Next Article in Journal
Determinants of Animal Welfare Disclosure Practices: Evidence from China
Next Article in Special Issue
Zoom In, Zoom Out: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Classroom
Previous Article in Journal
Embodied Carbon as a Material Selection Criterion: Insights from Sri Lankan Construction Sector
Previous Article in Special Issue
COVID-19 and Higher Education: First-Year Students’ Expectations toward Distance Learning
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

A Concrete Study on Social-Media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities in MOOCs under the Dual Impacts of Lower Birth-Rate and COVID-19

1
Department of Management Information Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402204, Taiwan
2
Department of International Business, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung 403454, Taiwan
3
Institute Psychology and Education, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2203; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13042203
Submission received: 28 January 2021 / Revised: 12 February 2021 / Accepted: 13 February 2021 / Published: 18 February 2021

Abstract

:
In order to break through the dual impacts of lower birth rates and COVID-19, a majority of higher education institutions have commenced in providing a series of diversified Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to effectively reduce these huge dual impacts. This research employed the Social Learning Theory (SLT) of educational doctrine for theoretical uses and the Factor Analysis (FA) approach of quantitative analysis and Trigonometrical Entropy Method (TEM) method of qualitative analysis for statistically purposes. These concepts were employed to explore the most critical social-media connection of global literacy abilities in MOOC. After a succession of assessed measurements, there are two most valuable findings. First, higher education institutions have to simultaneously and efficiently institute the Course Complete Rate of Course Assessment (CCR-CA), User Completely Unrestricted Operation of Course Operation (UCUO-CO) and Course Professionalization Technology Function of Course Function (CPTF-CF) into the course’s design. Specifically, higher education institutions need to establish MOOCs features in Course Evaluation Technology Function (CETF), Course Professionalization Technology Function (CPTF) and Aggregation Technology Function (ATF) of MOOCs features into the current MOOCs. This is done in order to effectively promote the Individual Social Feature (ISF) of “social-media connection of global literacy abilities” for overcoming these serious dual impacts. In addition, higher education institutions have to also construct the social-media connection of global literacy abilities evaluation model for appraising Individual Social Feature (ISF) of each MOOCs participant. Second finding, higher education institutions should develop Convenience of Course Operation (C-CP), Feedback Technology Function of Basic Function (FTF-BF) and Connectionization of Course Operation (C-CO) of higher education strategies of developed sustainability into the course’s structure. Further, they should also build Connectionization (CZ) of MOOCs features into the current MOOCs in order to efficiently foster Application Programming Interface (API) of social-media connection of global literacy abilities for conquering these serious dual impacts as well.

