Factors affecting the public higher education institution (PHEI) acceptance of online meetings applications during COVID-19 pandemic: an empirical study

PurposeIn order to ensure effectiveness of staff's performance using online meetings applications during coronavirus disease (COVID-19), having the behavioural intention is mandatory for staff to measure, test, and manage the staff's data. Understanding of Public Higher Education Institution (PHEI) staffs' intention and behaviour toward online meetings platforms is needed to develop and implement effective and efficient strategies. The objectives of this paper to identify the factors that affect staff to use online meetings applications, to develop a model that examining the factors that affect PHEI staff to online meetings applications and to validate the proposed model. This study used a cross-sectional quantitative correlational study with using UTAUT2 model by validating the model and mediating variables to enhance the model's explanatory power and to make the model more applicable to PHEI staff's behavioural intention.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected in Malaysia from March to May 2021. The survey took place using Google form and was send to PHEI staff for answer. This research particularly chooses PHEI as the location to carry out the research due to two main factors. Statistical analysis and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling based on the optimisation technique of partial least squares. SmartPLS software, Version 3.0 (Hair et al., 2010) was used to conduct the analysis. A conceptualised estimation model was "drawn in” the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the consequences of the variables' relationships. In essence, the PLS-SEM simulation was carried out in a model by assessing and computing various parameters that included elements like validity, durability, and item loading. Henseler et al. (2009) suggested a two-step method that includes PLS model parameter computing. This is accomplished by first solving the estimation model in the structural model independently before calculating the direction coefficients. The results of data analysis using SmartPLS findings and interpretation of the data are addressed. The questionnaire was extensively examined to ensure that the data obtained were presented in a clear and intelligible manner, with the use of figures, and graphs.FindingsThis current study found that the usability of the material, the reliability of operating, the impact of the PHEI staff's views on its usage, and finally the familiarity with the online meetings platforms influenced PHEI staff's behavioural intention for adoption and long-term use of online meeting platforms using UTAUT2. The staff's behavioural intention for using online meeting platforms was significantly influenced by the effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and habit of online meeting platforms. There was a clear association between "Habit” and "Behavioural Intention” for the usage of information technology in learning in several studies (El-Masri and Tarhini, 2017;Uur and Turan, 2018;Mosunmola et al., 2018;Venkatesh et al., 2003). As a consequence of the utility of online meeting platforms in daily staff meetings and learning activities, this technology has been adopted.Originality/valueThis study used UTAUT2 and structural equations modelling in this study to assess respondents' perspectives on the use of online meetings platforms in PHEI, since users' perspective is a significant factor in the adoption and acceptance of online meeting applications. Staff's behavioural intention to use online meeting platforms was effectively enhanced by "Effort Expectancy,” "Facilitating Conditions” and "Habit” in this study. The study shows that identifying PHEI staff's perspectives will effectively increase the staff's aversion to utilising online meeting platforms for online meetings purposes.

The Value of Virtual Meetings during COVID-19 Pandemic in Healthcare Settings

Introduction/Objective The coronavirus pandemic led to an unprecedented rise in using virtual meeting technology in the healthcare sector for conferences, business meetings, and continuous medical education. This study aims to understand the practices and individual preferences and to highlight the benefits and challenges of virtual meetings compared to in-person ones. Methods/Case Report This cross-sectional study was disseminated via email as an online survey, using SurveyMonkey (Momentive Inc. San Mateo, California, USA) and targeted healthcare providers at the King Hussein Cancer Center-Amman, Jordan. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) A total of 342 healthcare providers took part in this questionnaire. 82.5% of respondents reported participating in virtual meetings;of those, only 33.5% preferred virtual over in-person meetings (PrV). Whether virtual meetings were equivalent to in-person ones, 33.2% of all participants (71.4% of the PrV) said virtual meetings were equivalent to in-person meetings in terms of participants' attention (p<0.001). Additionally 54.8% of all participants believed their gain level was less in virtual meetings compared to the conventional in-person ones;this percentage differs significantly between the participant's group who preferred in-person (PrP) over virtual meetings and the PV group who believed otherwise (75.0% vs 13.2%, p<0.001). Nonetheless, when respondents were asked about their meeting preferences in the event of a pandemic, 49.5% of all healthcare providers preferred virtual over in-person meetings (91.3% of the PrV group p<0.001). Almost half the participants (54.3%) reported that they tend to temporarily leave virtual meetings before it is over, yet, this percentage rockets to 70.0% if the meeting is over 2 hours long. On the other hand 43.3% of respondents admitted to leaving the meeting physically while keeping themselves logged in on their mobile/computer. An interesting result of the survey was that 58.3% of all respondents preferred to attend virtual meetings during working hours (85.7% of the PrV group, p<0.001). Finally, when asked about performing other tasks while in a virtual meeting, the vast majority (82.6%) of respondents confirmed either answering the phone, reading/sending emails, or checking a social media outlet at least once, which contributes to a lack of adequate concentration. Conclusion Healthcare providers still prefer and attach more value and benifit to in-person interactions

