ABSTRACT
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many college students have been isolated at home and unable to walk into class as usual. This series of protective measures to avoid the spread of the disease may have an additional psychological impact on the lives of college students. The purpose of this study was to propose a strategy for using an intelligent online learning system based on content recommendations and electronic questionnaires in the educational domain. We invited 3000 isolated university students (47.6% male and 52.4% female) to an online trial. It proved to be effective in helping us intervene in students' psychological problems quickly, objectively, efficiently, and in real-time. In addition, our analysis of the data collected from the intelligent online learning system showed that the degree to which college students' psychological problems were affected by isolation was closely related to students' grade level, family background, major category, and computer proficiency. The current study suggests that the mental health of college students should be well monitored during segregation. Targeted psychological counseling is more necessary for students in upper grades, low-income families, liberal arts majors, and those with weak computer proficiency to reduce the emotional impact of segregation on students.
ABSTRACT
At the end of the year 2019, COVID-19 was first noticed in Wuhan, China, and since then, it has strongly impacted almost all aspects of people's daily lives everywhere. Schools at all levels worldwide have to transit to online instruction modes to accommodate the social distancing and disinfection requirements. The current study aims to explore the influencing factors of students' academic performance in tertiary education during the pandemic, specifically from the perceptions of students and instructors. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was applied to analyze the data collected from students and instructors who participated in online instruction in a large public university in western New York during Fall 2020. As the first COVID case in the county appeared in the middle of Spring 2020 (mid-March), Fall 2020 was the following semester after the abrupt transition happened. The results of this study showed that students' perceptions on course structure, communication, learning outcome, and instructors' perceptions on attendance and instructional effectiveness had a significant association with students' GPA. It was also found that instructors' previous experience in online education influences their students' perceptions on course structure and communication but not on their own perceptions on attendance, student learning outcome, and instructional effectiveness. The findings of this research provided potential directions for future research in instructors' training and online course facilitation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
At the end of the year 2019, COVID-19 was first noticed in Wuhan, China, and since then, it has strongly impacted almost all aspects of people's daily lives everywhere. Schools at all levels worldwide have to transit to online instruction modes to accommodate the social distancing and disinfection requirements. The current study aims to explore the influencing factors of students' academic performance in tertiary education during the pandemic, specifically from the perceptions of students and instructors. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was applied to analyze the data collected from students and instructors who participated in online instruction in a large public university in western New York during Fall 2020. As the first COVID case in the county appeared in the middle of Spring 2020 (mid-March), Fall 2020 was the following semester after the abrupt transition happened. The results of this study showed that students' perceptions on course structure, communication, learning outcome, and instructors' perceptions on attendance and instructional effectiveness had a significant association with students' GPA. It was also found that instructors' previous experience in online education influences their students' perceptions on course structure and communication but not on their own perceptions on attendance, student learning outcome, and instructional effectiveness. The findings of this research provided potential directions for future research in instructors' training and online course facilitation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
This is a study with the objective of investigating the perceptions of students and teachers of Information Science about the performance of the area in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Students and professors from 28Brazilian universities participated. The topics analyzed were channels used to disseminate reliable information about the pandemic, direct risks of contamination in the work environment, didactic activities carried out during quarantine, perception of digital environments and activities related to Information Science essential to face this crisis sanitary. The methodological approach consisted of a quantitative-qualitative approach, with an exploratory research method, use of a questionnaire for data collection, and content analysis with the establishment of categories for data analysis. The results show that teachers and students seek to face the difficulties to continue the teaching-learning process remotely, and that they perceive the university as a place of very high risk of contamination by Covid-19. Finally, in relation to the contributions that the area can provide to society to face this health crisis, there are: the development of information skills for the use of information sources, popularization of scientific information, the stimulus to government transparency, among others.
