Dr. Aderajew M I H R E T TESSEMA | UNISA (original) (raw)

Papers by Dr. Aderajew M I H R E T TESSEMA

Social Science Research Network, 2024

A review of open distance learning theories The article was written based on the critical review ... more A review of open distance learning theories The article was written based on the critical review of the literature regarding the leading theories of Open Distance Learning and their implications in the operation of the system. The author has chosen and discussed eight theories, six of which are categorized into two groups based on their conceptual synergies. Those in the first group are: Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance, Wedemeyer's Independence Theory and Holmberg's Guided Didactic Learning Theory. These theories put the learners and their interactions (with learning materials, instructors, fellow colleagues and institutions) at the center of the education process. Those in the second group are: Peters' Theory of Industrialization, Bááth's Theory of Interaction and Communication, and Sewart's Theory of Continuity of Concern or Intermediary (Student Support Services). This group is concerned with the structure of the system. The other two theories are Simonson's Theory of Equivalence and Constructive Theory of Learning. The author has pointed out which research problems might be formulated based on each of the mentioned theories.

Growing involvement of the Internet and digital media are shaping the present context of distance... more Growing involvement of the Internet and digital media are shaping the present context of distance education (DE) and reconstructing the ways education is being provided globally. Whereas the generations of DE have counted to 5 phases, online learning has received the third generation in its development (Heydenrych and Prinsloo 2010), and it is only recently that the approach has been practiced in Ethiopia giving accreditations to five HLIs to run the system to teach MBA courses. For its implementation to be successful, the system of online learning requires its practitioners to have got intensive professional development. This study believed that the proposed HLIs used the conventional school instructors while implementing the online learning program and doubted that there would be problems (that might arise from the lack of appropriate training, long-lived biases, short of tech skills, etc.) in satisfying the stakeholders taking part in the program. This study was meant to explore the experiences of American College of Technology (ACT) and Harambee University (HU) how they implemented the online learning program for the courses they provided to their MBA students. The study employed mixed methods design to get responses to the research questions and the ICDE rubric was also applied to triangulate the results generated for validity. The target population comprised of students, instructors, and coordinators of the aforementioned HLIs who were engaged in the online MBA program. In total, 200 senior students, all 18 instructors and 2 coordinators from the two institutions were targeted for the study. And according to Raosoft sample size calculator, assuming 5% margin of error (95% confidence level), the sample size for students grew to 132 and though questionnaires were sent to all 132 students, only 90 of them returned filling the questionnaires. The responses collected using questionnaires consisting of both closed and open-ended questions were analysed using IBM SPSS version 28 software and the results generated were interpreted accordingly. The study found out that in four of the HLIs, the syllabuses of the courses were organized as required by HERQA, and the contents were delivered partly only in audio formats. Four of the institutions managed to use MOODLE to develop the LMS whereby students could access courses electronically; however, the study revealed reasonable differences among the institutions regarding the interactions students were supposed to have with their instructors, the institution, and fellow students. Students need periodical feedback to remain in their learning being motivated and complete their course with all satisfaction that put them at par with the conventional schooling.

Social Science Research Network, 2023

Instructor-student relationship is an important element in the teaching-learning process. An inst... more Instructor-student relationship is an important element in the teaching-learning process. An instructor not only teaches but also interacts with his/her students. Nor does a student learn as though he/she were receiving his/her information from a teaching machine. Each has feelings toward the other, and a significant number of studies show that positive instructor-student relationships facilitate the learning process while negative ones interfere in students’ learning. However, the impact of lack of relationships on learning do not appear to have been periodically documented. This study was specifically designed to examine the impact of Instructor-Student Relationships in Private and Government Higher Learning Institutions, on Students’ Learning. The study examined the nature of relationships that exist between instructors and students in St. Mary’s University College (SMUC) and Addis Ababa University College of Commerce AAUCC and identified the factors influencing such relationships. It also tried to assess the professional distance maintained by the instructors in both institutions. To be able to examine and compare the impact of Instructor-Student Relationships on Students’ Learning, in the chosen institutions, in a questionnaire was administered to both prospective graduating students and senior instructors found in SMUC and AAUCC. The survey summarized all activities carried out the process followed? and recommends the most workable findings, which if appropriately addressed are believed to maximize students’ participation in the teaching learning practices.

