Page 198 - International Perspectives on Effective Teaching and Learning in Digital Education

Stanko Pelc

Studying students’ opinions provided valuable insights into the percep-
tions and usage of digital technologies among teacher-training students at
the University of Primorska. However, given the relatively small and specif-
ic sample size (46 first-year and 58 third-year students from a single study
program), the results may not fully represent the experiences of all students
across different disciplines or institutions even within the University of Pri-
morska. Nonetheless, the trends observed offer useful insights that could ap-
ply to similar educational contexts, particularly in teacher training programs,
and can serve as a foundation for further research in this area.
Based on the above findings, several key conclusions can be drawn. First,
the study reveals that most students perceive their university education to be
more digitally supported than their high school experience, though they no-
tice significant variation in how different instructors incorporate technology
into their teaching. While MS PowerPoint is widely used, students expressed
a desire for more advanced digital tools and interactive learning experiences.
They also acknowledged both the potential and limitations of digital tools,
such as AI programs like ChatGPT, using them cautiously but exploring their
benefits.
Additionally, while some progress has been made in the digitalization of
education, the study indicates that there is still substantial room for improve-
ment. Many digital resources, such as Moodle’s built-in features and smart
boards, are underutilized by instructors. Students have expressed a need for
greater integration of interactive tasks, quizzes, and AI into the learning pro-
cess. These findings highlight the importance of continued support for fac-
ulty development in digital competence to better prepare students for the
digital demands of modern education.
The analysis of the use of the Learning Management System (LMS) Moo-
dle at the Faculty of Education, focusing specifically on its use in the courses
that the third-year students were enrolled in during their first five semesters,
revealed that Moodle use spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has
since decreased, with teachers largely maintaining their initial setups with
minimal updates. In contrast, student activity continues to rise, driven by the
increasing submission of assignments through the platform. This suggests
that students engage more with digital tools, but teacher adoption has not
kept pace.
Most courses, especially in the second year and fifth semester, primarily use
Moodle for posting materials and collecting assignments, with little content
creation or interactivity. Even in courses with higher levels of use, features like
quizzes remain underutilized. This lack of progress reflects the broader trend

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