ABSTRACT
Promotion of STEM careers in K-12 schools is essential for the sustainable progress of the world. College students from engineering careers can provide a unique contribution to this effort. Their experience is like the K-12 school environment. However, they have advanced knowledge and skills of their critical role in society. They can offer a realistic model for K-12 students to guide their career choice and to become motivated for STEM college education. In addition, college students benefit from these experiences by reinforcing their commitment to a successful career, and to service the communities that have supported their education. Moreover, the teamwork required for an efficient and engaging set of activities provides possibilities for the inclusion and diversity of different perspectives based on their personal experiences at school. In addition, this team effort provides for the development of multiple skills for their professional job. However, though the benefit of this strategy is well known, most colleges promote outreach as extracurricular activities. This paper discusses a three-year experience in the Chemical Engineering Department, with the participation of 360 college students, in 70 projects, reaching over 2,000 school students, as a curricular requirement for capstone courses. Continuous improvements have been in progress to provide a systematic approach while remaining flexible for innovation. This has proved valuable in sustaining the continuity of the experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities are organized each semester using project management techniques (plan, logbook, reports, and meetings). The instructor monitors and coaches these activities using a virtual platform MS TEAMS. Activities include an early presentation of the project proposal (week 2), a scheduled progress report presentation (week 4), a meeting with the instructor before delivering the activity to the selected community (weeks 4-8), a poster and a final presentation (weeks 12-14). Students also deliver a package with all the information, including in-person or virtual presentation or hands-on activity, pre- and post- surveys to the audience, interactions with K-12teachers, flyers and other materials (i.e., materials for demonstrations, activities). Schoolteachers frequently report on their impression or evaluation of the activities. Students gather and analyze surveys on the impact of their activities. All classmates review and peer grade deliverables from other teams. Students evaluate their teammates' performance in this project. Students provide a self-assessment of their individual experience. They earn up to 10% of the definitive grade of the course for this outreach project. This approach has proved to be fully sustainable, and with an overwhelming satisfaction of all the participants. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.
ABSTRACT
Com as medidas de prevenção adotadas em decorrência da Covid-19, os sistemas educativos viram-se frente à uma reestruturação que envolveu a incorporação súbita das tecnologias digitais para o desenvolvimento do processo ensino-aprendizagem realizadas exclusivamente de forma virtual. Assim, o artigo teve por objetivo relatar as experiências pedagógicas de uma professora, adaptadas para o ensino remoto, síncrono e assíncrono, no período de julho de 2020 a maio de 2021, em duas instituições de ensino superior, localizadas no estado da Bahia. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório, qualitativo, do tipo Relato de Experiência, elaborado através da observação participante, cujas análises assumiram a forma de um balanço das atividades realizadas por meio das tecnologias digitais, tais como o Blackboard, Google Meet, Google Classroom, Socrative, Kahoot, Mentimeter e o Padlet. Autores como Lévy (2005), Virilio (1997), Ortiz (2007), e Trindade e Moreira (2017), ajudaram-nos a problematizar a situação relativa ao acesso às tecnologias da informação e da comunicação e ao ensino remoto entre nós. Foi possível identificar potencialidades e desafios no uso dessas ferramentas tecnológicas, tais como o desenvolvimento da autonomia, do protagonismo e do engajamento dos estudantes;a necessidade de formação dos(as) professores(as) para o uso pedagógico das Tecnologias Digitais de Informação e Comunicação (TDIC), e de políticas públicas que transformem a aquisição de equipamentos e o acesso à internet em direito, para que milhares não sejam excluídos do processo educativo, colaborando para aprofundar ainda mais as desigualdades educacionais e sociais no Brasil contemporâneo.Alternate : With the preventive measures adopted as a result of Covid-19, educational systems faced a restructuring that involved the sudden incorporation of digital technologies for the development of the teaching-learning process carried out exclusively in a virtual way. Thus, the article aimed to report the pedagogical experiences of a teacher, adapted for remote, synchronous and asynchronous teaching, from July 2020 to May 2021, in two higher education institutions, located in the state of Bahia. This is an exploratory, qualitative study, of the Experience Report type, elaborated through participant observation, whose analyzes took the form of a balance of activities carried out through digital technologies, such as Blackboard, Google Meet, Google Classroom, Socrative, Kahoot, Mentimeter and the Padlet. Authors such as Lévy (2005), Virilio (1997), Ortiz (2007), and Trindade and Moreira (2017), helped us to problematize the situation regarding access to information and communication technologies and remote teaching among us. It was possible to identify potentialities and challenges in the use of these technological tools, such as the development of students' autonomy, protagonism and engagement;the need for teacher training for the pedagogical use of Digital Information and Communication Technologies (TDIC), and public policies that make the acquisition of equipment and access to the Internet a right, so that thousands are not excluded from the educational process, collaborating to further deepen educational and social inequalities in contemporary Brazil.Alternate : Con las medidas preventivas adoptadas como resultado de Covid-19, los sistemas educativos enfrentan una reestructuración que implicó la incorporación repentina de las tecnologías digitales para el desarrollo del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje llevado a cabo exclusivamente en forma virtual. Así, el artículo tuvo como objetivo presentar las experiencias pedagógicas de una maestra, adaptadas para la enseñanza remota, sincrónica y asincrónica, de julio de 2020 a mayo de 2021, en dos instituciones de educación superior, ubicadas en el estado de Bahía. Se trata de un estudio exploratorio, cualitativo, del tipo Informe de Experiencia, elaborado a través de la observación participante, cuyos análisis tomaron la forma de un balanc de actividades realizadas a través de las tecnologías digitales, como Blackboard, Google Meet, Google Classroom, Socrative, Kahoot, Mentimeter y el Padlet. Autores como Lévy (2005), Virilio (1997), Ortiz (2007) y Trindade y Moreira (2017), nos ayudaron a problematizar la situación del acceso a las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación y de la enseñanza remota entre nosotros. Se logró identificar potencialidades y desafíos en el uso de estas herramientas tecnológicas, como el desarrollo de la autonomía, el protagonismo y el compromiso de los estudiantes;la necesidad de formación docente para el uso pedagógico de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación Digitales (TDIC), y políticas públicas que hagan de la adquisición de equipos y acceso a Internet un derecho, para que miles no queden excluidos del proceso educativo, colaborando para profundizar aún más las desigualdades educativas y sociales en el Brasil contemporáneo.