1. Introduction

Nowadays, with respect to the foreign higher education recruiting challenge, national higher education graduates employment austerity and rapidly declining birth-rates, the majority of higher education institutes have commenced to confront the recruiting insufficiency as an unprecedented and unrepeatable threat; specifically, according to the latest annual higher education statistic report of the Taiwanese Ministry of Education, not only were up to 151 public and private universities departments unable to recruit any senior higher graduates, but the registration rates of 268 departments were also lower than 30% in 2019. Significantly, the graduate programs recruiting is a more rigorous baptism of fire because up to 64 graduate programs had a zero registration rate and furthermore, seven of these graduate programs, including art, drama, humanities, society, ecology, creature evolution, translation and social-work were at National Taiwan University which is ranked in first place in Taiwan. Furthermore, more and more talented students have chosen to study not only at famous American universities’ Asian branches such as New York University at Shanghai Campus, Wenzhou at Kean University Campus, Duke Kunshan University-Wuhan University at Shanghai, Bryant University-Beijing Institute of Technology at Zhuhai, Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies at Nanjing Campus University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiaotong University Joint Institute and etc., but also higher ranking international universities such as University of Hong Kong, University of Singapore, Tsinghua University, Peking University and so on. Since 2015, due to the influence of the rapidly declining birth-rate, the number of registered freshman was 269,000 and then, with reference to the statistical forecast in the 2019 official report of the Taiwanese Ministry of Education, there will be only 157,000 senior high graduates than can be recruited in 2028 which means 112,000 (42%) senior high graduates are going to disappear. In order to address this registration rate insufficiency at Taiwanese higher education institutes, the Ministry of Education has instituted a series of educational strategies in the New Southbound Policy for attracting foreign students, and as a result there were up to 13,091 college freshmen from Malaysia, 7854 college freshman from Vietnam, 7695 college freshmen from Hong Kong, 7347 college freshman from Indonesia and so on. Momentously, the number of full registration Taiwanese higher education institutes was on average 83.9% in 2019 which means there are 16.1% (approximately 42,000 senior high graduates) who choose to register and study in foreign universities or more senior high graduates deemed that higher education would apparently not enhance their employability after obtaining the higher education diploma. According to the latest statistical report of the Taiwanese Ministry of Education, the Taiwanese higher education institutions has increased to over 190 organizations since 2011. These Taiwanese Higher education institutions, in 2016, included 126 public and private universities, 46 public and private colleges, 19 public and private continuing studies colleges and two public open (online education) universities. According to the official announcement of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) [1] has been defined as a global pandemic infectious disease that has resulted in a loss of approximately $12 billion (USD) in revenue for global companies. Moreover, the COVID-19 outbreak has increased unemployment globally with up to 23 million people laid off at its height in USA according to the official report from Bridgewater Associates. COVID-19 has also had a sizable impact to countries’ economies with considerable declines in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) such as Germany’s 20% GDP decline, while other countries’ GDP dropped to negative numbers such as Japan’s −1.2 % GDP, South Korea’s −0.6% GDP and Singapore’s −0.85 GDP. COVID-19 has led to unprecedented national border crossing and individual gathering restrictions. According to the Taiwanese Statistic Report, approximately 11% (1.2 million) Taiwanese workers have been laid off since the start of the pandemic. In order to avoid large-scale COVID-19 infections, educational institutions across the world, including United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, France, Italy and so on have shifted to online courses to replace traditional “face-to-face” teaching. Many renowned colleges and universities such as Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge and so forth have instituted a series of online-course emergency measures in place of current face-to-face courses. The Ministry of Education in Taiwan has also commenced a series of online-course supporting measures, policies and regulations to ensure students’ right to education without the influence and shock of COVID-19 [2,3]. National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan was one of the first to commence online teaching on 24 March 2020 when 26 students and one professor had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient. National Chengchi University in Taiwan has also transitioned to online teaching over face-to-face courses. However, according to the official Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2018, the only 15 percent of the Taiwanese junior high schools have utilized Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their lecture procedures, compared with the average 53 percent of the entire OECD members. Since 2000, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan started to advocate diversified technologies (information technology, digital technology, wireless technology and so on so for) to change student’s one-way-listen-learning methods, teacher’s one-way-talk lecturing measures and classroom’s one-way-order managing manners. Remarkably, in 2018, there were 171,648 (54.6%) senior high graduates registered in technology-related departments; nevertheless, only 114,863 (42.7%) senior high graduates to register in the technology-related departments. contradiction
However, before the COVID-19 pandemic, not only the contemporarily innovative technological education has be used, depending on social media channels to obtain news, information and knowledge by means of manipulating computer, communication and consumer (3C) electronic devices with social-media function platforms, such as the Google search engine, YouTube videos, Facebook, Instagram and so on, due to the expeditious hardware and software developments of telecommunication and wireless technologies but the Ministry of Education has also instituted a series of “technological education” courses, such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in the Curriculum Guidelines of 12-Year Basic Education General Guidelines. Critically, the general senior higher graduates are supposed to be more interested in registering in technology-related departments, but the statistical report of the Taiwanese Ministry of Education obviously describes the opposite situation. Based on the empirical reports from the Department of information and technological education of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan, there were up to 341 official Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provided by up to 63 Taiwanese universities and colleges in 2018. Significantly, based on the official reports from the Department of Information and Technological Education of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan in 2020 after the COVID-19 outbreak, the only 12% of Taiwanese MOOCs registered users could obtain the official online-course subject-credit and degree certificates. The reasons are [4]: (1) Teachers are not willing to redesign their course’s content for online learning, (2) teachers are not willing to acquire the needed proficiencies in using the new technologies for the online courses, (3) the difficulty in evaluating students’ attendance in an online environment, (4) parents’ difficulty in assessing a student’s learning performance, and (5) companies’ reservations regarding the student evaluation system employed with online courses. In order to effectively solve these critical issues to strengthen student’s self-regulation learning performance, advancing the educational institution’s evaluation system and enforcing corporate recognition and identification [5]. Sentence is unfinished—has no conclusion On the other hand, in order to effectively provide higher quality a series of related online courses should not only to efficiently stimulate students’ learning motivation and interest but also to effectively advance student’s learning performance in order to empirically cultivate student’s professional literacy, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Economy Affairs, and Taiwanese Executive Yuan have effectively and systematically constructed seven MOOCs for directly provide a series of professional online education courses and training programs according to the swift development and popularization of Internet Technology (IT), wireless transmission, telecommunication technologies in Taiwan. Extraordinarily, the majority of students and employees not only surf and Hodownload up-to-date course information and knowledge but also share and upload on-time learning situation and information in these MOOCs through 3C electronics devices with IT functional services [6] without the geographic and time limitation of traditional face-to-face educational circumstances. In view of the sustainability perspective of Taiwanese HR institutes, these MOOC courses are able always be repeatable for each registering student so Taiwanese Higher educational institutions can expend the lowest costs for creating courses and achieve the highest profits and benefits [7,8,9,10,11]. In detail, these MOOCs include the Small and Medium Enterprises Learning website (Smelearning) and the Industry-university Cooperation Talent Training Information Website (IUCTTI) of commercial pursuits as well as Taiwanese Institution of Information Industry, III (III Proera), Homogeneous Educational Platform (HEP), National Tsing Hua University, NTHU (NTHU sharecourse), National Chiao Tung University Ewant (NCTU ewant), National Chiao Tung University Taiwan Life (NCTU Taiwan LIFE) and National Taiwan University (NTU Coursera). From a long term point of view for the specific characteristics of MOOCs, not only the course materials and lectures have to transform from traditional single disciplinary courses into digital interdisciplinary courses in MOOCs but also MOOCs students come from the global pool of higher education students [12]. Therefore, according to the huge influence of globalization on the interplay and connections among each nation through concrete transportation and abstract social-media, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of OECD aims to increase “global literacy” to be one of the most critical major domains in 2018 for the broadest range of students because the world has become diversified and is undergoing dynamic changes with lots of complex issues, economic rapid inflation, the broad impact of digital technology, multiple culture conflicts and various environmental populations. The definition of “Global Literacy” is that each individual (student) has a diversified capacity to analyze global and cross-culture issues under the presupposition of respecting human dignity in order to not only to completely understand how prejudice affects individual standpoints and judgements, but also to communicate with partners from multiple cultural backgrounds through open, proper and effective methods to advance the benefits of the entire society and sustainable development. Therefore, in order to confront the most momentous dual impacts of a lower birth-rate and COVID-19, the majority of higher education institutions have to establish a series of learning-oriented interdisciplinary MOOCs in diversified subjects to effectively and efficiently cultivate course participants’ global literacy to strengthening their developed sustainability in this most series lower-birth-rate and COVID-19 era.
However, according to a widespread survey on related studies [13,14,15,16] of social media, MOOCs and higher education sustainability and student’s literacy, there is no research able to consolidate these interdisciplinary subjects together in order to deeply assess their interactive dependences. Hence, this interdisciplinary global literacy research project aims to break down the major research mainstream question: “How to explore the most critical determinants of social-media connection of global literacy abilities in MOOCs for developing the higher education sustainability under the dual impacts of lower birth-rate and COVID-19?” has be broken by the Social Learning Theory (“SLT”) of educational doctrine as the three most critical research questions [17]. Significantly, “Social-media Global Connection of Global Literacy Abilities”, “MOOCs Features of Organization Development”, “Higher Education Strategies of Developed Sustainability” were able to be synthetically outlined by the trigonometric analyses of the Social Learning Theory (“SLT”) to comprehensively assay this major research mainstream [18]. The reasons are each dependence and influence among three essential dimensions (individualism-individual aspect, organizationism-organization aspect and socializationism-society aspect) are discussed in detail and evaluated in SLT theory. The reasons are: (1) individualism was able to directly affect the organizationism and socializationism perspective as individuals are the basic unit for organization and society; (2) organizations must indirectly impact individuals and society as humans necessarily live in groups and majority decisions exist in society and finally, (3) socializationism reversely influences on organization and individual since majority rule always dominates individual thinking and organization development tendencies [19,20]. In order to comprehensively solve the three most critical research questions, this interdisciplinary global literacy study has expanded a series of research results and analytical consequences of authors’ accumulated publications on global literacy, technological education, MOOCs and student’s learning behavior. It refined in depth the “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” for “Individual standpoint: how to materialize the most effective and efficient global literacy evaluation model?; “MOOCs Features of Organization Development” for “Group standpoint: How to concretely establish the most effective and efficient global literacy evaluation model in MOOCs of higher education institutions?” and “Higher Education Strategies of Developed Sustainability” for “Social standpoint: how to develop the most effective and efficient global literacy evaluation model in MOOCs to induce the most critical MOOCs global literacy determinants to activate the developed sustainability of higher education institutions to confront the most serious dual impacts of lower-birth-rates and COVID-19?”. These three research questions are the interdisciplinary analytical criteria to concretely establish the most effective and efficient evaluation model to identify the most critical determinants of global literacy in MOOCs [21] in this research.

