Online Temporary Learning Groups in Higher Education – Interactions, Compensation, and Maximisation of Achievements in an Israeli Case Study

Authors

  • Uzi Ben-Shalom Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ariel University, POB 3, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel, Israel 40700 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1988-0744
  • Chen Hajaj Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ariel University, POB 3, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel, Israel 40700 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9940-5654
  • Nitza Davidovitch Education Studies, Ariel University, POB 3, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel, Israel 40700
  • Corinne Berger Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Ariel University, POB 3, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel, Israel 40700 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0389-0622

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2023.1.619.633

Keywords:

online, learning groups, higher education, interactions, compensation, maximization, achivements

Abstract

Thesis. This article provides an analysis of online social interactions in two online Temporary Learning Groups (TLG) and their correlates with both pre-admissions scores and academic achievements.

Concept. The function of Social Networking Systems (SNS) use on academic achievements is most often indirectly assessed through surveying attitudes of students and teachers. Contrary to this approach, we directly assessed the content on a TLG and paired it with objective admission scores and academic achievements.

Results and conclusion. The results reveal that the content of the discussions on the TLGs is practical, immediate, and focuses on the allocation of information required for academic achievements. The users of the TLGs are usually students with lower admission scores and academic achievements. They use these platforms as a compensating mechanism to improve their achievements. In addition, some of the TLG users serve as maximising agents of other students’ achievements. TLGs’ implications for teaching, class-attendance and level of schooling must be recognised by teachers.

Originality. While researchers focus on the presence of SNSs in class and its hampering of schooling by multitasking the effect of TLG activity must also be addressed.

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Author Biographies

  • Uzi Ben-Shalom, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ariel University, POB 3, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel, Israel 40700

    He earned his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, an associate professor in Ariel University and serves as the dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. Uzi is a military sociologist and psychologist and the chair of the Association of Civil-Military Studies in Israel. His recent works include applying social network analysis in education and educational leadership. He is constantly looking for research partnerships in Israel and abroad.  

  • Chen Hajaj, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ariel University, POB 3, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel, Israel 40700

    Holds Ph.D. (Computer Science), M.Sc. (Electrical Engineering), and B.Sc. (Computer Engineering) degrees, all from Bar-Ilan University. He is a faculty member of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, the director of the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Center, and a member of the Ariel Cyber Innovation Center. From 2016 to 2018, Chen was a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University. Chen's research activities are in the areas of Machine Learning, Game Theory, and Cybersecurity. Specifically, his work focuses on encrypted traffic classification, how to detect and robustify the weak spots of AI methods (adversarial artificial intelligence), and Personalized   Medicine using data-science-based methods.

  • Nitza Davidovitch, Education Studies, Ariel University, POB 3, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel, Israel 40700

    She is the Head education studies, head of Quality Assessment and Academic Instruction in Ariel University and the Head of the Israeli Consortium of Faculty Development Centers. Her areas of research interest include academic curriculum development, development of academic instruction, Holocaust awareness and Jewish identity, preservation of the heritage of Jewish sects, and moral education. 

  • Corinne Berger, Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Ariel University, POB 3, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel, Israel 40700

    She earned her Ph.D. from Ariel University. She is a licensed specialist in health psychology by the Israeli board of health. She is currently at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada performing her postdoctoral research regarding well-being of women entrepreneurs and digital mental health. She searches for international collaboration opportunities in a regular basis.

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Published

2023-06-20

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2023): Journal of Education Culture and Society

Section

LOCAL CULTURES AND SOCIETIES

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Uzi Ben-Shalom, Chen Hajaj, Nitza Davidovitch, Corinne Berger

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. All authors agree for publishing their email adresses, affiliations and short bio statements with their articles during the submission process.

How to Cite

Ben-Shalom, U., Hajaj, C., Davidovitch, N., & Berger, C. (2023). Online Temporary Learning Groups in Higher Education – Interactions, Compensation, and Maximisation of Achievements in an Israeli Case Study. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 14(1), 619-633. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2023.1.619.633