ABSTRACT
A growing literature has pointed out disparities in teleworking among different racial and ethnic (hereafter racial) workers. This study estimated racial disparities in teleworking due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent to which these disparities were mediated by four-year college education and occupation in the United States. The data source for this study was the Current Population Survey, May 2020 through July 2021. The results showed that in the reduced model, the odds for Black and Hispanic workers to telework were 35% and 55% lower, respectively, and for Asian workers 44% higher than for White workers, controlling for covariates. When four-year college education and occupation were included as mediator variables in the model, the odds for Black and Hispanic workers to telework were reduced to 7% and 16%, respectively. Overall, disparities in four-year college education and occupation explained 83% and 78% of the variation in the odds of teleworking for Black and Hispanic workers, respectively. Between the mediators, occupation explained more than 60% of the total effect. The results of this study could not rule out the possibility of racial discrimination in teleworking. Ultimately, reducing racial disparities in four-year college education and in different occupations might be a long-term solution for reducing racial disparities in teleworking.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Mediation Analysis , Pandemics , Racial Groups , Teleworking , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The world and its ways of living have seen a massive change post the Covid lockdown in multiple aspects as, new practices, new trends and a new lifestyle of maintaining social distancing has wholly altered the world's standard. This change has severely affected the ways of learning, teaching and schooling as in-person classes have shifted to online live courses. But the available platforms of online classes don't provide a classroom-like feel, thereby creating hindrance in students learning process and diminishing the quality of education. This study provides a novel paradigm with complete architecture and implementation of a platform that caters explicitly to online learning and lives classes with provisions to provide class like atmosphere. It aims to do so with graded feature break down aided by a detailed description and plans to set up, build maintain such a paradigm from both technical administration fronts. In addition to the above, it further provides a framework that helps colleges education institutes to conduct "in-person classes"after pandemic enervates while following norms of social distancing. © 2021 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The current pandemic scenario, which has affected the entire world since the beginning of 2020, has had important and significant impacts in all areas of society, with particular emphasis on education. It is about some of these impacts that we will reflect in this text. The proposed study aims to reflect on the effects of the pandemic on higher education, with specificity in Brazil and as a research question: “what are the opinions of students of a Pedagogy course on emergency remote teaching”? We will make some reflections based on the literature published in 2020-2021 and we will complete this reflection based on empirical data collected through a questionnaire applied to students of a Pedagogy course at a particular HEI. Uncertainty, perplexity, volatility, complexity and ambiguity are an integral part of the daily lives of students, their families and teachers and administrators. The virtual has become the only reality in which choices and decisions have to be made. The need for adaptations in education systems with the use of new technologies had the effect of adopting a simple path, that is, by the mere use of technologies, the effects on student learning/training are not yet known. This path, which consists of the mere replacement of in-person classes with online classes, does not guarantee, a priori, the quality of teaching. As there is no known empirical data that allow us to reflect on the effects on students of replacing face-to-face classes with online classes, we intend to know, from the data collected, what are the negative and positive impacts of the on going changes. © 2021, Edicoes Universitarias Lusofonas. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is a pandemic with a wide reach and explosive magnitude, and the world has been bracing itself for impact. Many have lost their jobs and savings, and many are homeless. For better or worse, COVID-19 has permanently changed our lives. For college students, the pandemic means giving up most of the on-campus experience in the postpandemic era and performing online learning instead. Virtual lessons may become a permanent part of college education. Large-scale online learning typically utilizes interactive live video streaming. In this study, we analyzed a codec and video streaming transmission protocol using artificial intelligence. First, we studied an intraframe prediction optimization algorithm for the H.266 codec based on long short-term memory networks. In terms of video streaming transmission protocols, real-time communication optimization based on Quick UDP Internet connections and Luby Transform codes is proposed to improve the quality of interactive live video streaming. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed strategy outperforms three benchmarks in terms of video streaming quality, video streaming latency, and average throughput. © 2021 Cong Wang.