2. Research Literature

Publications on Main Research Theory

Recently, due to the rapid development of technological applications in teaching innovation, the trigonometrical interactive dependences and correlationships of SLT theory has been employed in order to discuss and assess the interplays among “Social-media Global Literacy Abilities of Global Connection”, “MOOCs Features of Organization Development”, “Higher Education Strategies of Developed Sustainability” from three brief analytical perspectives: the student’s perspective (individualism - individual behaviour), educational institutions’ perspective (organizationalism - group conditions) and the social perspective (socializationism—social circumstance) in consideration of most of the research theory in this study, based on the main originality and development of SLT [22]. Significantly, individualism is illustrated by the individual behaviors; the organizationalism is described by group conditions and socializationalism is expressed as the social development tendency, as described in Figure 1.
In Figure 1, there are three interactive-circle dependences and correlationships among individualism, organizationalism, and socializationism of SLT brief analytical perspectives and in detail, these interactive-circle influenced dependences and correlationships cover what? [23]: Firstly, individualism can be described as the concept that individuals are the essential basis in each organization and society, and at the same time, individual behavior does is not only naturally composed of an organizational structure, but also plays a key-role in leading social developed tendencies. Secondly, organizationalism can be expressed as the concept that the organization is made up by each individual and therefore, organization conditions can indirectly influence each individuals’ concept and behavior and thirdly, socilizationism can be presented as the notion that society is moderately constructed from each group and obviously, group conditions re able to directly impact social development and tendencies. Eventually, a final expanded expression of individual behavior and group condition integration in the entire social and on the contrary, social development and tendencies are able to synthetically influence each individual behavior and group development [24].
In association with the consolidation between Figure 1 of the affected cycle of SLT of educational doctrine and the three brief research questions, the main research assessment framework was constructed as shown in Figure 2.

3. Research Design

3.1. Research Method

In order to completely respond to the three research questions, the Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methodology was applied in a succession of assessed measurements to examine the interactive correlationships among “social-media connection of global literacy abilities”, “MOOCs features of organization development” and “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” of the three analytical dimensions (individualism-individual aspect, organizationism-organization aspect and socializationism-society aspect). Further, the questionnaires design were illustrated the 30 evaluated criteria by utilizing a 5-Likert question-scale in each question. Specifically, the Factor Analysis (FA) approach of quantitative analysis was first employed to execute large-scale weighted questionnaires among 100 random higher education students and faculty with higher research representativeness and validity. In consideration of higher research accuracy and reliability, the Trigonometrical Entropy Method (TEM) of qualitative analysis was secondly applied in the evaluated implementation of professional weighted questionnaires by means of a series of professional expert’s weighted questionnaire comparison matrices from interdisciplinary experts with higher research experience and reliability in discussion with the interactive correlationships and dependence among “social-media connection of global literacy abilities”, “MOOCs features of organization development” and “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” by exploring interdisciplinary global literacy in MOOCs under the dual impacts of lower birth-rate and COVID-19.

