OU H890 Conference

Category: Uncategorised

Empowering Teachers about Artificial Intelligence to Support Learners with Disabilities

Background: There is a wider disability gap in educational attainment and literacy among children with disabilities (UNESCO, 2024). With limited access to resources due to high costs, it becomes challenging for teachers to meet their students’ learning needs. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education by enhancing accessibility, enabling personalised learning, and fostering the development of innovative resources. However, its…

March 18, 2026
Systematic Literature Review of AI-Enabled Coding Assistants (2020-2025)

Rationale: Since 2020, the fast spread of Generative AI (GenAI) has changed how people learn to code. However, we still do not fully understand how these tools affect a student’s ability to think for themselves (Zhai, Wibowo and Li, 2024). While tools like ChatGPT make coding faster, they create an “AI Paradox”: students might get…

March 18, 2026
Lowering the Affective Filter: A Mixed-Methods Study into the Impact of Immersive 3D Environments on the Speaking Confidence of Online MFL Pupils

⎯ RQ1: To what extent does the use of Frame VR reduce foreign language speaking anxiety in online MFL learners compared to traditional video conferencing? ⎯ RQ2: How does the immersive environment of Frame VR influence the ability to sustain a conversation of school-aged MFL pupils? ⎯ RQ3: How do online MFL students perceive the…

March 18, 2026
AI Ready? Measuring AI Literacy Readiness in Canadian K-12 Teachers

This presentation will begin by introducing the global need for primary and secondary teacher AI literacy training and why specifically teachers in British Columbia (BC), Canada need these skills. It will discuss a research proposal on how to improve teacher AI readiness capabilities through a targeted six-week online AI literacy course for teachers. The project…

March 17, 2026
Why can you remember the entire lyrics to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, but not what you ate for lunch last week? Exploring the effectiveness of audio learning resources and the value they could bring to older learners.

Different people learn in different ways, learning is a deeply personal aspect of an individual. Every person will have their own experiences and opinions on the education they’ve received and how they view learning. Yet standard book and lecture learning is still the main education type that older students’ experience, why is this the case?…

March 17, 2026
Performance Factors in Online Versus Face-to-Face Business Management Education

Background and Rationale The rapid expansion of online higher education in East Africa has prompted institutional questions about whether delivery mode affects student achievement. At Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), the Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) programme operates across both online and face-to-face modalities, yet systematic evidence comparing performance outcomes remains…

March 17, 2026
Improving Outcomes for Non-Traditional Students in Online Distance Higher Education: A Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study

Online distance higher education (ODHE) has significantly expanded opportunities for participation in university study, enabling access for learners who may previously have been excluded from traditional higher education pathways. Many of these learners come from non-traditional backgrounds, including working-class or lower socio-economic status (SES) groups and students with lower prior educational attainment. While widening participation…

March 17, 2026
Connection for Staying Power? Investigating the Effect of Social Learning Activities on Retention of Asynchronous Online Learners

Online learning has long been available but has seemingly exploded since Covid-19. Higher Education (HE) institutions have realised available educational technology can support a fully distance offer and non-traditional learners (mature, with busy family or care commitments, geographically and culturally diverse) are looking to invest in their education. Many HE providers have therefore branched out into online education or partnered with Online Programme Management companies (OPMs). Studies indicate that despite healthy recruitment, attrition in online learning is high (Boston et al, 2019; Shatila, 2024), causing institutions to put in place interventions for improving retention, and investigate ways of encouraging students’…

March 17, 2026
Can low-risk introductory courses help solve adult learner retention problems in UK Further Education?

Technology, and more recently, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, has prompted calls for an urgent need for adults to engage in lifelong learning and reskill to keep pace with technological advancements (Husomanovic, 2025). For adults in the UK, the primary avenues used for reskilling are Further Education and Higher Education. In the 2023/24 academic year, Further Education had 3,110,815 participants and Higher Education had 2,991,100 participants (UK Government, 2025). Both…

March 17, 2026
Evaluating WhatsApp Usage for Equitable Academic Engagement at University of Kabianga

Background: The widespread adoption of WhatsApp for academic purposes in higher education institutions across sub-Saharan Africa has outpaced institutional policy frameworks, creating both opportunities for enhanced communication and challenges related to equity, professionalism, and pedagogical effectiveness. This study investigates the use of WhatsApp for academic engagement among undergraduate students and lecturers at the University of Kabianga (UoK), a…

March 17, 2026