Journal of Research, Innovation and Technologies (JoRIT)

Thanks to COVID-19, e-learning has become one of the platforms for the teaching-learning activity... more Thanks to COVID-19, e-learning has become one of the platforms for the teaching-learning activity in Ethiopia. Many high schools and higher institutions tried to manage to not disrupt the academic calendar by providing learning materials, mainly focusing on contents and exercises, via an electronic platform, Telegram. E-learning, also referred to as online learning, is an educational technological tool embracing self-motivation, communication, efficiency, and technology and it is becoming the default of 5th generation of Distance Education. In online learning, active engagements of the learner and the instructor are expected while the teaching-learning process is going on. The engagement can be either using off video text exchanging or video conferencing on platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, MOODLE, etc. This study was designed to assess the experiences of selected HEIs (American College of Technology, Yardstick International College, ET Online College, and Unity University) in t...

SSRN Electronic Journal

Thanks to covid-19, e-learning has become one of the platforms for the teaching-learning activity... more Thanks to covid-19, e-learning has become one of the platforms for the teaching-learning activity in Ethiopia. Many high schools and higher institutions tried to manage to not disrupt the academic calendar by providing learning materials, mainly focusing on contents and exercises, via an electronic cross-platform, Telegram, which is a freeware cloud-based instant messaging (IM) service (https://en.wikipedia.org). E-learning is an educational technological tool embracing self-motivation, communication, efficiency, and technology and it is becoming the default of 5 th generation of Distance Education, networked open and distance learning. It is an online learning; yet there is a difference between the two concepts. Every online learning is also called as an e-learning while every e-learning set up is not necessarily an online system. In an online learning, there should be an active/live engagement of the learner and the instructor while the teachinglearning process is going on. The engagement can be either using off video text exchanging or video conferencing on the platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, MOODLE, etc. This study was designed to assess the experiences of selected HEI which are engaged on Online Learning, and it specifically tried to evaluate the experiences of American

Conference Presentations by Dr. Aderajew M I H R E T TESSEMA

St. Mary’s University College, 2007

Instructor-student relationship is an important element in the teaching-learning process. An inst... more Instructor-student relationship is an important element in the teaching-learning process. An instructor not only teaches but also interacts with his/her students. Nor does a student learn as though he/she were receiving his/her information from a teaching machine. Each has feelings toward the other, and a significant number of studies show that positive
instructor-student relationships facilitate the learning process while negative ones interfere in students’ learning. However, the impact of lack of relationships on learning do not appear to have been periodically documented. This study was specifically designed to examine the impact of Instructor-Student Relationships in Private and Government Higher
Learning Institutions, on Students’ Learning. The study examined the nature of relationships that exist between instructors and students in St. Mary’s University College (SMUC) and Addis Ababa University College of Commerce AAUCC and identified the factors influencing such relationships. It also tried to assess the professional distance
maintained by the instructors in both institutions. To be able to examine and compare the impact of Instructor-Student Relationships on Students’ Learning, in the chosen institutions, in a questionnaire was administered to both prospective graduating students and senior instructors found in SMUC and AAUCC. The survey summarized all activities carried out the process followed? and recommends the most workable findings, which if
appropriately addressed are believed to maximize students’ participation in the teaching learning practices.

Books by Dr. Aderajew M I H R E T TESSEMA

RITHA Publishing , 2023

Growing involvement of the Internet and digital media are shaping the present context of distance... more Growing involvement of the Internet and digital media are shaping the present context of distance education (DE) and reconstructing the ways education is being provided globally. Whereas the generations of DE have counted to 5 phases, online learning has received the third generation in its development (Heydenrych and Prinsloo 2010), and it is only recently that the approach has been practiced in Ethiopia giving accreditations to five HLIs to run the system to teach MBA courses. For its implementation to be successful, the system of online learning requires its practitioners to have got intensive professional development.
This study believed that the proposed HLIs used the conventional school instructors while implementing the online learning program and doubted that there would be problems (that might arise from the lack of appropriate training, long-lived biases, short of tech skills, etc.) in satisfying the stakeholders taking part in the program. This study was meant to explore the experiences of American College of Technology (ACT) and Harambee University (HU) how they implemented the online learning program for the courses they provided to their MBA students.
The study employed mixed methods design to get responses to the research questions and the ICDE rubric was also applied to triangulate the results generated for validity. The target population comprised of students, instructors, and coordinators of the aforementioned HLIs who were engaged in the online MBA program. In total, 200 senior students, all 18 instructors and 2 coordinators from the two institutions were targeted for the study. And according to Raosoft sample size calculator, assuming 5% margin of error (95% confidence level), the sample size for students grew to 132 and though questionnaires were sent to all 132 students, only 90 of them returned filling the questionnaires. The responses collected using questionnaires consisting of both closed and open-ended questions were analysed using IBM SPSS version 28 software and the results generated were interpreted accordingly. The study found out that in four of the HLIs, the syllabuses of the courses were organized as required by HERQA, and the contents were delivered partly only in audio formats. Four of the institutions managed to use MOODLE to develop the LMS whereby students could access courses electronically; however, the study revealed reasonable differences among the institutions regarding the interactions students were supposed to have with their instructors, the institution, and fellow students. Students need periodical feedback to remain in their learning being motivated and complete their course with all satisfaction that put them at par with the conventional schooling.