3.1.1. Factor Analysis of Quantitative Analysis

In terms of the increment of research representativeness and validity in the appraised measurements of surveyed questionnaires, the FA quantitative analysis approach was systematically created for identifying, detecting and refining each criterion range, connections and dependences and the reason is that the FA quantitative analysis approach was originated to conduct calculations and measurements of each criterion. The evaluated criteria could be classified as the dependent and independent variables and the dependent variables (directly observed impact-measured factors) were illustrated as Y ( y 1 , y 2 , , y k ) while independent variables (direct unobserved influenced factors) were expressed as X ( x 1 , x 2 , , x k ) . Specifically, the weights constants (W ( W i j )) presented as evaluated variable loadings of each evaluated criterion and variable-weights of overall assessed criteria under the linear combination Equation (1) [25,26] can be described as follows:
X 1 = λ 11 Y 1 + λ 12 Y 2 + . + λ 1 k Y k
s.t. 1: Y = P 1 X , X = P 1 Y
s.t. 2: standardize intersection of variance to be 1 (Max)
If maximization: X k u k = λ k 1 f 1 + λ k 2 f 2 + . + λ k m f m + e k (s.t. ( X u ) k × 1 = m k × m f m × 1 + e k × 1 ) the variance-covariance matrix presents as:
= Φ 1 + Ψ , Ψ = d i a g ( Ψ 1 , Ψ 2 , , Ψ m )   ( s . t . Φ = I m × m )

3.1.2. Trigonometrical Entropy Qualitative Analysis Method

In order to enforce the research validity and accuracy in the diversified study of the interactive dependences and correlationships among “social-media characteristics of global connection”, “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” and “higher-education institutions of strategic developed sustainability” from three brief analytical perspectives: student’s individualism perspective, education institution organizationalism perspective and social socializationism perspective (—social circumstance), the trigonometrical assessments and measurements of the TEM method of qualitative analysis has been applied to verify and refine the analytical consequences of the FA quantitative analysis approach by means of weight-measurements of 10 experts’ and professional questionnaires [27,28]. In view of the basic development of the TEM qualitative analysis method, is was created to extensively establish a trigonometrical weight pairwise comparisons matrix. As a result, the “discrete probability connections” correlationship-compared measurements of each appraised criterion were represented as ( P 1 , P 2 , , P k ) , and furthermore, the equation of the TEM qualitative analysis method was further illustrated as:
E ( P 1 , P 2 , , P k ) = k i = 1 k P i I n ( P i )
s.t. k = 1 / I ( k ) was the normal quantity and 0 E ( P 1 , P 2 , , P k ) 1 . Particularly the number of ( E p 1 , . , p k ) was reversely related with the interactive dependences and correlationships between each assessed criterion. Continuously, the interactive dependences and correlationships of the “discrete probability connections” correlationship-compared measurements could be calculated and utilized in the measurement-conditional trigonometrical weight( H Y I X ) [29,30] deduced as follows:
H ( Y / X ) = x X p ( x ) * H ( Y / X = x ) = x X p ( x ) * p ( y / x ) log p ( y / x ) = x X y Y p ( x , y ) log p ( y / x ) = x X , y Y p ( x , y ) log p ( y / x ) = x X , y Y p ( x , y ) log ( p ( y / x ) / p ( x ) ) = x X , y Y p ( x , y ) log ( p ( x ) / p ( x , y ) )

3.2. Reearch Criteria

Specifically, the 10 core Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities were directly and positively defined as the appraised criteria and these are the Application Programming Interface (API); Content Reality (CR); Conversations Feature (CF); Device accessibility (DA); Identity feature (IF); Individual Social Feature (ISF); Keyword-search Engine (KE); Multiple Device Accessibility (MDA); Social networking Communication Channel (SNCC) and Web 3.0 (W3) [31]. The 10 critical organizational supplements in MOOCs were intensively and apparently clarified as the assessed criteria of MOOCs features of organization development and these are the User Completely Unrestricted operation (UCUO), Convenience (C), Connectionization (CZ), Openness (O), Course completion Rate (CCR), Feedback Technology Function (FTF), Course Evaluation Technology Function (CETF), Aggregation Technology Function (ATF), Course Professionalization Technology Function (CPTF) and Re-purposing Technology Function (RTF”) [32]. Ultimately, the 10 crucial higher education sustainable strategies were obviously circumscribed as higher education strategies of sustainability development and these are the Aggregation Technology Function of Basic Function (ATF-BC), Course Evaluation Technology Function of Course Function (CETF-CF), Course Professionalization Technology Function of Course Function (CPTF-CF), Feedback Technology Function of Basic Function (FTF-BF), Re-purposing Technology Function of Basic Function (RTF-BF), Connectionization of Course Operation (C-CO), Openness of Course Content (O-CC), Convenience of Course Operation (C-CP), Course Complete Rate of Course Assessment (CCR-CA) and User Completely Unrestricted Operation of Course Operation (UCUO-CO) [33]. Figure 1 conclusively illustrates the main research conceptual framework for this interdisciplinary study in order to achieve the main research goal.

3.3. Questoinnaire Collection

In consideration of the higher research validity and reliability of the questionnaire evaluation, a 5-Likert scale was used in the large-scale and expert questionnaires that were competed by 100 current higher education students in the appraised calculations of the FA quantitative analysis approach for higher research reliability and representativeness. In order to achieve higher research validity and accuracy, [34] stated that there are the less errors of validity and reliability in the Delphi method during evaluation of collected experts’ and professional questionnaires of surveyed data. As a result, 10 experts and professionals were interviewed for the assessed compared weight-measurements of each assessable criterion of the TEM qualitative analysis method in order to establish trigonometric interplays between each criterion of the “social-media connection of global literacy abilities”, “MOOCs features of organization development” and “higher education strategies of developed sustainability”. Specifically, the two-way positive and negative comparisons was calculated in a 5-Likert’s scale of the collected questionnaire data of the FA quantitative analysis approach and TEM qualitative analysis method.

