ERIC Number: EJ1127612
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2159-0281
EISSN: N/A
Supporting 21st-Century Teaching and Learning: The Role of Google Apps for Education (GAFE)
Awuah, Lawrence J.
Journal of Instructional Research, v4 p12-22 2015
The future of higher education is likely to be driven by to the willingness to adapt and grow with the use of technologies in teaching, learning, and research. Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is a powerful cloud-computing solution that works for students regardless of their location, time, or the type of device being used. GAFE is used by thousands of schools and universities worldwide to make effective use of collaboration tools for students and faculties, with the primary objective of enhancing teaching and learning. In particular, GAFE tools enable users to work together virtually on documents, presentations, and projects in the cloud. GAFE is used to develop course websites, as a complement to traditional classroom instruction, with the aim of delivering coursework to students. For this research study, a group of computer science students from the University of Ghana were surveyed to understand the impact of GAFE use on their performance and satisfaction. The study was conducted after in-class deployment of GAFE during the fall 2013 semester. When asked if using the GAFE-based course website improved their performance, over 84% answered "yes." Additionally, about 91% of the participants indicated that they were more satisfied with the courses using GAFE than those using traditional methods of instruction with no or moderate use of technology, where the least proportion of content is delivered online; the remaining 9% noted that they were moderately satisfied. Overall, the respondents were satisfied to some degree.
Descriptors: Courseware, Higher Education, Computer Software, Computer Software Reviews, Technology Uses in Education, Computer Science Education, Student Satisfaction, Student Surveys, Usability, Misconceptions, College Students, Statistical Significance, Academic Achievement, Intention, Multiple Regression Analysis, Online Systems, Foreign Countries, Statistical Analysis
Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching at Grand Canyon University. 3300 West Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85017. Tel: 602-639-6729; e-mail: cirt@gcu.edu; Web site: http://www.instructionalresearch.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A