Thesis Chapters by Dr. Aderajew M I H R E T TESSEMA

Social Science Research Network, 2024

Social Science Research Network, 2023

Journal of Research, Innovation and Technologies (JoRIT)

SSRN Electronic Journal

St. Mary’s University College, 2007

Instructor-student relationship is an important element in the teaching-learning process. An inst... more Instructor-student relationship is an important element in the teaching-learning process. An instructor not only teaches but also interacts with his/her students. Nor does a student learn as though he/she were receiving his/her information from a teaching machine. Each has feelings toward the other, and a significant number of studies show that positive
instructor-student relationships facilitate the learning process while negative ones interfere in students’ learning. However, the impact of lack of relationships on learning do not appear to have been periodically documented. This study was specifically designed to examine the impact of Instructor-Student Relationships in Private and Government Higher
Learning Institutions, on Students’ Learning. The study examined the nature of relationships that exist between instructors and students in St. Mary’s University College (SMUC) and Addis Ababa University College of Commerce AAUCC and identified the factors influencing such relationships. It also tried to assess the professional distance
maintained by the instructors in both institutions. To be able to examine and compare the impact of Instructor-Student Relationships on Students’ Learning, in the chosen institutions, in a questionnaire was administered to both prospective graduating students and senior instructors found in SMUC and AAUCC. The survey summarized all activities carried out the process followed? and recommends the most workable findings, which if
appropriately addressed are believed to maximize students’ participation in the teaching learning practices.

RITHA Publishing , 2023

Growing involvement of the Internet and digital media are shaping the present context of distance... more Growing involvement of the Internet and digital media are shaping the present context of distance education (DE) and reconstructing the ways education is being provided globally. Whereas the generations of DE have counted to 5 phases, online learning has received the third generation in its development (Heydenrych and Prinsloo 2010), and it is only recently that the approach has been practiced in Ethiopia giving accreditations to five HLIs to run the system to teach MBA courses. For its implementation to be successful, the system of online learning requires its practitioners to have got intensive professional development.
This study believed that the proposed HLIs used the conventional school instructors while implementing the online learning program and doubted that there would be problems (that might arise from the lack of appropriate training, long-lived biases, short of tech skills, etc.) in satisfying the stakeholders taking part in the program. This study was meant to explore the experiences of American College of Technology (ACT) and Harambee University (HU) how they implemented the online learning program for the courses they provided to their MBA students.
The study employed mixed methods design to get responses to the research questions and the ICDE rubric was also applied to triangulate the results generated for validity. The target population comprised of students, instructors, and coordinators of the aforementioned HLIs who were engaged in the online MBA program. In total, 200 senior students, all 18 instructors and 2 coordinators from the two institutions were targeted for the study. And according to Raosoft sample size calculator, assuming 5% margin of error (95% confidence level), the sample size for students grew to 132 and though questionnaires were sent to all 132 students, only 90 of them returned filling the questionnaires. The responses collected using questionnaires consisting of both closed and open-ended questions were analysed using IBM SPSS version 28 software and the results generated were interpreted accordingly. The study found out that in four of the HLIs, the syllabuses of the courses were organized as required by HERQA, and the contents were delivered partly only in audio formats. Four of the institutions managed to use MOODLE to develop the LMS whereby students could access courses electronically; however, the study revealed reasonable differences among the institutions regarding the interactions students were supposed to have with their instructors, the institution, and fellow students. Students need periodical feedback to remain in their learning being motivated and complete their course with all satisfaction that put them at par with the conventional schooling.