3.4. Questoinnaire Interviewees

In association with higher research reliability and representativeness, 100 current higher education students were randomly surveyed on the comprehensive measurements of the FA quantitative analysis approach. These 100 questionnaires were collected during random and in-person interviews of students from the cities of Taipei (representing the northern region), Taichung (representing the western region), Kaohsiung (representing the southern region), and Hualien (representing the eastern region) in Taiwan. In advancement of research validity, 10 experts and professionals were surveyed for the comparison matrix of the TEM qualitative analysis method and these 10 experts and professionals included six scholars with over 5 years of research experience in the related research fields of the “social-media connection of global literacy abilities”, “MOOCs features of organization development” and “higher education strategies of developed sustainability”. Subsequently, another four professionals with over 3 years of practical research experience in global literacy-related research fields were added.

4. Research Measurements

4.1. FA Quantiative Analysis Measurement Approach

Firstly, the large-scale weight-questionnaires were designed to collect data from 100 current higher education students through random and in-person interview collection in Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien. The number of valid questionnaires collected among these 100 random interviewed questionnaires was 87. The descriptive statistics of these 87 valid interview questionnaires are given in Table 1.
According to Equation (1) of the FA quantitative analysis approach, not only was the analytical number of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy 0.751, which was higher than 0.7, but the assessed numbers of significance of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure and Barlett test of was also 0……, which was lower than 0.05 in Table 2. Apparently, the FA quantitative analysis approach was definitely applicable to measure the valid weight questionnaires of 87 current higher education students.
In succession, Table 3 expresses the commonality of each assessed criterion in the FA quantitative analysis approach and the API (0.832), DA (0.821), IF (0.778), ISF (0.759) and MDA (0.736) of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” were higher than 0.7, which means these five assessed criteria were better associated correlationships for the research topic and questions. Additionally, CZ (0.887), O (0.849), CETF (0.819), CPTF (0.815), ATF (0.81), C (0.754) and UCUO (0.753) of “MOOCs features of organization development” were higher than 0.7, which means these seven assessed criteria were better illustrated correlationships of the research topic and questions. Finally, CCR-CA (0.854), C-CP (0.791), UCUO-CO (0.779), CETF-CF (0.771), CPTF-CF (0.769), FTF-BF (0.764), O-CC (0.747) and C-CO (0.726) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” were higher than 0.7, which means these eight assessed criteria were better expressed correlationships of the research topic and questions. As a result, the 30 original evaluation criteria were not only evaluated, but also refined as the 20 more core evaluated criteria through the FA quantitative analysis approach to achieve higher research validity and representativeness.

4.2. TEM Method of Qualitative Analysis Measurements

After implementing the FA quantitative analysis approach, the TEM qualitative analysis method was hierarchically utilized to measure the weight-questionnaires of 10 experts and professionals to verify and refine the assessed consequences of FA quantitative analysis approach. Table 4 illustrates the weight-questionnaires measured result of the TEM qualitative analysis method.
Table 4 describes the measured consequences of the TEM qualitative analysis method to detect the interactive correlationships among the five core social-media connection of global literacy abilities, seven critical organizational supplements in MOOCs and eight crucial higher education sustainable strategies. In detail, CCR-CA (0.3968), UCUO-CO (0.3382) and CPTF-CF (0.3842) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” and CETF (0.403), CPTF (0.2977) and ATF (0.3314) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” were directly and definitely positively to advance ISF of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities”. Subsequently, C-CP (0.4112), FTF-BF (0.502) and C-CO (0.2586) of “Higher Education Strategies of Developed Sustainability” and CZ (0.2754) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” were positively and precisely able to enforce API of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities”. Summarily, CETF-CF (0.4858) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” and C (0.4542) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” were distinctly and apparently DA of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” as well as O-CC (0.4112) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” and UCUO (0.376) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” were strictly and obviously able to strengthen MDA of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities”.

4.3. Combination of the FA Quantitative Analysis Approach and the TEA Qualitative Analysis Model

Furthermore, each commonality of the 20 evaluated criteria from the FA quantitative analysis approach were directly consolidated into the measured results of the TEA qualitative analysis model as demonstrated in Table 5.
Significantly, as illustrated in Table 5, CCR-CA (0.2572), UCUO-CO (0.2432) and CPTF-CF (0.2242) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” and CETF (0.2556), CPTF (0.1922) and ATF (0.2528) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” were directly and definitely positively to the advanced ISF of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” that is the same as the TEM qualitative analysis evaluated method results. Specifically, C-CP (0.2706), FTF-BF (0.3191) and C-CO (0.1562) of “Higher Education Strategies of Developed Sustainability” and CZ (0.201) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” were positively and precisely able to enforce API of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” which is also similar to the evaluated TEM qualitative analysis method results. Ultimately, CETF-CF (0.3075) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” and C (0.2953) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” were distinctly and apparently DA of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” and O-CC (0.2388) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” and UCUO (0.2279) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” were strictly and obviously able to strengthen MDA of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” that are similar to the evaluated TEM qualitative analysis method results.

