Journal of Iranian Distance Education
Volume:6 Issue: 2, Summer-Autumn 2024

Today, strategic planning is considered a way to help increase productivity and achieve organizational goals, and it has become more necessary at Farhangian University as a new organization. Therefore, the current research was conducted to develop Farhangian University's strategic educational program.

The research method is mixed, quantitative, and qualitative. The statistical population included all professors, officials, deputies, and education experts of Farhangian University of Alborz Province. In the qualitative section, sixteen people and in the quantitative section, 50 people were selected based on random sampling. The research tool was a semi-structured interview in the qualitative part and a researcher-made questionnaire with reliability (0.943) in the quantitative part.

Findings showed that threats (3.49), weaknesses (3.48), strengths (3.22), and opportunities (3.21) are more effective, respectively. As a result, a suitable teaching strategy at Farhangian University is a defensive strategy. The proposed solutions are presented in 4 sections: Conservative (so), Conservative (St), Defensive (wt), and Defensive (WT).

As a result, the university has developed quantitatively and qualitatively using a suitable defensive strategy.

The present study was done with the aim of presenting student retention pattern in e-learning environment of Payame Noor University. This research was carried out using an exploratory (qualitative-quantitative) method. In the qualitative section, the Meta-Synthesis Research method was used to infer the pattern. Using qualitative method, the literature investigation and survey of experts through Delphi method were developed to a set of the dimensions and components affecting the electronics student retention. And the primary pattern was designed with 5 dimensions and 14 components. Then, in a quantitative section, a survey research method was used to validate the pattern and confirm it, and a questionnaire was used for collecting required data. The results of data collection after adjustment and tabling were analyzed by statistical tests (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis(. To confirm the content validity of the research tool the researcher used the experts and also to determine the validity of the tool measurement construct, she/he used confirmatory factor analysis. All of the questions’ variables were fitted with factor load. The reliability of the tool was confirmed by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. According to research findings, the components and final dimensions of student retention pattern in the e-learning environment were identified and classified in 5 dimensions including learner, quality of educational services, teacher, environment, technology, and 14 components including psychological characteristics, previous experiences, academic background, computer management skills, interaction, course design, organizational support, teacher's knowledge, teacher's skills, teacher's attitude, supportive environment, job commitment, quality of technology and Internet quality.

Critical thinking in students' education is associated with the analysis of received information. Students provide the basis for the development of critical thinking in their future careers by cultivating this skill. This study is conducted to predict the relationship between learning style and critical thinking skills with the mediating role of distance education technologies in students of Payam Noor University. This is an applied study in terms of objectives and also a descriptive-correlational one since it describes the existing situation. The statistical population includes 253 distance learning students of Payam Noor University in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, of which 153 were selected as samples using the Cochran formula and simple random sampling. The population was asked to answer the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (12 questions), the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) (24 questions), and the researcher-made distance education technology questionnaire (10 questions). Due to the standard questions of the questionnaires, it could be argued that they are highly valid. The reliability of the questionnaires was checked through Cronbach's alpha using SPSS software, and it was found that all three questionnaires were sufficiently reliable. The data were analyzed using SPSS, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses using LISREL software. The results showed that the development of critical thinking skills to select, analyze, and apply information to solve problems in everyday life should be the focus of education and training systems in this era rather than inventing and applying methods of memorizing and processing information in memory.

This study investigates the crucial components propelling the integration of green technology and blockchain technology within electronic education (e-learning). Employing a mixed-methods research design, the inquiry blends quantitative and qualitative methodologies for comprehensive analysis. The qualitative phase draws upon the expertise of 125 purposefully sampled academic experts, subject-area specialists, and e-learning professionals through semi-structured interviews. Content analysis dissects these qualitative data, while structural equation modeling and factor analysis illuminate the quantitative dimension. The findings unveil five key components orchestrating green technology development in e-learning with blockchain integration: causal conditions, central phenomena, strategies, background conditions, and intervening conditions. Further analysis within each component identifies critical sub-components, informed by expert insights. Collectively, the study's predictor variables, encompassing both green technology development components and blockchain technology utilization, demonstrate a significant predictive influence (0.36, p < 0.01) on the mediator variable, green technology development. Additionally, they exhibit a nuanced yet statistically significant predictive effect (0.16, p > 0.05) on the criterion variable, e-learning and educational software performance enhancement. These positive and direct associations suggest a robust model for integrating blockchain technology to propel green technology advancements within e-learning. The proposed five-component model sheds light on the interplay between key factors, emphasizing the substantial impact of its application in guiding effective integration strategies.

Since the Corona pandemic, the discussion of virtual education has been widely discussed and has entered all fields, including physical education. In the post-Corona era, this type of education has maintained and even expanded its specific audience, so that we are currently witnessing the growth of virtual sports clubs on social networks. Therefore, in order to understand the target market of this profession, sociological information from this group seems essential. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to study the demographic variables of virtual sports clubs on social networks. The statistical population of this study was the participants of a virtual women's club in one of the social networks, numbering 800 people, of which 233 were selected by simple random sampling method and their demographic information was obtained through an online form and the data received was analyzed using a descriptive-analytical method. This study showed that exercising in the virtual club was satisfactory from the participants' perspective, considering that the vast majority of them achieved their goals. Among the participants in the virtual club, the percentage of married people was much higher than single people, and young people aged 20 to 40 had the largest number of participants. The percentage of unemployed people was significantly higher than employed people. There was no significant difference in the type of online or offline use of sessions, but in a two-dimensional analysis of these variables with the variable of online or offline use of virtual sports, it was found that single people were more interested in the offline method and the flexibility of using class time than married people, people with a master's degree were more interested in other educational levels than other educational levels, and people aged 40 to 60 were more interested in the offline method and the flexibility of using class time than other age groups.

The present study aims to investigate the technical and non-technical patterns of the curriculum in open and distance learning generations in order to identify the position of these foundations in the field of opinion and action. Decision-making in curriculum planning has a wide range and various groups are seeking to influence and participate in decisions related to curriculum planning. The research approach was descriptive-analytical and the strategy was qualitative and documentary. Curriculum planning is the process of predicting and preparing a set of learning opportunities for a specific population in order to achieve educational goals and objectives. This type of approach is applicable in technical curriculum planning. Another approach in curriculum planning is spontaneous decision-making and unplanned approach, which relates the planning process to the interactions between teachers and students. According to these two perspectives, a technical and non-technical approach to curriculum planning has emerged. Therefore, the teacher should select a small and limited framework of the curriculum process as a model and analyze and identify it in order to organize their educational activities in an appropriate situation and within the scope of that framework. In the present article, an overview of technical and non-technical curriculum patterns regarding educational requirements in the context of open and distance learning generations has been explored. The results in the curriculum patterns section support these patterns in the technical patterns section, including the Tyler model, and in the non-technical patterns section, including the Pinar model.