Author(s)

Cynthia Onyefulu¹, Carmel Roofe²

¹Faculty of Education & Liberal Studies, University of Technology, Jamaica.
²Faculty of Humanities & Education, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.

Students’ success in the online environment seems to be inextricably linked to learner characteristics and experiences related to the use of information and communication technologies. An increasing number of in-service teachers are being encouraged to pursue continuing education via the use of these technologies. This study examined learner characteristics, experiences, and technological capacities possessed by 55 in-service teachers pursuing postgraduate studies using the online/blended learning approach. The paper was also aimed at determining if there are differences in the views expressed by the male and female in-service teachers on learner characteristics, experiences, and technological capacities. Five research questions guided the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data, and descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the analysis. The findings indicated that a majority of the in-service teachers possessed the characteristics and technological capacities needed to succeed in the online learning environment. The findings also showed that most of the in-service teachers had the characteristics needed to do online/blended learning, had basic technology capabilities needed to succeed in an online/blended learning programme, and the in-service teachers had different experiences with the online/blended learning approach. Recommendations were towards making the in-service teachers’ experiences more desirable.

Online/Blended Learning, In-Service Teachers, Learner Characteristics, Technological Capacities, Online Learner Experiences

Onyefulu, C. and Roofe, C. (2019) Characteristics, Technology Capabilities, and Experiences of In-Service Teachers on the Use of Online/Blended Learning at a Tertiary Institution in Jamaica. Open Access Library Journal, 6, 1-22. doi: 10.4236/oalib.1105147.