Shortening the learning curve for learners and educators: Solutions in the times of COVID-19

New advancements emerge in times of crisis. Throughout history, there have always been new developments in our political, social, and economic structures and technologies after wars, revolutions, and major natural disasters. Now, in times of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, it is critical for both educators and learners to adapt to different and new ways of learning, to stay ahead of the latest technologies and applications, and to empower our learners in transitioning to the new age of artificial intelligence. The case study that follows describes how our university in Canada transitioned from on-campus classes to remote synchronous delivery with an online asynchronous component during the COVID-19 period of campus closures. Comparison of this transition is made to other postsecondary contexts to highlight how such critical transitions may be eased in the future. The closure of universities in Canada and the move to online delivery happened abruptly as COVID-19 worsened and forced us to teach from our offices at home in mid-March 2020. I explain the teaching solutions that I found useful in transitioning my students to remote synchronous and online delivery. In addition to describing changes in our teaching and learning, I compare our experiences during this transition to other contexts and postsecondary classes to illustrate how and why preparation and adaptations are important. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Design to Improve Social Presence among University Students in Asynchronous Online Learning Environment

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online lectures are becoming more common in higher education. Specifically, asynchronous online classes have become increasingly popular because of their flexibility. Asynchronous online courses, however, may negatively impact students' academic performance and social development due to the diminished sense of social presence. To explore ways to enhance social presence among students in asynchronous online classes, this paper used a co-design methodology that involved 12 undergraduate students as primary stakeholders. As a result, we developed a design framework for designing in-class interaction to promote social presence in asynchronous online lectures. This framework consists of four high-level elements and sub-categories: interaction topic (direct or peripheral topics related to learning), interaction size (small or entire group), interaction mode (anonymity, synchronicity, instructor involvement), and interaction motivator (lightweightness and entertainment). Our design framework may serve as a guide to future technology for improving asynchronous online classes. © 2023 Owner/Author.

Text presentation or video: Malaysian university students' preferences with synchronous and asynchronous learning.

In overcoming the obstacles of online learning with the current Covid-19 pandemic crisis, synchronous and asynchronous learning has been a significant part of teaching strategies applied by educators to construct a collaborative online environment with Malaysian university students. Synchronous learning has always been the most effective strategy for social learning, while asynchronous learning allows students to learn on their own schedule. Moreover, despite having many educational platforms created for higher educational settings, the practicality of selection between two teaching-learning approaches of text-presentation and video is still a debate among teachers/ lecturers with students' learning styles. Therefore, this paper explored Malaysian university students' preferences between synchronous and asynchronous learning modes with text-presentation or video. Qualitative and quantitative data from 178 participants from both public and private universities were collected via open and close-ended questions in the designed questionnaire. The findings indicated that 68% of the students preferred synchronous learning mode compared to asynchronous. Meanwhile, 39% of the students favoured both text-presentation and video learning tools to be implemented in synchronous and asynchronous approaches as it provided them better opportunities to grasp the learning content better. Thus, it can be concluded that the synchronous learning mode is preferred if only one method is provided as the students highly value the teacher's presence for ease of communication, but students prefer a range of delivery methods. Moreover, the students also displayed a strong preference for applying both text-presentation and video to achieve their learning outcomes. Thus, it is suggested that the university lecturers need to explore and apply interactive pedagogical methods in online teaching-learning process, while contributing to the development of motivation, participation, and engagement among the university students in acquiring their subjects. As such, the findings of this study have informed the pedagogical implications, and further studies are mandatory.

The role of feedback in building teaching presence and student self-regulation in online learning

In this research we studied usable strategies to promote student engagement and learning in the online classroom specifically connected to the development of teaching presence and student self-regulation. A design-based research approach (Barab & Squire, 2004) with multiple methods of data collection were used in the study's design, which was informed by the Garrison et al.'s Community of Inquiry framework and Zimmerman's cycle of self-regulatory phases. Qualitative sources of data included coursework and semi-structured interviews with three student participants, accompanied by text-based planning and debrief notes, and a semi-structured interview with one instructor. The study context was an online course connected to a Bachelor of Education program at a university in Ontario, Canada. Findings indicate students experienced teaching presence directly in the timely, strengths-based and personal feedback they received. Regular feedback helped students know their work was being seen and that they were "on the right track”. Strengths-based and personal feedback aided student motivation and self-regulation, which emerged as important for ongoing engagement and learning online. Recommendations that emerged from this study are of interest internationally to designers of online learning courses, online instructors and researchers in online learning. © 2023

Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities of Hybrid Education with Location Asynchrony

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely disrupted traditional on-site education. One currently deployed alternative are hybrid education formats, which combine online and on-site elements. To successfully orchestrate these formats, educators and educational institutions need to understand the challenges and opportunities hybrid education can pose to both students and educators. This is especially true when hybrid education allows for asynchrony of the learning location, e.g. allowing students to choose whether they attend online or on-site. To understand these challenges and opportunities, we deployed a qualitative research design and identified three challenges and three opportunities of hybrid education allowing location asynchrony. We discuss these findings and highlight three larger underlying themes (balancing flexibility with complexity, the challenge of interpersonal connectedness in highly diverse settings, and digital proficiency), including sometimes opposing perspectives of students and educators. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Implementation of the online learning management system 'Moodle' as a blended approach to online teaching

Objectives: Web-based learning is becoming a newly accepted standard in education, more so with COVID-19 pandemic. To use technology to redesign learning experiences, a blend of synchronous and asynchronous approaches was used wherein the routine lectures through MS Teams (synchronous) were integrated with an online learning management system (LMS), 'Moodle' (modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment) based, four-quadrant approach (asynchronous). We aimed to determine the student's engagement, performance and perception of the new online LMS. Material(s) and Method(s): All 170 students of the 1st year MBBS of batch 2020 were enrolled in the course. A module was developed for teaching 'Physiology of Vision' with this blended approach. Along with routine online lectures through Microsoft Teams, supplementary materials in the form of multimedia presentations and additional links to useful websites were provided through online LMS. The online activity of students was recorded and assessments were done. A feedback form was filled out by students at the end of the course. Result(s): A significant positive correlation of examination scores with individual student's activity logs and significantly better scores in top Moodle users along with significantly higher marks in Moodle-based modules than in other modules confirmed the value of Moodle in improving student performance. Overall feedback from students was clearly in favour of implementing Moodle as a complementary tool to traditional teaching. Conclusion(s): Moodle improved the quality of learning. It developed interest and motivation among students and has a positive impact on academic outcomes.Copyright © 2023 Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists of India. All rights reserved.

Accelerating Student Engagement with Asynchronous Online Debates

Rooted in the Greek tradition of Socrates and Aristotle, debate pedagogy utilizes the interpersonal 'heat' that comes with a clash in opinions to engage students in learning. Well-structured classroom debates can engage students, give them agency in their learning, and challenge them to view the layered perspectives that lie under the surface of topics across the curriculum. The proliferation of on-demand and asynchronous learning approaches presents a challenge for instructors who wish to hold live, synchronous, debates. It is frequently not possible to utilize traditional debate pedagogical techniques when students are not temporally or physically in a classroom space. Disruptions to traditional classroom learning caused by the COVID-19 epidemic only exacerbate the need to re-invent pedagogies for today's dynamic higher education learning environments. Emerging tools and approaches show promise in rekindling debate pedagogy, however, relatively little scholarship exists to orient instructors who wish to deploy evidenced-based debate pedagogy in blended and online courses. This paper presents the results of an investigation of one technology-facilitated approach to deploying asynchronous and online debates. Findings from the present investigation help to illuminate a path forward for instructors who wish to deploy structured classroom debates in online and asynchronous formats. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of College Teaching is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Impact of Virtual Learning on Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes: A Sri Lankan Experience

Virtual learning became imperative during the past two years owing to the unexpected impediments faced by the entire world during the Covid-19 pandemic. For most part of this period the study programmes were completed entirely through virtual sessions. Several studies conducted globally during this period bring to light many positive as well as negative aspects of virtual learning. This paper focuses on the impact of virtual learning on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. The Bachelor of Arts in German Studies and Master of Arts in Linguistics are the focus of this study covering two academic years. The aim of this study is to review the positive and negative aspects of virtual learning from a student perspective and to explore the possibility of adapting to a blended approach in the future in a post pandemic era. It is also aimed at finding out what percentage of the courses can be conducted virtually. Data obtained through online questionnaires, feedback at the end of each session, teacher views and student performance were analysed to find out the impact of virtual learning. The analysis of data obtained gave similar results in the positive and negative aspects of virtual learning in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes except for the fact that the undergraduates preferred at least 70% of the sessions to be conducted onsite. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A COMPARISON OF BUSINESS STUDENT PERCEPTIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN AND THE UNITED STATES REGARDING WAYS TO ENHANCE THE ONLINE LEARNING PROCESS

