A systematic review of factors influencing student interest in online homework

Online homework has been emerging with the popularity of online learning. The significance of online homework has been recognised, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19. Although it is regarded as one homework format, studies explicitly targeted at online homework are limited till now, particularly in student interest. As interest is defined as the driver of student learning, it is important to explore the factors influencing student interest in online homework to promote this technology use. Thus, a systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify studies on student interest in online homework with the guide of PRISMA. Based on 23 selected studies, this study unveiled the included studies' characteristics and the informed factors influencing student interest in the online homework system or the homework assigned or completed online. The findings of this study showed that background variables, adult guidance and monitoring, and the role of students in the process impact student interest in online homework. As online homework is delivered via technology, other factors, such as content design, the ability of technology use and homework submission methods, are also associated with student interest in online homework. Relevant educational implications are elaborated. Further studies and limitations are also included in this study. © The Author(s).

Replies to commentaries on IDC Theory in practice

We thank the seven scholars who have provided commentaries to our paper on the Interest-Driven Creator (IDC) experimental school in Taiwan. We provide replies to their commentaries in the interest of continuing the productive discussions that we hope to see in the further pursuance and refinement of the IDC theories. We also use the opportunity here to provide replies to the commentaries written by Dillenbourg et al. (2019) and Roschelle and Burke (2019), specifically written for the original IDC paper (Chan et al., 2018). © The Author(s). 2023.

Behind-the-Scenes: Challenges to Integrate Google Classroom in Teaching and Learning

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malaysian government has announced Movement Control Order (MCO) for the safety of the nation. Based on the latest data from UNESCO (2020), this measure has impacted over 7.9 million of learners in Malaysia. Subsequently, teachers in Malaysia are facing challenges to continue providing quality education to students due to the pandemic. Google Classroom was introduced after the termination of Frog VLE in Malaysia. However, the researcher found that implementing Google Classroom via online teaching and learning is ineffective compared to the face-to-face method. Hence, this study aimed to explore why Malaysian teachers face challenges in teaching and learning. The study employed a qualitative study using a semi-structured interview. The participants of this study were five teachers from different secondary schools in Selangor, Malaysia. Purposive sampling was adopted in this study with two criteria. The first criterion is that participants need to have experience in using Google Classroom in teaching and learning regardless of any subjects' while the second is that participants need at least five years of teaching experience in secondary school. As a result, a total of four themes were categorised. This research finding would offer insights to educational stakeholders and school administrators to improve the integration of Google Classroom in teaching and learning. Recommendations were generalisability and suggestions to the future researcher to explore ways to overcome the challenges faced by secondary school teachers. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

Identifying the Dimensions of Teachers' Digital Learning Agility in the Age of Exponential Technology Use

The volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world and IR4.0 developments forces drastic changes to sustain and provide quality education. When schools were shut down abruptly due to COVID-19, teachers were forced into emergency remote teaching, mostly by utilizing technologies but with little to no specific structure. In Malaysia, studies found that teachers struggled with technology ability especially in mastering technology applications. Due to limited experience in preparing electronic materials and using online platforms, teachers took the time to deliberate on the ways to teach online, causing delays in learning. Delays can be mitigated if teachers are agile. Agile teachers are capable to deal with new experience flexibly and rapidly by trying new behaviors and making quick adjustments so that new learning can be realized even when they do not know exactly what to do when they face unexpected challenges. This quality in teachers is important to curb learning loss especially when education was threatened by COVID-19. Reciprocally, technology plays an important role to promote Learning Agility among teachers, ensure sustainability and quality of learning, and forge learners' engagement. With the exponential use of technologies, teachers need to be an agile classroom leader. This study aims at identifying the dimensions that shape teachers' Digital Learning Agility. We hoped that this proposed research can shed insights on digital learning agility and can improve teachers' performance especially in the age of exponential technology use. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

Chinese EFL Teachers' Reflections of Online English Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

To better understand English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' voices in online English teaching in China, a qualitative case study was carried out by analyzing semi-interviews, and in-depth data of six EFL teachers from a central Chinese university. With thematic analysis, seven themes emerged, including the choices of teaching platforms or Apps, the negative attitude, the preparation for online teaching, teaching design, teaching assessment, advantages, and challenges. Overall, the study contributed to the existing knowledge of online language teaching theoretically and practically by providing a Chinese contextual phenomenon of EFL teaching. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

Multimodal Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring Students' Preferences

This study explores students' preferences for the various online learning activities that leveraged digital learning tools. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 23 education major students who learned online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students found the multimodal activities effective in making them stay focused, engaged and acquire new knowledge and skills at a deeper level. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

Impact of Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic on the Social Networking Sites Usage and Psychological Distress among University Students

The primary aim of this study is to determine the purpose of social networking sites (SNS) usage and the severity of psychological distress among university students after experiencing a prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A total of 112 university students completed the questionnaire adapted from the Social Networking Usage Questionnaire (SNUQ) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 items (DASS-21). Descriptive results showed that the university students use SNS actively for entertainment purposes, followed by academic, social, and information purposes. The students also suffered from immense psychological distress, with anxiety being the highest, followed by depression and stress. The results indicated the potential of integrating SNS in instruction and urgency in resolving the critical psychological distress issue among university students. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

All-cause hospital admissions after stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy for primary lung cancer

