scholarly journals Returns to Investment in Distance Learning: the Case of Greece

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
George Agiomirgianakis ◽  
Theodore Lianos ◽  
Nicholas Tsounis
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Return To Education ◽  
Rate Of Return ◽  
Type Model ◽  
Data Set

In this paper we extent the literature on the rate of return to investment in Higher Education towards studies in distance learning Universities. In particular, we explore the difference in returns between graduates of a distance learning university (the Hellenic Open University - HOU) and applicants that were excluded by this university’s random selection process and did not study elsewhere. The data set was extracted from a database compiled from responses to a questionnaire which was part of a survey concerning HOU (the only Distance-learning University in Greece). A modified Mincer type model was estimated with fixed effects. Our findings suggest that graduates that have obtained a first degree from HOU enjoy a rate of return to education of about 8% higher than the rate of return obtained by those high school graduates that were not selected by this university. Moreover, Master’s degree graduates get about a 16.5% higher rate of return to education relatively to those applicants that were not selected for studies in HOU and did not study elsewhere. Additionally, our findings also show that the rates of return for higher education are high even after the 2008 economic crisis. These results suggest a straightforward policy implication: a distance learning University may not only be considered as a second chance to education for mature students, often facing time and budget restrictions, but, it may also be seen as a worthwhile private investment enabling a much higher private return. Moreover, from policymakers’ point of view, a distance learning university can be seen as a vehicle to reduce income inequalities and thus increase social mobility.

Firm-level agreements, employment strategies and temporary workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 194-212
Author(s):  
Saverio Minardi
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Temporary Employment ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Temporary Workers ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collective Agreements ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of two-tier firm-level collective agreements on firms’ propensity to use temporary employment, accounting for the process of self-selection of firms into different bargaining levels in the Italian context. It further examines which firm-level characteristics drive this process of selection. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis uses a panel data set of Italian firms for the years 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2015. Estimations are produced and compared through ordinary least square regression, random-effects and fixed-effects models. Findings Results show that enterprises adopting two-tier firm-level agreements (TTFA) are associated with lower levels of temporary workers. However, a longitudinal analysis suggests that introducing a TTFA does not impact firms’ propensity to employ temporary workers. This novel finding highlights the presence of a selection process based on firm-level time-constant characteristics. The paper argues that these characteristics refer to management orientation toward high-road rather than low-road employment strategies. Further evidence is brought in support of this claim, showing that firms’ propensity toward the provision of training for their labor force partially explain the process of selection. Originality/value The study is the first to analyze the impact of secondary-level collective agreements on firms’ reliance on temporary employment, offering new evidence on the causes of the expansion of temporary employment. It further highlights the relevance of employers’ strategies in shaping the impact of the bargaining structure.

scholarly journals Importance of Websites in Open and Distance Learning: A Study of Priorities and Expectations of Mass Communication Students from their Institutions’ Websites

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 439
Author(s):  
Poonam Gaur
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Mass Communication ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Interactive Nature ◽  
Open And Distance Learning ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Distance Educators

<div><p><em>Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has very crucial role in our higher education. According to Distance Education Bureau, UGC; approx. 23.50% of the total higher education enrolment comes from distance education but this mode has been facing few major challenges since the time of its inception. ‘Distance’ is the biggest challenge for ODL. Distance educators have been trying to overcome this issue with the help of technology. ICT is the most appropriate solution. The interactive nature of this technology can minimize the impact of ‘distance’. Website is one of the most important tool of ICT. This study talks about the priorities and expectations of ODL mass communication students from the Websites of their Institutions. The paper highlights the different characteristics and features of an effective website from the ODL learners’ point of view</em>.</p></div>

scholarly journals Macro- and microeconomic risks of student loans in an international context

2015 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 629-649
Author(s):  
Máté Vona
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Loans ◽  
Student Loan ◽  
Return To Education ◽  
Rate Of Return ◽  
Tuition Fees ◽  
International Context ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Rational Investment ◽  
Investment Behaviour

The risk of individual investment in higher education is not a well-researched topic compared to the rate of return to education. In many countries tuition fees are low, but there is a possibility to borrow for investment in education. This can lead to irresponsible investment behaviour. The paper will show that the student loan market is too small to cause a macroeconomic crisis, but that it is a market with many stakeholders and irresponsible behaviour should not be encouraged. With the examination of a Hungarian sample, it can be concluded that in the context of higher education, signs of rational investment behaviour can be found. The risks of post-secondary studies are not yet fully understood and measured, and for this reason further research is suggested.

scholarly journals Socio-psychological problems of the transition of university teachers to distance employment during the Covid19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
pp. 01040
Author(s):  
Anastasiya Pesha ◽  
Tatyana Kamarova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
University Professors ◽  
University Teachers

