classrooms as teacher-centered environments where the instructor is the conduit through which information flows, from the reservoir of accepted truths to the students ‘minds" (King, 1994, p. Traditionally we adopted teacher center method under lecture room environment, from now on, student center will be common for virtual platform.

This change requires the student to take more responsibility for their study, originally teacher always acts as a feeder in high school and student became passive. Virtual learning requires the student to change their learning attitude from passive to active. Based on the research plan, one can forecast it into a different phase. Hopefully, it will decline student's face-to-face contact hour in the short run. However, technologies may help to achieve the outcome that traditional classroom could not achieve. It is because technologies sometime could generate student interest easily, and it can create different learning styles through video, virtual reality (VR), online games, exercises…. etc. This learning style helps to engage in a collaborative learning environment from a group of students.

Moreover, a student could access the subject knowledge will wider than their textbook or teaching notes, the teacher will no longer be the only source for learning, a student could learn wider and deeper, it will subject to student's ability and interest. Critics also argue that eLearning is not educational in the purest philosophical sense (InnovativeLearning. com, n. d. Some believe that the lack of face-to-face interaction between teacher and student reduces the education effectiveness. Some critics argue that face-to-face learning offers a better understanding of students. The virtual learning approaches might lead to the demise of educational institutions as we have known them for centuries. One implication of differentiated pace and levels of student engagement and progress might mean that the age grouping will become irrelevant.

Another might mean that students need never attend an institutional; space, already a reality in many situations and courses. Some of the largest higher education institutions in the world are operating a wholly online institution such as the University of Phoenix, and some of them are running a blended mode such as The Open University of Hong Kong. As we can be expected that the change of the higher education system will be quite different from the way as today. Community colleges are a valuable resource for many American communities. They provide skills and job training for high school graduates who wish to transition to new jobs. The Associate’s Degrees that community colleges offer are required for many important careers such as nursing and firefighting (American Association of Communities Colleges, 2009).

Additionally, the rise of for-profit institutions has provided new avenues for students to gain an education. Online schools have begun to break the traditional education model by offering courses and certifications over the internet. After the 334 Reform, the government predicts many students will continue to seek a Higher Diploma after graduating from senior secondary school. The qualification level which is the same as Associate Degree under the US system. The scheme had a clear definition of a four-year University structure and a six-year secondary school, but it was quite unclear for other sub-degree education institutions. Hence, the vocational institution would slim down the HD program from three years to two years with similar credit to balance both employers' concern and sufficient students skills.

While applied a VLE, some face to face contact hour can be eliminated, and the student would have more spare time for their interest such as sports, hobbies or part-time job. Vocational education in Hong Kong plays an independent role in the tertiary education sector and provide training to those none high school graduates and fulfill the manpower needs from the employers. During the 1960s and 1970s, it was very popular for a school leaver to further study vocational education, at that time, business typewriter, construction, and automobile program were attractive. However, vocational education has changed a lot across the time due to the popularity of high school education since 1978 and a large number of post-secondary educations have appeared since 2000. Furthermore, the new academic structures after the government educational reforms were launched in 2009 which make vocational education in a critical situation.

Vocational education now in a position that a second-tier consideration for the student who does not receive an undergraduate offer from the university. Evaluate the Effectiveness of Virtual Learning Environment In the field of tertiary education, internet technologies have become an essential part of the daily lives of many online educators and students. Internet technologies such as text messaging, online discussion groups and social networking sites between people might be one of the reasons for the increasing number of students enrolling in online courses (Allen & Seaman, 2007). These online tools have the potential to reach students in remote geographical locations at any time. With the emergence of new online interactive technologies, educators have begun to examine them for potential uses in teaching and learning.

One technology that has the potential to engage learners in online instruction is the use of virtual world environments. The usage of these collaborative learning activities within a virtual world environment ensures that the interaction between learners facilitates constructive dialogue, joint knowledge construction, and deep involvement in social-experiential learning. Designing Effective eLearning for Virtual World Active learning, communication characterize a virtual learning environment, and collaboration, facilitated by supporting tools such as materials, management, and discussions (Yang &Lui, 2004). The framework for creating a learning environment has long been established by the foundations of instructional design theories and models. However before educators move forward with the integration of a virtual environment, they need to understand the 21st-century environment in which current students are learning.