5. Conclusions and Recommendations

Looking out upon the most serious dual impacts of lower birth-rate and COVID-19, the majority of higher education institutions have commenced to provide a series of diversified MOOCs to effectively reduce their grave difficulties. This research employed SLT of educational doctrine to not only break down the major research mainstream topics into three brief questions from three analytical dimensions (individualism-individual aspect, organizationism-organization aspect and socializationism-society aspect) by means of executing measurements of three essential evaluated factors: “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities”, “MOOCs features of organization development” and “higher education strategies of developed sustainability”. After a succession of assessed measurements of large-scale questionnaires of the FA quantitative analysis approach and experts’ and professionals’ TEM qualitative analysis method questionnaires, there are three most valuable findings and solutions for the three brief research questions:
(1).
Precisely, the Individual Social Feature (ISF) of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” is directly and effectively advanced by Course Evaluation Technology Function (CETF), Course Professionalization Technology Function (CPTF) and Aggregation Technology Function (ATF) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” and Course Complete Rate of Course Assessment (CCR-CA), User Completely Unrestricted Operation of Course Operation (UCUO-CO) and Course Professionalization Technology Function of Course Function (CPTF-CF) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability”. That means the higher education institutions have to not only simultaneously and efficiently institute Course Completion Rates of Course Assessment (CCR-CA), User Completely Unrestricted Operation of Course Operation (UCUO-CO) and Course Professionalization Technology Function of Course Function (CPTF-CF) into the course’s design but also establish MOOCs features of Course Evaluation Technology Function (CETF), Course Professionalization Technology Function (CPTF) and Aggregation Technology Function (ATF) into the current MOOCs in order to effectively promote the Individual Social Feature (ISF) of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” for overcoming the dual impacts of lower birth-rate and COVID-19. In addition, the higher education institutions also have to construct the “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” evaluation model for evaluating Individual Social Feature of each MOOCs participant.
(2).
Significantly, the Application Programming Interface (API) of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” is distinctly and obviously facilitated by Convenience of Course Operation (C-CP), Feedback Technology Function of Basic Function (FTF-BF) and Connectionization of Course Operation (C-CO) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” and Connectionization (CZ) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements”. That means the higher education institutions should develop Convenience of Course Operation (C-CP), Feedback Technology Function of Basic Function (FTF-BF) and Connectionization of Course Operation (C-CO) of “higher education strategies of developed sustainability” into the course’s structure but also build Connectionization (CZ) of “MOOCs features of organizational supplements” into the current MOOCs in order to efficiently foster Application Programming Interface (API) of “Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities” for conquering the dual impacts of lower birth-rate and COVID-19 as well.
Particularly, beyond the implementation of this interdisciplinary research, not only some evaluated factors (ex. digital education developed tendency and technological supporting in education) but also some evaluated methodologies (ex. analytical network process (ANP) of qualitative analysis) are further considered as future directions of related studies of Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities, MOOCs features of organization development and higher education development sustainability strategies.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization: M.Y.H.; methodology: Y-K.C. and M.Y.H.; validation: M.U.; formal analysis: M.Y.H.; investigation: Y.-K.C.; resources: Y.-K.C.; data curation: M.Y.H.; writing—original draft preparation: M.Y.H.; writing—review and editing: Y.-K.C., M.Y.H. and M.U.; visualization: Y.-K.C.; supervision: Y.-K.C.; project administration: M.Y.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Ethical review and approval were waived for this study, due to the entire interviewees are old than 20 years old and the entire questionnaires are anonymous.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the following grants: the two research projects (MOST 110-2420-H-002-003-MY3-Y11017; MOST 109-2221-E-005-049-) of Ministry of Science and Technology and one research project (NTCU109105) of National Taichung University of Education.

Conflicts of Interest

No conflicts of interest in this research.

Abbreviations

COVID-19Coronavirus Disease 2019
ITInternet Technology
GDPGross Domestic Product
OECDOrganization for Economic Cooperation and Development
SLTSocial Learning Theory
APIApplication Programming Interface
CRContent Reality
CFConversations Feature
DADevice Accessibility
IFIdentity Feature
ISFIndividual Social Feature
KEKeyword-search Engine
MDAMultiple Device Accessibility
SNCCSocial networking Communication Channel
W3Web 3.0
UCUOUser Completely Unrestricted operation
CConvenience
CZConnectionization
OOpenness
CCRCourse complete Rate
FTFFeedback Technology Function
CETFCourse Evaluation Technology Function
ATFAggregation Technology Function
CPTFCourse Professionalization Technology Function
RTFRe-purposing Technology Function
ATF-BCAggregation Technology Function of Basic Function
CETF-CFCourse Evaluation Technology Function of Course Function
CPTF-CFCourse Professionalization Technology Function of Course Function
FTF-BFFeedback Technology Function of Basic Function
RET-BFRe-purposing Technology Function of Basic Function
C-COConnectionization of Course Operation
O-CCOpenness of Course Content
C-CPConvenience of Course Operation
CCR-CACourse Complete Rate of Course Assessment
UCUO-COUser Completely Unrestricted Operation of Course Operation
FAFactor Analysis
TEMTrigonometrical Entropy Method

