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Makale Özeti:
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In this study, it is aimed to propose practical suggestions through determining the state
of support activities and social activities among internet-based educational programs in
distance education. In line with this aim, students’ and instructors’ views related with
support activities and social activities practiced in the programs within internet-based
distance education models applied in Mersin University Mersin Vocational Schools were
gathered. 502 students and 30 instructors participated in the study. The quantitative
data was collected through surveys, and the qualitative data was gathered through
interviews. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the categorical data.
Moreover, the qualitative data was analyzed via content analysis. According to the
findings of the study, students needed to get support about education directives, career
guidance, technical equipment, and personal problems.
The most frequently visited sources to get support by students are teachers, secretariat,
and administrative units. However, students did not consider the supports they got from
these units as sufficient. According to most of the students and instructors participated
in the study, being involved in social activities was so prominent specifically to provide
motivation for students. However, it seems impossible to be engaged in social activities
in distance education due to the nature of distance education.
Students generally regarded themselves as unsocial, and they considered provided social
interaction environment as insufficient. Students and instructors expressed that they
mostly interacted through social networking sites. Further, they stated that the social
environments they mostly faced with each other were final exams and graduation
ceremony.
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