“Online educators must understand the pros and cons of a new tool, then investigate how the new tool can meet instructional needs. Instructors must have both content and pedagogical expertise to make links among contributed ideas, diagnose misperceptions, and inject knowledge from textbooks, articles, and web-based materials. The feedback channel would replace an analysis phase of the CoI framework. The framework combines the concept of specific studies on social teaching and cognitive presence. Because some students had trouble adjusting to the online learning environment and had a hard time managing their time and being self-motivated (Chia-Wen Tsai, 2011), it was important to understand what contributed to the academic success of students taking online classes. Research showed that online classes had a higher dropout rate than face-to-face classes (Conklin, 2008).

The virtual learning tools such as words or text, reflective activities, visual representations, and hands-on activities and assessments. Argument of Advocacy With rapid technology development, many institutions are now considered to provide education under virtual environments. learning means that to provide a learning environment under a nonphysical contact, or previously call web-based learning or e-learning. Student requires receiving course materials or submitting their assessment online; virtual learning also enhances the development of distance learning institutions. Other than the U. This is an entry-level module where traditional classroom teaching may not be effective since the students do not have sufficient working experience and therefore they will get bored by the lecture and tutorial sessions. The assessment for GB4211 which will contain 32% group presentation, 8% class activities and discussion and 60% final examination.

The module has been in existence since 2007 I previously utilized it where the students were required to present their group project result in front of the class during the tutorial session. The group project was drawn by students during week 2 tutorial session. The topic was related to one specific industry such as aviation, fast food, mobile phone manufactures, telecommunication, and tourism. Basically, the assessment method and level are the same as the traditional method. The only way to change is the delivery tools and student discussion method. The eLearning group presentation will be implemented during the academic year 2018/2019. During the beginning of semester, normally not later than week 2, student will be randomly assign a customer service topic, all topics are related to an industry, student will require to find a company within their industry and further ingest rate for 1) the nature of business and how the business satisfy their customer's need; 2) analysis the competitive environment and how the company face competitive situation; 3) apply the customer service theories and knowledge that delivered from this module.

Each class will have 6 group (4 to 5 students per group), this year we have4 classes that mean there are 30 student groups in total. Lastly, the e-learning approach may provide more opportunity for the student to enhance their English writing skills due to the discussion board are only accept English input. The advantage of online discussion is that student can complete their task at anywhere and anytime. It will affect my long-term goal which plans to eliminate the tutorial hour from 13 to 6 hours per semester, and the same learning outcome will be met. At the end of this module, there will be a student focus interview for student's feedback and evaluation on the online presentation. Moreover, a final examination which will be conducted on week 15 (around mid-January 2019), all student will require to sit for the examination.

References Allen, I. E. , & Seaman, J. Changing the landscape: More institutions pursue online offerings. On the Horizon, 15(3), 130-138. , & Seaman, J. Learning on demand: Online education in the United States. Amis, J. , & Aïssaoui, R. Readiness for change: An institutional perspective. 1080/08923640802239962 Archambault, L. , Wetzel, K. , Fouger, T. , & Williams, M. Professional development 2. Khan ed), Educational Technology Publications: New Jersey, pp. Babson Park, MA: Babson College Survey Research Group. Retrieved from Bandura, A. A social cognitive theory of personality. In L. RoutledgeFalmer studies in distance education, the United State of America, Retrieved from http://books. google. com. my/books?id=wKJMN7YbgLIC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepa ge&q=&f=false Billett, S. Changing work, work practice: Consequences for vocational education. Retrieved from Boutin, F.

, Chinien, C. , Moratis, L. , & Van Baalen, P. Overview: Changing the economic environment and workplace requirements: Implications for reengineeringTVET for prosperity. Burge, E. J. , and Roberts, J. M. Classrooms with a Difference: A Practical Guide to the Use of Conferencing Technologies. TechTrends: linking research and practice to improve learning, 52, 45– 51. Cercone, K. Characteristics of adult learners with implications for online learning design. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education Journal (AACE), 16(2), 137-159. Retrieved from http://www. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education Journal (AACE), 16(2), 137-159. Retrieved from http://www. editlib. org/j/AACEJ Collaborative learning: a sourcebook for higher education. University Park, PA: Collins, H. & Donaldson, J. Continuing to engage the online learner. San Francisco Jossey-Bass. Davies, D. (1998) The virtual university: A learning university.

Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Cresswell, J. W. (Ed. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (3rd ed. 1080/08923649809527004 Dewey, J. Experience and education. New York: Collier Books. Hartley, D. distance learning Knowledge Base, Open University, Malaysia. Educational Technology & Society, 260-272. Liu, X. , Liu, S. , Lee, S. , & Magjuka, R. R. , Anderson, T. , & Archer, W. Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and higher education, 2(2-3), 87-105. Giorgi, A. The descriptive phenomenological method in psychology: A modified Husserlian approach. Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press. Glaser, B. G. L. Smith, & J. T. MacGregor (Eds. Gorman, M. Benefits and challenges of blended learning environments. In M. Khosrow - Pour (Ed. ), Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology. pp. ): Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Green, M. , & Piel, J. A (2009). Theories of human development: A comparative approach (second ed. pdf http://www. courseshare. com/reports. php http://www. sloanconsortium. Describing or debunking? The net generation and digital natives. Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 26(5), 317-320. doi:10. 1111/j. x K. Management in Education (Sage Publications, Ltd. Knight, J. , & Rochon, R. Starting online: Exploring the use of a social networking site to facilitate transition into higher education. Electronic Journal Of E-Learning, 10(3), 259- 263. Career competencies for career success. Career Development Quarterly, 55, 168−179. Kumar, S. , Dawson, K. , Black, E. 00186 Lee, J. Patterns of interaction and participation in a large online course: Strategies lessons learned. American Journal of Evaluation, 22(3), 329-336. McAuley, A. , Stewart, B. com/rhej. html McGlone, J. Adult learning styles and online educational preference.

Research in Higher Education Journal, 12, 1-9. Retrieved from http://www. , Voss, S. , & Laguardia, A. Surviving the doctoral dissertation experience: The NW sisters’ study. Journal of International Women's Studies, 7(4), 168-185 McLoughlin, C. , & Lee, M. M. Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Mopas, M. S. Imagining the Internet and Making it Governable: Canadian Law and Regulation. Murphy, E. (2004b). Recognizing and promoting collaboration in an online asynchronous discussion. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35(4), 421-43 NCTLA, Pennsylvania State University. Needham, MA: Sloan Consortium. International Journal of EducationalTelecommunications, 3(4), 343–358. O'Bannon, B. , & Britt, V. Creating/developing/using a wiki study guide: Effects on student achievement. Journal Of Research On Technology In Education, 44(4), 293312. westga. edu/~distance/ojdla/winter54/Quinn54. html Paris: OECD. Parisot, A. H. Routledge. Plane, K.

Overview: TVET for youth. In R. Maclean & D. pdf Quinney, K. , Smith, S. , & Galbraith, Q. Bridging the gap: Self-directed staff technology training. Information Technology & Libraries, 29(4), 205-213. Ladyshewsky. (2004) E-learning Compared with Face to Face: Differences in the Academic Achievement of Postgraduate Business Student, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 20 (1), pp. Retrieved from: https://www. iste. (2001) eLearning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age. New York: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved from: http://teachopolis. org/library/e_learning. htm Rourke, L. Saldaña, J. The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Schneider, R. Examining the instructional design of a technology-enhanced course for new mentor teachers. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 17(1), 85107. ), 8th International Conference on Web-Based Learning (ICWL 2009), pp. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Schwandt, T.

A. Constructivist, interpretivist approaches to human inquiry. InN. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Shenton, A. K. Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for Information, 22, 66-75. What is collaborative learning? in A. S. Stake, R. E. The art of case study research. Hong Kong Teachers’ Centre Journal, Vol. Tadimeti, V. E-soft skills training: Challenges and opportunities. IUP Journal Of Soft Skills, 8(1), 34-44. Teahan, J. Trow, M. Reflections on the transition from elite to mass to universal access: Forms and phases of higher education in modern societies since WWII. In J. J. F. pdf Wadsworth, G. Skyrocketing college costs. Inflationdata. com. Retrieved from Willis, J. Yin, R. K. Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.