Asian Journal of Distance Education

G for Generative is a Gluttonous Fraud and Shit, G for Green is Genuine Intelligence: Exploring the Unspoken Environmental Cost and the Computational Opulence Paradox in the Artificial Intelligence Landscape

Aras Bozkurt, Ramesh C Sharma — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 09:52:20 +0000

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is frequently hailed as a revolutionary force, yet its rapid adoption often overlooks the substantial environmental costs hidden behind the metaphor of the cloud. This paper critically examines the physical infrastructure of GenAI, arguing that the current trajectory represents a "gluttonous fraud" of resource consumption compared to the "genuine intelligence" of sustainable computing. Through a synthesis of recent environmental impact studies, this research deconstructs the four pillars of AI’s footprint: energy consumption dominated by inference rather than training, the hidden water usage for cooling and electricity generation, the material toll of e-waste and mineral extraction, and the lack of corporate transparency. The analysis reveals that the efficiency gains of current models paradoxically drive higher consumption and that specific tools actively propagate non-green code. The study concludes that without intervention, GenAI will exacerbate the climate crisis through a "computational opulence paradox." Consequently, it proposes actionable pathways toward Green AI, including the adoption of smaller, specialized models, mandatory environmental impact reporting, and regulatory frameworks. These findings imply a necessary paradigm shift for policymakers and academic leaders from unfettered adoption to a model of "slow urgency" and rigorous accountability.

Educational Technology in EFL Teaching and Learning in China: Types, Effectiveness, Determinants, and Challenges

Chunwen Yang, Jing Chen, Shuai Hou — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

With the rapid advancement of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), the integration of educational technology in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching has become increasingly prominent in higher education worldwide. However, there remains limited empirical understanding of the types, effectiveness, and challenges of these technologies from the perspective of EFL teachers in China. This study aims to investigate the adoption, perceived usefulness, influencing factors, and concerns related to educational technology use among Chinese higher education EFL teachers. A mixed-methods approach was employed, utilizing an electronic survey distributed to EFL teachers (N = 139) across Chinese universities, followed by post-survey group discussions with 15 selected participants to gain deeper qualitative insights. The findings reveal widespread use of a diverse range of digital tools, with teachers reporting significant benefits in learner engagement, personalization, and teaching management. Importantly, the study identifies policy, technological, and individual factors as key determinants influencing the adoption and integration of educational technology, while also highlighting challenges related to infrastructure, digital literacy, and ethical data concerns. These results underscore the importance of coordinated institutional policy, robust technological support, and ongoing professional development to ensure the effective, equitable, and ethical integration of educational technology in EFL higher education contexts, thereby contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) – quality education.

Examining the predictive role of weekly game-based online quiz performance on academic achievement and engagement

Mengkorn Pum — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This pilot study explores the predictive role of weekly game-based online quizzes on academic achievement and engagement in a 15-week foundation of education course at a university. The purpose was to assess how quiz performance relates to midterm and final exam outcomes and student engagement, leveraging Quizizz as a formative assessment tool. Conducted with 24 third-year students selected via convenience sampling, the methodology involved collecting quiz scores and completions from Quizizz, alongside attendance and exam scores from university records. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and linear regression in SPSS (v27). Limitations include a small sample size and lack of qualitative insights, restricting generalizability. Findings reveal that quiz performance strongly predicts midterm (R² = 0.474) and final exam success (R² = 0.428), with significant correlations to attendance and quiz completion, indicating engagement benefits. The study concludes that game-based quizzes are effective for monitoring progress and fostering motivation in higher education. Implications suggest integrating such tools into foundational courses to enhance learning outcomes, with a call for larger-scale research to validate and refine this approach.