ABSTRACT
A college education after incarceration is an important means of social and economic mobility, but when formerly incarcerated individuals attempt to enroll in college courses or earn a college degree, they often face institutional roadblocks (e.g. required disclosure on applications), academic obstacles (e.g. readjusting to formal education or using academic technology), and interpersonal challenges (e.g. microaggressions or stigmatization). Utilizing a symbolic interactionist theoretical framework whereby all meaning is socially constructed through language with others, I bring together master narrative, counter narrative, and counterspace frameworks to explore how four formerly incarcerated college students narrate their navigation into and through college spaces. I conducted iterative interviews with four focal participants and interviews with other students and campus leaders on the two campuses in which the focal participants were enrolled, and I conducted a narrative analysis of each focal student to build three key themes.Findings reveal that first, students grappled with master narratives related to the "socially coveted" college experience (the master narrative a university, a college student, a college degree, and self-sufficiency), and the denigrated master narrative of incarceration. Critical to this theme is that formerly incarcerated students are simultaneously navigating exclusionary narratives of college students and deficit narratives of formerly incarcerated people. Second, students resisted these master narratives by accessing the counter narratives of students who better represented them, building their own counter narratives, utilizing support from a significant advocate in their academic journey, and by borrowing language from others to build a new narrative of self. Third, students built new imaginaries of what could be on college campuses by constructing spaces for other formerly incarcerated students, leveraging student staff positions, and critiquing problematic academic spaces. The switch to remote instruction due to COVID-19 challenged students to build academic spaces in unconventional spaces (e.g. bedrooms, living rooms, and backyards) and led to a deeper appreciation for previously taken-for-granted campus spaces like the library.This project amplifies the voices of a population that is stigmatized on college campuses and in communities more generally and rejects one-dimensional and deficit views of formerly incarcerated people. This project also complicates the cultural narratives that college acceptance and graduation lead to greater economic or societal benefits, because, as these students indicate, formerly incarcerated students have to do more to be "accepted back into the community." Formerly incarcerated people face significant barriers and collateral consequences post-incarceration, and my work highlights the ways formerly incarcerated students contend with deficit narratives to build affirming narratives and spaces to benefit future students like them. I conclude with recommendations for research and higher education stakeholders, and for community members to continue building towards much needed social change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic served as the impetus to implement activities designed to engage students in the remote instructional environment while simultaneously developing scientific literacy skills. In a high enrollment general education animal science course, numerous activities were designed to improve scientific literacy. These included specifically developed videos covering strategies for reading published science literature, the utilization of topically relevant scientific articles that captured student interest, and engaging students in a citizen science exercise on whether dogs align themselves to the Earth's magnetic field during excretion behavior. Employing pre- and post-self-perception surveys coupled with tasking students to apply their scientific literacy skills in an assessment scenario demonstrated that students' self-perception of their scientific literacy improved 30% (P < 0.05) with approximately 80% of students accurately applying their literacy skills. The citizen science study on excretory behavior was modeled on previously published findings thereby providing an opportunity to validate the published work which had indicated that dogs align their bodies in a North-South axis during excretion. The present study did not demonstrate preferential alignment to any geomagnetic orientation which emphasized to the students the need for scientific replication. Inclusion of simple activities that were relevant to students' daily lives, and providing interpretive context for those activities, resulted in improved self-perceived scientific literacy.
ABSTRACT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions were forced to make difficult decisions regarding the 2020-2021 academic year. Many institutions decided to have courses in an online remote format, others decided to attempt an in-person experience, while still others took a hybrid approach. Hope College (Holland, MI) decided that an in-person semester would be safer and more equitable for students. To achieve this at a residential college required broad collaboration across multiple stakeholders. Here, we share lessons learned and detail Hope College's model, including wastewater surveillance, comprehensive testing, contact tracing, and isolation procedures that allowed us to deliver on our commitment of an in-person, residential college experience.