References

  1. World Health Organization. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19); World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2020. [Google Scholar]
  2. Thompson, D. What’s behind South Korea’s COVID-19 exceptionalism? Atlantic 2020, 1, 1. [Google Scholar]
  3. Geng, Y.; Khamis, R.M. Social Media Usage in Health Communication and Its Implications on Public Health Security: A Case Study of COVID-19 in Zanzibar. Online J. Commun. Media Technol. 2021, 11, e202101. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  4. Yoon, B.; Yol, Ö.; Haag, C.; Simpson, A. Critical Global Literacies: A New Instructional Framework in the Global Era. J. Adolesc. Adult Lit. 2018, 62, 205–214. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  5. Cervi, L.; Tornero, J.M.P.; Tejedor, S. The Challenge of Teaching Mobile Journalism through MOOCs: A Case Study. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5307. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  6. Choudhury, S.; Pattnaik, S. Emerging themes in e-learning: A review from the stakeholders’ perspective. Comput. Educ. 2020, 144, 103657. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  7. Hew, K.F. Unpacking the strategies of ten highly rated MOOCs: Implications for engaging students in large online courses. Teach. Coll. Rec. 2018, 120, 69. [Google Scholar]
  8. Jung, Y.; Lee, J. Learning Engagement and Persistence in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS). Comput. Educ. 2018, 122, 9–22. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  9. Shapiro, H.B.; Lee, C.H.; Wyman Roth, N.E.; Li, K.; Çetinkaya-Rundel, M.; Canelas, D.A. Understanding the massive open online course (MOOC) student experience: An examination of attitudes, motivations, and barriers. Com. Ed. 2017, 110, 35. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  10. Turvey, K.; Pachler, N. Design principles for fostering pedagogical provenance through research in technology supported learning. Comput. Educ. 2020, 146, 1. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  11. Kovanović, V.; Joksimović, S.; Poquet, O.; Hennis, T.; Čukić, I.; De Vries, P.; Gašević, D. Exploring communities of inquiry in massive open online courses. Com. Ed. 2018, 119, 44. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  12. Yoon, B.; Simpson, A.; Haag, C. Assimilation Ideology: Critically Examining Underlying Messages in Multicultural Literature. J. Adolesc. Adult Lit. 2010, 54, 109–118. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  13. Merryfield, M.M. Why aren’t teachers being prepared to teach for diversity, equity, and global interconnectedness? A study of lived experiences in the making of multicultural and global educators. Teach. Teach. Educ. 2000, 16, 429–443. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  14. Zhao, Y. Preparing Globally Competent Teachers: A New Imperative for Teacher Education. J. Teach. Educ. 2010, 61, 422–431. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  15. Greene, J.A.; Yu, S.B.; Copeland, D.Z. Measuring critical components of digital literacy and their relationships with learning. Comput. Educ. 2014, 76, 55–69. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  16. Gutiérrez-Santiuste, E.; Gámiz-Sánchez, V.M.; Gutiérrez-Pérez, J. MOOC & B- learning: Students’ barriers and satisfaction in formal and non-formal learning environments. J. Interact. Online Learn. 2015, 13, 88. [Google Scholar]
  17. Kitchen, J.A.; Hallett, R.E.; Perez, R.J.; Rivera, G.J. Advancing the Use of Ecological Systems Theory in College Student Research: The Ecological Systems Interview Tool. J. Coll. Stud. Dev. 2019, 60, 381–400. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  18. Garrison, D.; Cleveland-Innes, M.; Fung, T.S. Exploring causal relationships among teaching, cognitive and social presence: Student perceptions of the community of inquiry framework. Internet High. Educ. 2010, 13, 31–36. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  19. Laura, C.; Núria, S.; Santiago, T.C. Analysis of Journalism and Communication Studies in Europe’s Top Ranked Universities: Competencies, Aims and Courses. J. Pract. 2020. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  20. Cochran, J.K.; Maskaly, J.; Shayne, J.; Christine, S.S. Using Structural Equations to Model Akers’ Social Learning Theory with Data on Intimate Partner Violence. Crime Delinq. 2017, 63, 39. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  21. Hsieh, M.-Y. Online Learning Era: Exploring the Most Decisive Determinants of MOOCs in Taiwanese Higher Education. Eurasia J. Math. Sci. Technol. Educ. 2016, 12, 1163. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  22. Kruis, N.E.; Chunghyeon, S.; Bitna, K. Revisiting the Empirical Status of Social Learning Theory on Substance Use: A Sys-tematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Subst. Use Misuse 2020, 55, 666. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  23. Hsieh, M.-Y.; Usak, M. High Education Radical Transformation Era: How Teachers’ Competency can enhance the Students’ Employability? Rev. Cercet. Interv. Soc. 2020, 68, 95–112. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  24. Huang, Y.-M.; Hsieh, M.-Y. An Interdisciplinary Research on Students’ Employability in Technology Education to Advance Higher Education Enrollment Sustainability. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1806. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  25. Maydeu-Olivares, A.; Fairchild, A.J.; Hall, A.G. Goodness of Fit in Item Factor Analysis: Effect of the Number of Response Alternatives. Struct. Eq. Model. A Multidiscip. J. 2017, 24, 495–505. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  26. Santos, R.D.O.; Gorgulho, B.M.; De Castro, M.A.; Fisberg, R.M.; Marchioni, D.M.; Baltar, V.T. Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis: differences and similarities in Nutritional Epidemiology application. Rev. Bras. Epidemiol. 2019, 22, e190041. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  27. Jiahang, S.; Jun, W.; Side, H. Identification of unknown spent nuclear fuel with factor analysis for nuclear forensic purpose. Ann. Nucl. Energy 2019, 126, 43. [Google Scholar]