Demographics and Economic Sustainability Consciousness for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions: Study of Tanzania

Mato Magobe, Deus Ngaruko, Harriet G. Mtae, Kezia H. Mkwizu, Augustine Kitulo — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sustainable Development (SD) in Africa is on-going including Tanzania. However, the UNDP report of 2023 highlights the need to speed up efforts so that Africa achieves the global goals by 2030. In view of this, it is critical to explore adaptation for SD in the context of Tanzania’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) including Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions. Hence, this paper’s purpose is to explore demographics and economic Sustainability Consciousness (SC) for SD . Specifically, this study examines age and economic SC awareness for SD in Tanzania. Quantitative method is deployed in this study and a sample size of 119 staff from selected universities in Tanzania provided the quantitative data that was subjected to descriptive statistics whereas qualitative data collected from 15 face to face interviews were analyzed using Nvivo. The findings revealed that most staff in relation to economic SC were between 30 to 40 years old (44.54%). In terms of economic SC awareness, the findings indicate that most of the staff strongly agree that elimination of poverty globally is necessary for SD (70.94%) and that SD requires companies to act responsibly towards their employees, customers and suppliers (61.54%). This paper implies that the economic practitioners including Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) experts should consider that the most of the middle-aged staff in HEIs have economic SC awareness in terms of the need to reduce poverty as well as companies to act with responsibilities not only to the employees but also customers and suppliers for SD.

Distance Learning (DL): Cambodian Graduate Students’ Perception and Readiness

Makara Khim, Saban Bon — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In today’s technological world, Distance Learning (DL), also called online learning, has become a widely accepted means of providing educational content in tertiary education institutions around the globe. A wealth of literature has indicated that the learners’ perceptions and readiness levels could determine the effectiveness of implementing a particular learning mode, such as DL. Thus, this cross-sectional survey research sought to investigate graduate students’ perceptions and their readiness for DL in terms of the process of using technological devices and apps, and software that support DL. The questionnaires were utilized to collect the data from 204 graduate students pursuing their master’s degrees at a public university in the Kingdom of Cambodia. The results revealed that most graduate students positively perceived DL for reasons, namely, gaining more knowledge, receiving updated information, reducing problems in traditional learning, fast communication, and seeing real-time classes. In addition, although most graduate students reported that they were ready for DL in terms of possessing devices and being able to use some types of applications and learning software that could support DL, some still had a hurdle in using some other apps and learning software that support DL. In light of the findings, this study would contribute to the limited existing literature on distance learning in the Cambodian context through unlocking graduates' perceptions and their levels of readiness for Distance learning. In addition, this study would provide context-specific insights for policymakers and program coordinators in launching this innovative learning mode.

Assessing Awareness and Usage of AI Tools Among Faculty and Learners in Higher Education Institutions in Sub‑Saharan Africa

Jeketule Soko, Judith Pete, Grace Mureithi — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study reports on awareness and usage of artificial intelligence (AI) tools among faculty and learners in Sub-Saharan African higher education institutions. It summarizes which tools respondents recognize, which tools they mostly use, why they use them, and the benefits they perceive. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was employed, analyzing responses from N = 315 participants across public, private, and technical/vocational institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Results indicate high visibility of general-purpose generative tools (for example, chat-based assistants), strong use of writing and assessment support, and learner focus on idea generation, writing help, and exam preparation. Reported benefits center on time savings, access to information, and improved clarity in writing and learning tasks. Differences between faculty and students suggest the need for role-specific capacity building, clear academic integrity guidance, and alignment of AI use with learning outcomes. The study aimed to explore patterns of AI awareness, use, and perceived benefits while interpreting adoption behavior through the lens of the Diffusion of Innovation theory. Limitations include reliance on self-reports and aggregate tables. The study concludes with practical suggestions for training, policy, and curriculum integration in resource-constrained contexts.

Acceptance of AI Chatbots Among College Students- Implications for Autonomous Learning in the Digital Age

Antara Mukherjee, Shashi Singh — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The digital age has witnessed a rapidly evolving educational landscape, with AI chatbots emerging as powerful tools supporting autonomous learning. This study investigates the acceptance level of AI chatbots among college students and evaluates the influence of factors such as gender, age, education level, learning styles, and major disciplines on students’ receptiveness to AI chatbots. Employing a quantitative research design, a combination of stratified and convenience sampling was used to select a sample of 200 students from various colleges in Jharkhand, India, representing diverse courses and academic levels. Results revealed over 72% acceptance of AI tools among college students for self-learning. Additionally, the study failed to find any significant differences among demographic groups, suggesting that students across backgrounds are equally open to using AI chatbots for learning. This study underscores the growing significance of AI in Education 4.0 era, which promises individualised educational experiences, enhances digital literacy, and prepares learners for future job demands. However, being limited to basic inferential statistics and one Indian state, future research should further explore the factors driving the acceptance of AI chatbots among college learners across the country.

