The following information was submitted:
Transactions: WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS
Transactions ID Number: 52-707
Full Name: Ali Mohammad Aghazamani
Position: Researcher
Age: ON
Sex: Male
Address: Faculty of Economy, Communication and IT, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden
Country: SWEDEN
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E-mail address: Aghazamani99@yahoo.com
Other E-mails: info.mitworkshop@gmail.com
Title of the Paper: ALUMNUS OF VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES, The implications of digital media in informal learning A qualitative survey among Swedish University students
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Number of paper pages: 13
Abstract: Emergence of new capacities on information and communication technology enhances educational activities of learners, in particular University students toward non-formal learning by using different types of tools in today's information society. It is important to know about outlook of students in utilizing a variety of digital-based tools within informal education. In order to understand different approaches of students over nontraditional based learning, the survey collected data on the interests and tools influencing the engagement of 108 Swedish University students in informal learning activities. The research was conducted with regard to attitudes, motivations and interests of the students in using various types of digital media. Qualitative research methodology based on grounded theory was implemented in data synthesis as the main methodology of the survey. An open-ended questionnaire distributed among participants and they were asked to explain their answers o!
ver two questions: Why they use digital media for learning and studying (Questions 1) and which types of digital tools they are interested in and how they utilize them(Questions 2). Analysis of the data revealed 25 categories that participants rely mostly on using digital media especially in the Internet to learn informally. Individual interests, social motivations and professional views were considered as the main categories of participants' answers to question one. The major types of digital tools which were used by the respondents divided into three main categories: general tools, virtual communities and professional digital tools. It seems that students are able to address their learning needs via digital media and to gain a large extent of information easily; they turn to more interactive educational activities based on digital means, such as using virtual and blogging communities, wikis and searching multimedia data on the internet. Limitations and implications for fu!
ture research are discussed.
Keywords: Informal learning, digital media, virtual communities, ICT, formal learning
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