Category: Outcomes of treatment (including chemotherapy, chemo-RT and RT) Purpose: Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) and lung resection are both effective treatments for early lung cancer. The UK National Lung Cancer Audit has shown low mortality after thoracic surgery but a high 90-day all-cause hospital readmission rate of 41%. The aim of this study was to evaluate hospital admissions after SABR for primary lung cancer. Methods and materials: Hospital records of patients treated with SABR for primary lung cancer between October 2012 and October 2021 at Royal Free Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Result(s): 152 patients were identified. The median age was 78 years (range 40-95). Biopsy confirmation rate was 78%. Most patients had T1 tumours (87%). Treatment was with 5# (65%), 3# (19%) and 8# (16%). Ultracentral lesions were not treated. Multiple lesions were treated in ten patients. The median follow-up was 21 months. Oncological outcomes were excellent with a 95% local control rate, 11% distant recurrence, one-year overall survival 92% and two-year overall survival 80%. There was one death within 30 days of treatment due to decompensated cirrhosis in a patient with chronic liver disease. 15 patients (10%) were admitted to hospital within 90 days of SABR treatment. Causes of hospital admission were: * Chest sepsis - 6 (including 1 COVID) * Heart failure - 2 (known cardiac disease) * Decompensated cirrhosis - 1 * Line infection - 1 * Oesophageal reflux - 1 * Miscellaneous surgical - 4 Conclusion(s): SABR is a highly effective and well-tolerated treatment for early lung cancer. The 90-day all-cause hospital admission rate in this cohort was 10%. These hospital admissions were not a direct consequence of SABR, and the majority were due to respiratory and cardiac co-morbidity. This highlights the need for smoking cessation and medical optimisation of co-morbidities in this patient group. Copyright © 2022

Association between tocilizumab treatment of hyperinflammatory patients with COVID-19 in a critical care setting and elevated incidence of hospital-acquired bacterial and invasive fungal infections.

BACKGROUND: Tocilizumab is an interleukin-6 inhibitor that reduces mortality and the need for invasive mechanical ventilation, while increasing the possibility of successful hospital discharge for hyperinflammatory patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). No increase in adverse events or serious infections has been reported previously. AIM: To describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 in critical care who received tocilizumab, and to compare mortality and length of hospital stay for patients who received tocilizumab (N=41) with those who did not (N=33). METHODS: Retrospective review of data related to patients with COVID-19 who received tocilizumab in a critical care setting from 1st January to 31st December 2021. FINDINGS: Amongst COVID-19 survivors, those who had received tocilizumab had longer intensive care unit (ICU) stays (median length 21 vs 9 days) and hospital stays (45 vs 34 days) compared with those who had not received tocilizumab. Thirty-day mortality (29% vs 36%; P=0.5196) and 60-day mortality (37% and 42%; P=0.6138) were not significantly lower in patients who received tocilizumab. Serious bacterial and fungal infections occurred at higher frequency amongst patients who received tocilizumab [odds ratio (OR) 2.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-6.86; P=0.042], and at significantly higher frequency than in non-COVID-19 ICU admissions (OR 5.26, 95% CI 3.08-9.00; P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In this single-centre study, patients in critical care with severe COVID-19 who received tocilizumab had a greater number of serious bacterial and fungal infections, but this may not have been a direct effect of tocilizumab treatment.

Students' Online Learning Experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Case Study at Universiti Putra Malaysia

This study explores the lived experiences of students from one public university in Malaysia about online learning from home. This qualitative study aims to provide an analysis of students' personal experience in terms of the advantages and challenges of online learning during the national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through students' blogs where they documented their expressions of their online learning experience for 12 weeks. Data were classified according to two main studied areas: advantages and challenges. Three themes emerged for advantages - flexible learning time, student-driven learning and positive learning opportunities while four themes emerged for challenges - poor internet connection, poor self-control, unconducive learning environment and feelings of helplessness and burden. The study provides some evidence that online learning is the best alternative during the ongoing crisis despite the challenges.

Design of Customizable Gamified Augmented Reality Apps: Towards Embracing Active Learning

Educators worldwide are facing challenges to continue providing quality learning design remotely, digitally and in virtual settings. Although teaching and learning activities are almost relatively easy to be translated to online platforms, education is missing active learning and social presence, both of which can promote effective learning. When digital education ensues, mobile technologies are widely optimized for learning. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission report shows that smartphones have become the most popular devices to access the Internet, reaching a near saturation usage level at 98.7% in 2020, due to the pandemic. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, more education institutions will continue to conduct virtual lessons, and the trend is set to grow exponentially. The XploreRAFE+ mock-up mobile apps was developed with the aim of gamifying learning and foster active learning, framed by the Interest-Driven Creator Theory. In general, people who play games may experience positive activating emotions. Positive activating emotions such as enjoyment and pride are found to be positively correlated with cognitive regulations (Yeo & Frederiks, 2011). This is what XploreRAFE+ aims for its users to achieve - able to internalize the knowledge through game play and therefore, enhance their cognition. As such, this apps was designed to allow instructors who do not have the technological know-how of gamification and Augmented Reality (AR), to be able to embrace both for their learning design. Rather than spending time and effort laboriously on designing a gamified lesson with virtual contents, instructors are now able to save their time and create a gamified lesson by plugging in their content into this apps, choosing AR overlays, selecting game mechanics and eliciting students' learning feedback through ePortfolio. XploreRAFE+ would be able to add value by adding in the affective aspects, virtual extended reality elements, supporting social presence and intimacy, and immediacy of feedback. This study invites further research on the apps' evaluation after its development is fully completed.