The unanticipated COVID-19 pandemic renewed interest in the success of various pedagogic practices across populations to determine the universality of their importance. This article contrasts the findings of research conducted among Kazakhstan business students, and recently reported in the Journal Eastern European and Central Asian Research, to a population of business students at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Our empirical sample survey of 112 undergraduate students reveals a.) a greater satisfaction with online education, b.) the potential for a longer attention span, c.) agreement on techniques to improve pedagogy, and d.) better perceived online experiences versus Kazakhstani findings. This report shares additional actionable suggestions for lessening the instances of low online involvement, as well as suggestions for improving asynchronous online education, which is again found to be preferred to a synchronous modality. Insights provided by students from a different culture and hemisphere enhance understanding of student perceptions and ways to improve the online learning experience. © 2023, Institute of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. All rights reserved.

Remote learning in the context of COVID-19: reviewing the effectiveness of synchronous online delivery

PurposeThis article aims to explore student views from a UK higher educational institution about the concept of remote online higher educational delivery. Students were asked about opinions towards working remotely and the psychological impact this had upon students and students' studies. The research provided students with the opportunity to reflect upon whether the practice of delivering education remotely continues to provide students with a beneficial student learning experience.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopted a case study methodology utilising a mixed methods approach via questionnaire-based research. In total, 894 students completed the questionnaire. The aim of the research was to obtain a wide breadth of student opinion from multidisciplinary backgrounds to ascertain whether students' learning experience differed per subject area.FindingsThe research identified some interesting findings, namely that certain participants considered that learning remotely online was beneficial for instant feedback, supported motivation and fostered communities of practice. Negative perspectives related to feeling isolated, unmotivated and a preference towards face-to-face (F2F) delivery. One of the main areas of conflict identified from this study is that the aspect of engagement can impact students' online learning both positively and negatively.Originality/valueThe study provides an in-depth multidisciplinary student tertiary perspective relating to online remote learning. The findings from this study can be useful for educators to reflect upon and inform educational policy in relation to how best to facilitate and support the student learning experience off-campus.

Experience of a Medical School in the Philippines on the Sudden Shift to Online Learning amidst COVID-19

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to adapt to a full online learning environment. Medical schools in particular were disrupted by this shift since the majority of the learning objectives, skills, and necessary competencies are learned through classroom and hospital face-to-face activities. Objective. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experiences of a medical school in the country as it navigated the sudden shift to full online learning vis-à-vis a framework on the barriers and solutions to online learning. Method. This is a descriptive paper written from the perspective and observations of an administrator who participated in crafting the immediate response of the school to the sudden shift to online delivery and who worked with the stakeholders of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH). Results. To address concerns on time, skills and infrastructure, the school reprioritized its learning objectives for the remainder of the school year. It conducted in-service sessions for faculty while also immediately setting up a learning management system and a technical support team that was available on demand. Strategies employed included a deliberate switch to asynchronous learning, curation of content and creativity in delivery and assessment, and the reshaping of the management and public health activities into the online platform. To manage attitudes and provide institutional support, the school worked collaboratively with stakeholders and transformed its traditional support services of campus ministry, counselling, formation, and physical and mental health to be readily available online. Conclusion. We described the experience of ASMPH when medical schools were forced to completely shift to online delivery of their programs because of the pandemic. We identified the barriers and solutions of online learning in medical education. The unique context of the ASMPH for having a dual degree in medicine and management;having an inter-disciplinal, non-departmentalized set-up at each year level;and, possessing the traditions of Jesuit education were instrumental in the school's ability to navigate this sudden shift. © 2022 University of the Philippines Manila. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a technical information systems module for distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: In the wake of the pandemic (COVID-19) throughout the United States, many educators had to promptly switch to online modality to continue to provide education to students with safety through physical distancing requirements. This study mainly focuses on delivering an Information Systems module aligned with the information systems curriculum model during a pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used data collection techniques from student assignments and course tasks. These data are used for the purpose of academic assessment for the Information Systems program. The student performance is assessed on a 5-point scale (1 being low and 5 being high) for the synchronous and the asynchronous tasks related to the course. The authors compared the student performance during the pandemic to the pre-pandemic semester. Findings: This study revealed that the technical module of an information systems course can be successfully delivered during a pandemic in a remote session. However, the authors found that there is a decline in the student performance in synchronous tasks and asynchronous tasks. But the decline of the student performance in the synchronous tasks is greater than that of the asynchronous tasks. The result of this study helps the Information Systems program with their assessment and to improve their course delivery during a pandemic. Originality/value: In this paper, the authors examine the delivery of a technical module in the field of information systems via online learning models. The authors particularly examine the synchronous and asynchronous online learning models in the delivery of the technical module. The lessons learned from transitioning to the online modality can help universities better prepare for the future during unprecedented times. © 2022, Arun Aryal and Shilpa Balan.