  28. Hsieh, M.-Y. Interdisciplinarily Exploring the Most Potential IoT Technology Determinants in the Omnichannel E-Commerce Purchasing Decision-Making Processes. Appl. Sci. 2020, 10, 603. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  29. Hsieh, M.Y. SoLoMo Technology: Exploring the Most Critical Determinants of SoLoMo Technology in the Contemporary Mobile Communication Technology Era. J. of Am. In. and Hum. Com. 2018, 9, 307–318. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  30. Huang, Y.-M.; Hsieh, M.Y.; Usak, M. A Multi-Criteria Study of Decision-Making Proficiency in Student’s Employability for Multidisciplinary Curriculums. Mathematics 2020, 8, 897. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  31. Hsieh, M.-Y. The most potential principles of social media. Comput. Electr. Eng. 2016, 51, 376–388. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  32. Hsieh, M.Y. Employing MCDM methodology to verify correlationship between social media and service quality in the dynamic m-commerce era. J. In. Tech. 2018, 19, 225–239. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  33. Hsieh, M.Y. The Most Sustainable Niche Principles of Social Media Education in a Higher Education Contracting Era. Sustainability 2020, 12, 399. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  34. Dalkey, N.; Helmer, O. An Experimental Application of the DELPHI Method to the Use of Experts. Manag. Sci. 1963, 9, 458–467. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figure 1. The affected cycle of SLT of educational doctrine.
Figure 1. The affected cycle of SLT of educational doctrine.
Sustainability 13 02203 g001
Figure 2. Main research assessed framework.
Figure 2. Main research assessed framework.
Sustainability 13 02203 g002
Table 1. The descriptive statistic of the FA approach.
Table 1. The descriptive statistic of the FA approach.
GenderMale: 43 (49.425%)
Female: 44 (50.575%)
GeographyNorthern Taiwan 1:
23 (26.44%)
Middle Taiwan 2:
32 (36.78%)
Southern Taiwan 3:
21 (24.14%)
Eastern Taiwan 4:
11 (12.64%)
Use of MOOCs hours/per dayOne hour:
60 (68.96%)
Two hours:
19 (21.83%)
Three hours:
5 (5.77%)
Four hours:
2 (2.29%)
Over four hours:
1 (1.15%)
Have you taken MOOCs through social media channels for learning?Yes: 73 (89.79%)
No: 14 (16.1%)
Have you taken any MOOCs from higher education institution web-sites for studying?Yes: 24 (27.59%)
No: 63 (72.41%)
Will you consider the professionality of MOOCs before you take to learning?Yes: 62 (71.26%)
No: 25 (28.74%)
1: Chilung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu cities. 2: Miaoli county, Taichung city, Changhua, Nantou and Yunlin counties 3: Chiayi city and county, Tainan and Kaohsiung cities, Pingtung and Penghu counties 4: Hualien and Taitung counties.
Table 2. The KMO and Bartlett’s Test of FA approach of quantitative analysis.
Table 2. The KMO and Bartlett’s Test of FA approach of quantitative analysis.
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy0.751
Bartlett test of sphericityChi-squared test860.653
df435
Significance0
Table 3. The commonality of each assessed criterion in FA approach of quantitative analysis.
Table 3. The commonality of each assessed criterion in FA approach of quantitative analysis.
CriteriaInitialExtraction
API10.832
CR10.569
CF10.678
DA10.821
IF10.778
ISF10.759
KE10.676
MDA10.736
SNCC10.696
W310.674
UCUO10.753
C10.754
CZ10.887
O10.849
CCR10.655
FTF10.681
CETF10.819
ATF10.81
CPTF10.815
RTF10.434
ATF10.258
CETF-CF10.771
CPTF-CF10.769
FTF-BF10.764
C-CO10.726
O-CC10.747
C-CP10.791
Table 4. 10 professional expert’s weight-questionnaires measured consequence of TEM method.
Table 4. 10 professional expert’s weight-questionnaires measured consequence of TEM method.
“Higher Education Strategies of Developed Sustainability”“Social-media Global Connection of Global Literacy Abilities”“MOOCs Features of Organizational Supplements”
CCR-CAC-CPUCUO-COCETF-CFCPTF-CFFTF-BFO-CCC-COCZOCETFCPTFATFCUCUO
0.28740.41120.24670.38140.20050.5020.38420.2586API0.27540.16110.36280.22630.03610.35540.2204
0.16630.28740.18690.48580.19030.22040.27540.2136DA0.10410.16580.26480.22110.27570.45420.1716
0.06020.22040.11370.28740.20050.24110.38420.2144IF0.0760.18220.07910.17220.18150.27650.2968
0.39680.06020.33820.15780.38420.10590.38420.1963ISF0.20680.13770.4030.29770.33140.27650.206
0.19030.03610.23590.02010.17600.10590.41120.0476MDA0.05670.06460.04390.26650.06510.17490.376
Table 5. Consolidated weight-measurement results of FA approach and TEM method.
Table 5. Consolidated weight-measurement results of FA approach and TEM method.
“Higher Education Strategies of Developed Sustainability” “MOOCs Features of Organizational Supplements”
CCR-CA (0.854)C-CP (0.791)UCUO-CO (0.779)CETF-CF (0.771)CPTF-CF (0.769)FTF-BF (0.764)O-CC (0.747)C-CO (0.726)“Social-media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities”CZ (0.887)O (0.849)CETF (0.819)CPTF (0.815)ATF (0.81)C (0.754)UCUO (0.753)
0.20420.27060.14670.24460.12830.31910.22610.1562API (0.832)0.2010.11380.24720.15340.02430.2230.1381
0.11660.18660.11260.30750.12020.13820.16890.1314DA (0.821)0.06720.11590.16890.14750.21970.29530.1028
0.040.13560.06420.17240.120.14330.22330.1362IF (0.778)0.04550.12210.04250.10550.12860.15540.182
0.25720.03610.24320.09240.22420.06140.21780.097ISF (0.759)0.13210.08730.25560.19220.25280.15160.1166
0.11960.0210.15790.01140.09960.05950.23880.0229MDA (0.736)0.03170.03760.02180.16380.03980.08760.2279
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Chan, Y.-K.; Hsieh, M.Y.; Usak, M. A Concrete Study on Social-Media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities in MOOCs under the Dual Impacts of Lower Birth-Rate and COVID-19. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2203. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13042203

AMA Style

Chan Y-K, Hsieh MY, Usak M. A Concrete Study on Social-Media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities in MOOCs under the Dual Impacts of Lower Birth-Rate and COVID-19. Sustainability. 2021; 13(4):2203. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13042203

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chan, Yung-Kuan, Ming Yuan Hsieh, and Muhammet Usak. 2021. "A Concrete Study on Social-Media Connection of Global Literacy Abilities in MOOCs under the Dual Impacts of Lower Birth-Rate and COVID-19" Sustainability 13, no. 4: 2203. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13042203

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop