The Impact of Online Learning Context in Fostering Open

Leadership Skills

Nesrin Bahçelerli

, Tulen Saner

, Zehra Altınay

, Ebba Ossiannilsson

and Fahriye Altınay

School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Near East University, Cyprus

Faculty of Education, Educational Sciences Institute, Societal Research and Development Center, Near East University,

Nicosia, Cyprus

Swedish Association of Distance Education, Sweden

Keywords: Online Learning, Leadership, Online Learning Environment.

Abstract: The methods of learning have changed rapidly. For online learning process, collaboration, active participation

and technology acceptance are crucial. Active learning plays a great role that learners become leader of their

learning process and knowledge construction process.This study focused on the impact of online learning

context in fostering open leadership skills. In this study, semi-structured interviews and discussion via internet

is used as qualitative research technique. The participants of the research study included twenty students

which aimed to examine leadership skills development of learners within practical training course context. It

is emerged that students have experienced how to be a leader during online learning process and they

developed skills of problem solving, awareness, research and negotiation.

1 INTRODUCTION

Online learning supports flexiable access that

provides to content and instruction at any time, from

any place. Online learning is defined as an approach

to learning and teaching process that flexible access

learning material, interacting with the content and

instructor. It utilize acqusition and usage of the

knowlowdge in an educational context. Internet and

communication technologies collaboration support

online learning experiences and practices.

According to Muir (2001), advantages of online

learning can be listed below;

 Learning can take place anywhere

 Learning can take place anytime and at any

pace.

 There is a synergy between the learner,

instructor and environment.

 High quality dialogue can be maintained

because it is not restricted by a traditional

classroom or time models. individuals

learning styles and issues with greater ease.

 There is great access to a larger variety of

quality resources.

 There is a level playing field for all learners,

regardless of visual or physical

handicap,

location or learning schedule.

 Teachers can use creative teaching methods

in delivering material.

An important goal of distance higher education is

to improve the equality in educational opportunities

among various regions. Distance higher education

was ignoring from traditional higher education. So,

as a unique form of education, from correspondence

education in the nineteenth century to today’s

distance learning based on the Internet, distance

education has undergone great changes (Feng Liang

et. Al., 2014)

All around to world to underline equality in

learning, the principles of online learning and

restructure organizational levels come into the

consideration and traditional learning transform to

open up education. The equal and open learning

context support communication skills and enrich

skills and abilities within the life(EU,2015). Online

learning enviorment have been done in order to share

ideas and good practice through personalized learning

and motivating learners. Moore and Kearsley (1999)

has distinguished three types of interaction: learner–

instructor, learner–content and learner–learner

interaction, which illustrate ways online participation

may be supported.

736

Bahçelerli, N., Saner, T., Altinay, Z., Ossiannilsson, E. and Altinay, F.

The Impact of Online Learning Context in Fostering Open Leadership Skills.

DOI: 10.5220/0006387107360741

In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2017) - Volume 1, pages 736-741

ISBN: 978-989-758-239-4

Song, Singleton, Hill & Koh (2004) focused that

on the learners’ perceptions of helpful components

and challenges in online learning environments.

Koehle, Bird & Bonney (2008) claimed that

achieving professional development involved the

creation and implementation of a program in personal

leadership for the organization.

Sit et al. (2004) stated that students to take

responsibility for their learning process online

learning environment. Students lead this process.

This online learning environment gives an

opportunity to students to develop skills and

confidence in handling difficult tasks and problem-

solving with using the Internet as a resources.

Additionally, Deal and Peterson (2009) stated that

point to the multiple ways school culture fosters

improvement, collaborative decision making,

professional development of students' learning.

Online learning environment, courses are changed by

online materials. Opportunities for students to

undertake tasks and responsibilities in school culture.

Technology is a transformation opportunity of

course contents within the digital age. Integration of

technology to the teaching, learning is sharing

experiences, knowledge within digital platform

enriches skills of learners by the support of social

networking sites (Gilbert, 2005). In this respect,

social networking site fosters learning platform

within practical training course as part of the research

study. Online learning environment intensified need

to consider how social platform enhance learning and

to what extend support skills development and

learners by individualistic responsibility.

In today's information age, managing information

for leaders has become the most important leadership

criterion. The ability to make the most efficient use of

information and ensure maximum recycling depends

on the well-managed knowledge.

It is controversial whether leadership can be

taught. It is found that leadership skills can be taught.

There is an increasing demand for leadership training

and development programs. It has been determined

that the existing training programs are not sufficient

for the development of leadership skills and need to

be developed (Mole, 2004). There is a need for a

management understanding that includes leadership

processes such as creativity, direction, and impact so

that organizations can adapt to the rapid changes in

life and continue their existence (Elmuti et al., 2005).