The challenges of higher education that the world faced during the pandemic led to an emergency temporary transfer of faculty to a distance learning format. The article reveals the results of the analysis of socio-psychological problems that university teachers faced during the transition to remote employment. The work is based on a content analysis of previous studies of the issue, as well as data from a formalized online survey of faculty members of universities. The formalized survey was attended by 169 representatives of the teaching staff of universities in 10 cities of Russia. The article presents the main opportunities and disadvantages of remote employment and distance learning in higher education from the point of view of teachers. As a result of the study, the authors formulated the key opportunities and disadvantages of distance employment and identified the key social and psychological problems that require attention when organizing the activities of teachers. The labor market is changing, the requirements for the competencies of university professors are changing, it is necessary to systematically, strategically introduce changes by the administration when switching to a remote work format with a focus on the social and psychological well-being of employees.

scholarly journals The Regional Structure of Higher Education and the Role of Distance Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-74
Author(s):  
Melinda Krankovits ◽  
Irén Szörényiné Kukorelli
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
University Education ◽  
Full Time ◽  
University Selection ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
The University

Abstract In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic the importance of distance learning is being enhanced, while formal, full-time, face-to-face university education is being converted to distance learning. The study explores the role of the Universities in distance learning market and reveals the factors that influence the students’ university choice. The regional embeddedness of higher education in the Western Transdanubian region is analysed, highlighting the catchment areas of the region’s universities. The educational commuting of distance learning students to the region increases purchasing power, has a positive impact on the rental market, the labour market and can boost future settlement. Commuting, university selection and training selection behaviours of correspondence and distance training of students is examined using questionnaires. The aim is to establish whether the university selection of correspondence training students is influenced by distance and by the characteristics of the student‘s place of residence. The findings show that distance is one of the main factors during the university-selection process in the case of any kind of distance learning.

scholarly journals Online Learning Platforms: Reconstructing Modern Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (13) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zi-Yu Liu ◽  
Natalya Lomovtseva ◽  
Elena Korobeynikova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Peking University ◽  
Learning Platforms ◽  
Content Support

Online learning platforms play an important role in modern education. However, they may not be sufficiently represented in educational institutions. In this regard, the research objectives are set, namely: organize a comparative analysis of several popular distance learning platforms (Moodle, Open edX and NEO LMS) in accordance with the criteria (system features, content support, content creation, user management, reporting system; conduct consultation with university teachers, during which they will highlight the benefits of distance education systems from the point of view of the teacher; and test students, who use the online platform for learning in order to clarify its impact on academic performance. While consulting with 40 teachers of Russian and Chinese universities (Moscow State University, Higher School of Economics, Peking University, Tsinghua University), the following advantages of distance platforms have been highlighted: greater freedom of access, lower education prices, the possibility of dividing the content of the e-course into modules, flexibility of education, the ability to keep up with modern pace of life, and the ability to define criteria for assessing knowledge. According to the results of testing, after working with the Moodle platform, students (300 people in total) with different academic performance have improved their results. The most significant improvement has occurred among students with “unsatisfactory” grades; more than 50% have improved their results. Analysis of distance learning systems, testing of students and consultation with teachers allow saying that such platforms help to make education more accessible and convenient. Besides, information technologies are introduced in the educational process. That is why it is important to implement such platforms in higher education.

scholarly journals Deterministic models and identification of their parameters

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Václav Pink
Keyword(s):  
Simulated Data ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Type Model ◽  
Deterministic Models ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
R Language ◽  
Interior Equilibrium ◽  
Coefficients Of Variation ◽  
Prey Interaction

ABSTRACT This article deals with a possibility to identify parameters of a selected growth model of two populations coupled by a predator-prey interaction from a set of observed data. It starts with a brief description of the Gause-type model and of a property (interior equilibrium stability) important from a point of view of an application. Subsequently, data for four forms of the trophic function are simulated and then, a noise was added to the simulated data such that the coefficients of variation equal to 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4. For each data set, the parameters are estimated using a procedure implemented in the R-language package and the coordinates of equilibrium are computed. Then we can evaluate the effect of changing variation to the values of parameters and (un)stability of the equilibrium.

scholarly journals The experience of distance learning in the bologna process countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
pp. 01043
Author(s):  
Zarina R. Bitieva ◽  
Maria A. Bulavina ◽  
Zalina R. Bitieva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Education System ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Self Development ◽  
The Bologna Process ◽  
The Impact