Factors affecting online synchronous course engagement: The students’ perspective

Ayşe Bağrıaçık Yılmaz, Şerife Ak — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Student engagement is a fundamental issue for educators and researchers. In some cases, even with advanced technological facilities or trained instructors, it can be difficult to encourage students to participate synchronously. The multidimensional nature of engagement may provide a rationale for this phenomenon. While definitions and classifications exist, additional factors may impact engagement depending on the context. Each study contributes to a better understanding of engagement by completing a puzzle piece. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the variables facilitating or hindering students' engagement in synchronous courses. Accordingly, the views of 8 students with high and 7 with low behavioral engagement were obtained through semi-structured interviews. Engagement was determined using log data such as number of messages and conversation time. The interviews were analyzed using the inductive content analysis method. The analysis showed that many factors influence student engagement. Among these factors, teacher characteristics, methods used, student attitudes toward distance learning, self-regulation skills, and interaction come to the fore. One of the most important findings of the research is that emotional engagement acts as a mediator for behavioural engagement. Suggestions for practitioners on what to consider increasing student engagement were made based on the findings.

A Road Map for Sustainable Open Educational Resource Initiatives in Higher Education

Dilara Arzugül Aksoy, Engin Kurşun — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Open Educational Resources (OER) present significant advantages, such as cost savings, addressing economic inequality, enhancing access to quality education, and supporting lifelong learning. These advantages became even more apparent during the emergency remote teaching period, emphasizing their importance and anticipating their increased relevance in the era of general artificial intelligence. Despite these benefits and recognized needs, OER initiatives face a sustainability problem. While studies have examined factors affecting OER sustainability, there is a lack of research on practical strategies that emerge from actual implementation, as well as on evaluating the effectiveness of these strategies. This study aims to identify strategies within the 3M (macro, meso, and micro) framework to support sustainable OER initiatives in higher education. Adopting a design-based research method, this study primarily collected qualitative data from relevant stakeholders through focus groups and interviews. The study identified 20 main and 21 sub-strategies for sustaining OER initiatives in higher education. The micro level includes strategies in the context of the course or platform and the meso level in the context of the institution. The macro level, which represents strategies that are more difficult and time-consuming to implement, includes strategies that interact with the institution and outside the institution. This study offers novel insights and recommendations for policymakers, administrators, practitioners, and researchers.

Distance Education Through the Eyes of Disabled Students and Their Teachers: Advantages, Problems and Suggestions

Semra Korkmaz, Zeynep Turan — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study is to examine the distance education experiences of visually, hearing, and physically disabled middle school and high school students and their teachers. A case study from the interactive designs of qualitative research methods was used and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. The study group consisted of 10 physically disabled, 10 visually impaired, 10 hearing impaired students and 25 branch teachers enrolled in 18 middle and high schools in a large city in Turkey, totaling 55 people. Visually impaired students stated that they did not find online content sufficient, that their motivation decreased when they could not communicate face to face with their teachers and friends, but they found the course videos interesting. Hearing impaired students stated that they could not benefit from distance education because the voices of the students attending the live lesson were mixed and that they had difficulty in learning because the video lectures were not prepared in sign language. Students with physical disabilities find it advantageous to receive education comfortably from home, but they stated that distance education negatively affects their health. Teachers stated that there are various problems in distance education, as well as various advantages for students with disabilities. Distance learning has been found to offer limited advantages and more disadvantages for students with disabilities. In this context, comprehensive efforts can be made to address these disadvantages through suggestions submitted by students with disabilities and their teachers.