Results and lessons learned from a virtual multi-institutional problem-based interprofessional learning approach: The VIPE program.

The importance of interprofessional collaborative practice has come into focus over the past decade as coordination and delivery of health care becomes increasingly complex. The need for students to acquire collaboration-building skills to prepare them to work effectively within diverse healthcare teams to improve patient outcomes is a goal of interprofessional education (IPE). Accrediting bodies across healthcare professions require IPE as part of a robust curriculum to build collaborative skill sets and create a practice ready workforce. To respond to this need, an online healthcare program developed an innovative model for student collaboration across professions and institutions through a virtual interprofessional education (VIPE) program. The VIPE model aims to simulate clinical practice via an asynchronous and synchronous pedagogical approach that combines PBL/CBL with psychological safety. VIPE demonstrated statistically significant gains in knowledge and positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaborative practice as a result of participation in the VIPE program. During COVID-19, the demand for high quality IPE for health professions' students in virtual settings has grown, VIPE has the potential to be a solution for this. VIPE requires a dedicated committee and technical lead. Further research could involve longitudinal studies and nonaggregate models.

The online teaching and learning experience for pharmacoinformatics during COVID-19

At the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Pharmacoinformatics is a second-year undergraduate Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences course designed to introduce students on how to use technology to improve pharmaceutical care services. Until the outbreak of COVID-19, teaching, learning, and assessments for this course were predominantly conducted face-to-face. The unannounced arrival of the pandemic with its unprecedented uncertainties meant a drastic change in programme delivery was necessary. Social distancing and movement control orders were imposed to control the transmission of COVID-19 and hence a complete shift to online learning was required. All available tools were therefore deployed to make the transition a successful experience for both students and lecturers. The advantage of the new learning approach was that both synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences were explored. The group assignments were mostly synchronous using video conferencing applications. However, student assessments by the lecturers were predominantly asynchronous. Copyright © 2020, International Pharmaceutical Federation. All rights reserved.

"Online Learning” Technology Solutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Study of Medical Technology and Allied Healthcare Student Perceptions

The COVID-19 outbreak has greatly forced the education systems around the world to undergo rapid change. Given today's uncertainty, it is essential to understand students' online learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the fact that many studies were investigated in this area, there is limited available information about the barriers, challenges, and the difficulties students face during online learning. This paper studies the online learning platforms' utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic for students' engagement in the Medical Technology and Allied Healthcare education. This paper looks at studying the various benefits of imparting education through e-learning, identifying the challenges faced by learners, and measures the satisfaction levels of learners. From the study, it emerged that students' satisfaction index in using e-learning technologies is high for courses in Medical Technology and Allied Healthcare education. Copyright © 2023, IGI Global.

Remote learning in the context of COVID-19: reviewing the effectiveness of synchronous online delivery

Purpose: This article aims to explore student views from a UK higher educational institution about the concept of remote online higher educational delivery. Students were asked about opinions towards working remotely and the psychological impact this had upon students and students' studies. The research provided students with the opportunity to reflect upon whether the practice of delivering education remotely continues to provide students with a beneficial student learning experience. Design/methodology/approach: The research adopted a case study methodology utilising a mixed methods approach via questionnaire-based research. In total, 894 students completed the questionnaire. The aim of the research was to obtain a wide breadth of student opinion from multidisciplinary backgrounds to ascertain whether students' learning experience differed per subject area. Findings: The research identified some interesting findings, namely that certain participants considered that learning remotely online was beneficial for instant feedback, supported motivation and fostered communities of practice. Negative perspectives related to feeling isolated, unmotivated and a preference towards face-to-face (F2F) delivery. One of the main areas of conflict identified from this study is that the aspect of engagement can impact students' online learning both positively and negatively. Originality/value: The study provides an in-depth multidisciplinary student tertiary perspective relating to online remote learning. The findings from this study can be useful for educators to reflect upon and inform educational policy in relation to how best to facilitate and support the student learning experience off-campus. © 2022, Gavin Baxter and Thomas Hainey.

I do, I understand: engaging distance and campus students in sustainability through active learning: Association for Learning Technology Journal

Distance online learning connects students to education opportunities without having to be present at the institution offering the learning module. This case study involved development of a dual on-campus and distance course into a fully online course. It required a student-focused approach and an innovative application of learning technologies, additional resources and learning frameworks to encourage student engagement, independent learning and growth of critical-thinking skills. Changes to the design of the teaching approach and the use of technology improved the quality and quantity of interaction and communication between staff–students and students–students and facilitated a hands-on learning experience for online students interacting asynchronously. Student engagement with the course material, other students and teachers increased compared to previous years. Additional resource videos, learning and assessment guides (written and video), and online field trips helped develop critical-thinking skills and connectedness of learning to real-world applications. Recommendations are provided of learning approaches that could be used by other educators in different subject courses.

Developing and Integrating Asynchronous Web-Based Cases for Discussing and Learning Clinical Reasoning: Repeated Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Trainees rely on clinical experience to learn clinical reasoning in pediatric emergency medicine (PEM). Outside of clinical experience, graduate medical education provides a handful of explicit activities focused on developing skills in clinical reasoning. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we describe the development, use, and changing perceptions of a web-based asynchronous tool to facilitate clinical reasoning discussion for PEM providers. METHODS: We created a case-based web-based discussion tool for PEM clinicians and fellows to post and discuss cases. We examined website analytics for site use and collected user survey data over a 3-year period to assess the use and acceptability of the tool. RESULTS: The learning tool had more than 30,000 site visits and 172 case comments for the 55 published cases over 3 years. Self-reported engagement with the learning tool varied inversely with clinical experience in PEM. The tool was relevant to clinical practice and useful for learning PEM for most respondents. The most experienced clinicians were more likely than fellows to report posting commentary, although absolute rate of commentary was low. CONCLUSIONS: An asynchronous method of case presentation and web-based commentary may present an acceptable way to supplement clinical experience and traditional education methods for sharing clinical reasoning.

Design and Deployment of Content Stacks and Portable Asynchronous Learning Platforms for Socially Distanced Learning in a Pandemic or Post Disaster Situation

During the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, access to worthwhile educational resources has been a necessity. During this time, students and other stakeholders in the community challenged by poor internet connection or non-existent internet infrastructure are put at a disadvantage. This paper describes the design and deployment of a community-based portable asynchronous content distribution through a mobile cloud network. The system was installed in a school and a community center with stakeholders given access to preloaded content via an offline mobile cloud network. Initial tests of the mobile cloud showed good network performance and Quality of Service indicating its potential as an alternative modality in asynchronous content distribution to facilitate learning. © 2022 IEEE.

Integrating Camtasia, YouTube, and Google Classroom to create asynchronous learning environments

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face interactions are still not permitted for the teaching and learning process. This condition has led to changes to the existing learning method to willy-nilly switch from conventional classes to what is called distance learning. Distance learning is referred to as online learning as its implementation requires Internet media that accommodate lecturers to interact with students online. The success of implementing online learning contributes to the learner’s satisfaction within the process of teaching and learning. This study used three applications—Camtasia video creator, YouTube, and Google Classroom—to assess how learners perceive the synchronous and asynchronous learning they have received. This study used a hybrid technique, combining a Google Form online survey with qualitative analysis of the respondents' answers. 52 students from the English Literature Department's Intermediate English Grammar Class served as the research participants. The findings indicate that the majority of students react well to the adoption of asynchronous learning when those three programs are used. The flexibility of access and timing is the most important and beneficial benefit. The integration between those three applications in conducting asynchronous learning is expected to provide a new perspective on implementing technology in English language teaching. © 2022, Birlesik Dunya Yenilik Arastirma ve Yayincilik Merkezi. All rights reserved.