In this article, the authors analyze various aspects of the distance learning discourse of the countries participating in the Bologna Process from the point of view of the impact of the pandemic on the development of higher education. The author pays special attention to the practical aspects of the activities of Russian universities during the pandemic, their interaction with each other and the problems of cooperation in the context of distance learning. Naturally, the stress caused by the epidemic and the transition to distance learning, especially for senior teachers, could not but affect the quality of training, but competently and professionally selected materials provided students with an educational result, and teachers with positive feedback and opportunities for self - development. The aim of the article is to demonstrate the experience of distance learning in the context of the pandemic and its impact on the higher education system. The author used the following methods: comparative research; methods of collecting empirical information; conceptual and terminological analysis; a method for solving problems. The results of the study can certainly be considered as revealing the positive dynamics of the development of the Bologna process in the higher education system, especially in the context of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Modification of the Role of a Teacher Under the Conditions of Distance Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 219
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Viktorovna Otts ◽  
Elena Pavlovna Panova ◽  
Yuliya Vladimirovna Lobanova ◽  
Natalya Victorovna Bocharnikova ◽  
Valentina Michailovna Panfilova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
System A ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Scientific Principles ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The article examines the features of the transformation of the role of a teacher in higher education in connection with the digitalization of education in the period before the pandemic, and during the transition of the university to a forced remote mode under the conditions of the pandemic. The assessment of the effectiveness of distance learning from the point of view of students and teachers is given. The purpose of the article is to determine expectations, the degree and nature of the influence of the teacher's personality on the effectiveness of educational process in general and distance learning in particular. Researching the effectiveness of higher education in the digital age and assessing the impact on teacher effectiveness involves the use of a number of scientific principles and research methods, theoretical and empirical. To achieve the goal, the scientific works of leading foreign and Russian scientists on the problems of digitalization of education, dehumanization of education, transformation of the role of the teacher have been analyzed, and our own research has been carried out on the basis of the Moscow Polytechnic University in the form of a survey. An assessment of the emotional consequences of isolation is given. The analysis of the effectiveness of distance learning, from the point of view of higher education teachers and students has been carried out. The expectations of students and the change in the role of a teacher of higher education as a result of expansion of functional responsibilities under the circumstances of distance learning are described. Long before the coronavirus pandemic, digitalization had been a trend in the education system. A year of distance learning has revolutionized higher education. The role of a teacher in higher education has been transformed with a significant expansion of functions and a rapid increase in the level of competencies.

scholarly journals THE DEGREE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF DISTANCE LEARNING IN LIGHT OF ‎THE OUTBREAK OF THE CORONA VIRUS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF ‎STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN BEERSHEBA

2022 ◽  
Vol 04 (01) ◽  
pp. 268-285
Author(s):  
Hatem AZBARGA
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Degree Of Stability ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
High Degree

The study aims to identify the degree of effectiveness of distance learning in light of ‎Covid-19 outbreak from the point of view of students in higher education institutions ‎in Beersheba. In this study, the researcher used the descriptive approach through a ‎questionnaire that was given to (150) students in higher education institutions in ‎Beersheba. The students were chosen randomly, and the validity of the study tool was ‎verified by presenting it to a group of arbitrators, and its stability was verified, as the ‎value of Cronbach's alpha was (94.4%), which has a high degree of stability, and ‎appropriate statistical methods were used for: Reaching the results The results were as ‎follows: ‎ ‎1.‎ The degree of effectiveness of distance learning in light of the outbreak of the ‎Corona virus from the point of view of students in higher education institutions in ‎Beersheba region came to a medium degree.‎ ‎2.‎ The degree of continuity of distance learning in light of the outbreak of the Corona ‎virus from the point of view of students in higher education institutions in Beersheba ‎region came to a medium degree.‎ ‎3.‎ The degree of e-learning obstacles from the point of view of students in higher ‎education institutions in Beersheba region came to a medium degree.‎ ‎4.‎ The degree of interaction of faculty members with distance education in light of the ‎Corona crisis from the point of view of students in higher education institutions in ‎Beersheba region came to a medium degree.‎ ‎5.‎ The degree of students' interaction with distance learning in light of e-learning from ‎the point of view of students in higher education institutions in Beersheba region ‎came to a high degree.‎ ‎6.‎ There are statistically significant differences in the responses of the study sample ‎members towards the degree of effectiveness of distance learning in light of the ‎outbreak of the Corona virus from the point of view of students in higher education ‎institutions in Beersheba region due to the gender variable, and the differences were ‎in favor of females versus males.‎ ‎7.‎ There are differences in the average responses of the sample members about the ‎degree of effectiveness of distance learning in light of the outbreak of the Corona ‎virus from the point of view of students in higher education institutions in Beersheba ‎region due to the variable of the teaching stage in the college in favor of those ‎studying a teaching certificate versus those studying a first and a second title.‎ ‎8.‎ There are no differences in the average responses of the sample members about the ‎degree of effectiveness of distance learning in light of the outbreak of the Corona ‎virus from the point of view of students in higher education institutions in Beersheba ‎region due to the variable of the year of study in the college.‎

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