Considering the importance of digital skills in university education, this article reports on a study which examined access to technology among first year students at a rural South African university. The study focused on the digital readiness of students prior to their admission to the university, since many universities provide access to…

Study abroad programs provide an excellent opportunity for students to accelerate their language learning and acquire cultural capital (Byram & Feng, 2006). Research into returnees from a variety of study abroad programs, however, has revealed that this is not always the case (e.g., Kinginger, 2011; Sato & Hodge, 2015; Yoshimitsu, 2009).…

Study abroad programs provide an opportunity for students to accelerate language learning and acquire cultural capital. Evaluations of returnees from study abroad programs however, have revealed that this is not always guaranteed. To promote a more positive academic and culturally-inclusive study abroad experience, one recommendation is for…

A positive self-concept supposedly affects a student's well-being as well as his or her perception of individual competence at school. As computer-based learning is becoming increasingly important in school, a positive computer-related self-concept (CSC) might help to enhance cognitive achievement. Consequently, we focused on establishing a short,…

This study focused on formative use of peer feedback in an online system that was used in basic computer literacy for word processing assignment-related purposes. Specifically, the effect of quantity, modality and satisfaction of peer feedback provided through the online system on students' performance, self-efficacy, and technology acceptance was…

Aiming at empowering students with the NCTE's 21st century literacies, this discussion investigated what role Web 2.0 technologies play in first-year college students' writing practices and what challenges students face while using computer technology for writing. Based on input from a national sample of 37 writing teachers, pedagogical…

This article intended to reveal the results of a survey study in which the students' attitudes toward online communication in open and distance learning were investigated. In the study, affects of the students' gender and computer experience on their attitudes were also examined. A total of 626 subjects participated in the study and "Online…

The modern world is becoming increasingly digitalised and this is affecting the way in which humans not only live but also learn. In South Africa, the majority of students entering universities are from disadvantaged backgrounds and come from schools and communities in which they were not exposed to the same technologically rich environments as…

Taking into account that universities assume students will have at least some basic knowledge of the use of computers and the Internet, we hypothesize that the command of ICT skills by freshmen could have an influence on their educational attainment. To test this hypothesis an online questionnaire was used, which was answered by a representative…

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors related to self-efficacy for Java programming among first year engineering students. An instrument assessing Java programming self-efficacy was developed from the computer programming self-efficacy scale of Ramalingam & Wiedenbeck. The instrument was administered at the beginning of the…

The main objective of our study is to determine the challenges faced during the process of teaching Computer Science in a university of a country in transition and make suggestions to improve this teaching process by perfecting the necessary conditions. Our survey builds on the thesis that we live in an information age; information technology is…

Low retention rates in third-level computing courses, despite continuing research into new and improved computer teaching methods, present a worrying concern. For some computing students learning programming is intimidating, giving rise to lack of confidence and anxiety. The noncognitive domain of anxiety with regard to learning computer…

The integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in course offerings in institutions of higher learning (IHLs) is the catalyst towards empowering learners to become autonomous lifelong learners. In an effort to produce quality and independent learners, Learning Management Systems (LMS) are seen as a means to assist educators in…

The first aim of this study was to develop an instrument of self-perceived computer competence and to assess differences among university students. For this purpose, two instruments were developed: "quantity of computer applications" (16 items) and "quality of application use" (30 items). Questionnaires were administered to two samples of…

Following the exponential increase in the global usage of the Internet as one of the main tools for communication, the Internet established itself as the fourth most powerful media. In a similar vein, computer literacy education and related courses established themselves as the essential components of the Faculty of Communication and Media…