Indeed, practical training course is the

experiential learning process that students supports

knowledge creation and develop competence and

skills through practice and living experience within

the sector in online learning environment. The

practical training course is very significant for the

undergraduate students which they gained future

experience of work for the success. Within this

research study, the importance of experiential

learning process for future success, the role of

dialogue and interaction for the experience and social

learning are highlighted. As regards the social

networking sites provides platform for interaction,

connectivity and access that foster interaction and

socially negotiated experience as a base for the social

learning. In this respect, living collaborative thinking,

argumentation and reflection in order to achieve

interconnected knowledge and experience become

important. As practical training course significantly

focus on openness, diversity, interaction and

autonomy, those principles have been practiced

within the course to reveal the perceptions and

experiences of the students who enrolled practical

training course course in School of Tourism and

Hospitality Management. Although the literature paid

attention to impact of social interaction (Fernandez,

2006), experience (Pankhurst, 2010), mediation

(Vogel, 2004) for learning, they stay partial. In this

respect, this study puts forward to reveal the

evaluations of their learning and experience with the

support of social networking site (facebook) as

regards the openness, diversity, interaction and

autonomy principles. Further to this, the study aims

to reveal how online social networking sites

(facebook, vb.) are relevant for different fields and

courses such as tourism field and internship course.

According to Fullan (2007) school culture can be

defined as the guiding beliefs and values evident in

the way a school operates.

Ossiannilsson et. al. (2015)stated that new

technologies act as change especially in higher

education and universities enable to meet a broader

range of learners’ needs, adapting traditional teaching

methods and offering a mix of face–to-face and

online learning possibilities that allow individuals to

learn anywhere, anytime.

Higher education institutions should offering

faculty professional development programs to

develop skills that support the pressures of adapting

their current teaching ideologies and practice to align

with rapidly expanding digital tools and expectations

for learning and teaching (Salmon and Wright, 2014).

In this research study, the impact of online

learning contexts is crucial in order to examine the

leadership attitudes by the support of social

networking site (facebook) in terms of practical

training course.

The purpose of this research study was to reveal

the impact of online learning context in fostering

The Impact of Online Learning Context in Fostering Open Leadership Skills

737

open leadership skills. Furthermore, this research

aimed to assess the skills and capabilities of students

within the scope of practical trainning courses.

Additionally, practical training course is of great

importance to gain responsibilities, personal

leadership and solving problem abilities for students

who study in tourism and hotel management because

tourism industry given the labour intensive nature

during the tourism education.

2 METHODOLOGY

The research design for the study was based upon the

framework of qualitative research which covers the

understanding, interpretation of socially constructed

meanings within an inductive process. Within the

qualitative research framework, experiences and the

process, based on collobaration which is considered

by energing theory and practice.

Action research was employed in this research

study that skills development of learners through

online social platforms and digitally integrated

learning, teaching context were created.

Semi-structured interviews and discussions via

internet were used in order to examine importance of

practical training courses. Students actively discussed

subjects among each others.

Online learning context provided social learning

platform for dialogue and negotiation beside the

classroom learning and teaching process in this study.

The 20 students provided semi-structured interviews

response within a frame of this qualitative research.

This showed how principles of theory practiced and

how this theory and facebook group space contribute

learning, self-leadership, decision making and

reflection skills.

The participants of the research study included

twenty students which aimed to enhance skills

development of students as learners within practical

training courses context. This research was conducted

one semester consist of 16 weeks. Online learning

platform was used as a support for conducting theory

of education and students voluntarily participated in

the study and the data were collected through

purposive sampling.

3 FINDINGS

In this study, 20 practical training course students

from School of Tourism and Hospitality Management

voluntarily involved the practice connectivist theory

in learning process. In addition, online platform has

been constructed to activate dialogue and interaction

as significant principle of the online learning

environment. Course supported collaborative

thinking and dialogue has been practiced to foster the

theory in the practice with the involvement of

lecturer. As regards the outcome about the online

platform, the semi-structured interview revealed large

amount of qualitative data and provided credible

results to confirm that almost all students developed

dialogue and interaction thus they learn more from

others and others’ experiences, enhance self-

leadership, decision making and reflection skills.

Expectation Students from Online Learning

and Leadership

Data collected from semi-structured interviews

assembled via mail and students commented and

discussed their decision. Student clarified

information about online learning and expectations

from these course. Almost all students considered

online learning as an support to experience of their

self development conceptions of teaching and

learning.

These research implemented fourth class, second

semester course. Although, all students had enough

therotical information in their diciplinary. First of all

online learning definition requested from students.

ST5 and ST8 defined that, online learning is the

process where a person would seek to develop their

own knowledge, or even find technological resources

for a certain subject. ST2 remarked, that online

learning environment is internet using. ST13

emphasized that this method is so far beyond the

ordinary education system, learners need comfortably

oblivous to any restriction in terms of of information

and communication between individuals with regard

to each other, provided the environment is very high

comfort. Majority of students indicated that students

as a teacher and controller of their own without any

pressure or coercion in the online learning. Students

agree with the responsibility for developing and

responsible for their own learning skills, additionally

how separate topic to learn and their learning speed.

The data demonstrate that students expectation

from these online learning environment course.

Practical training course helped students to earn job

experience before their graduation and gain

advantage for their future life. Such that, ST9

underlined that to consolidate and gain experience by

blending the practical course with received training.

Students obtained that knowledge has not enough for

future life, necessary to reinforced with practical

knowledge because of job environment that differ

FOLSC 2017 - Special Session on Fostering Open Leadership in School Culture

738

from theory.

Practical training course caused to increase

students’ experience on the other hand online learning

environment aimed to discussed happens during

practice and compare theoritical knowledge. ST10

remarked that contribution to the theory with

practical knowledge is created over time. Students go

along with practical knowledge in online learning

environment course created with their theoretical

knowledge, and taking time to reinforce their

knowledge.

Table 1: Expectations from Online learning.

Topics Expressions

Obtained

Number of

Students

Innovative Developing

technology and

education

system

Unlimited

Resources

Achieve a lot of

online resources

Control belongs

to student

Advanced own

knowledge from

online learning

environment no

time and place

limit

Experience Knowledge

transferred to

experince in

online learning

environment

Table 1. shown that, students positive vision appeared

for online learning. It was possible to divide into

three categories online learning definations.

According to students’ perspective online learning

related with innovative,belongs to student and gain

experience and unlimited resources.

Students identifies as their leadership abilities

also more abstinent. Student emphasize that need

time to adjust themselves and to express themselves

correctly

Defining the Leadership Attitudes

Multiple data showed that students perceived

advantages of practical knowledge in online learning

course added inestimable aspect and vision for

personal and professional development for their

future career.

Before discussing students’ self leadersip cases

and growth in these course context, concept of

leadership asked to students in semi-structured

interviews. ST10 and ST18 defined that leadership is

a ability to transfer the goals and objective to

community. Additionally, ST20 believed that an

innate characteristic of leadership, but people trying

to combine this feature with the knowledge gained

over time to lead the field and their orientation to

people. Other students remarked that leaders have a

lot of skills and ability to manage people and

persuaded to achieve goals and objectives.

In parallel with concept of leadership, students

discussed that leadership styles and they have or not.

All students who attend these study have work

opprtunity during summer training program in their

regular education. So, student have enough

information about training course, cases and

experiences about their leadership attitudes. ST1

explained that self leadership ability to manage,

problem solving ability, to appeal to the community

in the separation, and being a model such as the

properties.

Table 2: Defining Leadership Attitudes.

Topics Expressions

Obtained

Number of

Students

Well Organized

Ability to

organize and

construct

knowledge

efficiently

Team Work Sharing

knowledge and

learning with

other learners

Problem

Solving

Good

communication

skills, empathic

and negotiation

Getting

Responsibility

Self-motivator

and self-

responsible

During these process, redounded self leadership

skills in the online learning environment. According

to semi-structured interviews, students clarified that

their self leadership skills during practical phase. ST5

and ST8 reported that come out top of their

performance of a workplace and correcting

deficiencies noticed. All students agreed with

awareness of their responsibility and interfered

problems

The Impact of Online Learning Context in Fostering Open Leadership Skills

739

The Effect of the Online Learning

Environment

Students reported their experiences and perceptions

as regards the contributions of online learning

environment for their learning and skills

development. The reflections through self-report

confirmed that online platform give space revealed

how supports learning and the skills development of

students based on particular online learning

environment and activities of the practical training

course. In this respect, students reflect consensus on

that dialogue, negotiation and complexity of

discussion questions in online context within a

framework help them construct knowledge and

develop leadership skills, negotiation and reflection

skills within self-discipline. Almost all of students

underlined that course requires inquiry, question and

knowledge sharing which enhances learning and peer

evaluated and reflected skills development process. In

this respect, students practiced the principles which

are learning and knowledge rests in diversity of

opinions; process of connecting specialized nodes or

information sources; reside in capacity to know more

critical than what is currently known; maintaining

connections is needed to facilitate continual learning;

ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and

concepts is a core skill; decision-making is itself a

learning process; chaos, network, complexity, self-

organization are significant for learning through

discussions and collaboration with pers within online

environment.

4 CONCLUSIONS

As a result of the study, the students discussed that

leadership styles features among themselves,

expressing better in the online learning process. In the

context of this research, online learning has shown

how students develop leadership skills in the online

learning environment by developing the skills of

thinking, researching, taking responsibility and

solving problems.

For this reason, this research determined that the

students who reach the theoretical level of the

knowledge, at the same time continue to apply

technology during practically, their future career

developments and ability to express themselves, take

responsibility and solve problems.

Students stated that more aware of their online

review process and are more capable of solving

problems. During this time, students developed their

abilities by producing solutions by observing the

students and other problems on site.

The lack of time and space constraints has helped

to create a comfortable work environment for

students. At the same time, online learning plays an

effective role in determining the goals and objectives

of the students in their future lives.

However, a few students (5 out of 20) yielded that

satisfied with classroom learning model. Although

the minority of the group revealed the question on the

effectiveness of new practice, in-depth examination

can be done for the impact of cultural and contextual

factors, learning styles of students for diversity as

these are the limitations of this study that needs to be

considered in detail and may be investigated in-depth.

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