Re-evaluating online oral examinations

[...]a large number of lecturers called in sick or declared that they were unable to attend for health and safety reasons. The transition required the following steps: prompt communication with the students about the new modus operandi;staff training on the use of Teams;setting up of Teams exam meetings;evaluation and re-design of the exam content. Another clear benefit of Teams meetings is the centrally stored video recordings for all examinations, which can be used for quality assurance purposes, that is, checking by external examiners, in potential student appeals or academic misconduct investigations. Unstable or poor Internet connection;2. student camera turned off;3. hardware issues with the camera or microphone;4. background noise and echo;5. poor student or examiner information technology (IT) skills.

Reviewing in a pandemic? A commentary on COVID-19 and domestic homicide review

PurposeThis paper is a commentary on COVID-19's impact on Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs), the system in England and Wales that enables learning from domestic abuse-related deaths.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a practitioner–researcher perspective, this paper reflects on how COVID-19 affected the delivery and experience of DHRs, the place of victims at the heart of this process and what the pandemic's impact might mean moving forward.FindingsThis paper explicates some of the challenges of undertaking DHRs in a pandemic. Critically, however, it argues that these challenges illuminate broader questions about the practice of DHR.Originality/valueThis paper's originality comes from the author's practitioner–researcher perspective and its use of COVID-19 as a lens to consider DHRs.

Student-teacher out-of-class communication on engineering courses during the COVID-19 pandemic: from face-to-face to videocalls

Out-of-class communication between teachers and students is essential throughout university engineering courses for in-depth explanations of the concepts covered in class. This study evaluates this aspect throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, a survey that addressed this issue was administered to students at the beginning (March 2020) and at the end (May 2020) of the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain, and at the end of each semester of the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years. The results were analyzed with statistical, qualitative, and mixed methods. E-mail usage was widely observed at the beginning of the pandemic, while the use of online videoconferencing tools progressed during that time, thanks to their temporal and spatial flexibility, and the direct and personal nature of student-teacher contact through those channels. Its success was linked to the prior training of teachers in the use of videoconferencing, the establishment of fixed schedules for the meetings, and the use of digital whiteboards that instantaneously display writing when discussing problems. According to the opinions of students, videocalls could be used for questions on theoretical and easy practical aspects despite the resumption of out-of-class face-to-face meetings. Videoconferencing tools for educational communication between engineering students and teachers seem to be here to stay. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Embedding wellbeing support in foundation induction

ContextWork with a diverse environment in a district general Teaching Hospital in the UK. The organisation is known for being an excellent environment for learning, well-being and teaching of junior doctors. It has two sites, one in Sandwell (Sandwell General Hospital) and the other in West Birmingham (City Hospital).I have worked as the Foundation Program Director for Foundation Year 1 doctors for the past 4 years and also have a keen interest in well-being. I have taken an active role more since the COVID pandemic to focus on well-being of junior doctors and been part of a well-being team involved in making the working environment more amenable and healthy. The well-being team is led by the Junior Doctors well-being lead and we in turn have developed a strong working relationship to endeavour that the support foundation Doctors have is robust and consistent.Issue/ChallengeThe specific challenge was around addressing the needs of the Foundation Year 1 doctors and to develop a process to ensure they could have a means/approach to have time to address well-being in a focused manner. This led to development of 1:1 well-being meetings with each trainee with the Foundation program Director and the well-being lead. This involved arranging 10-15 mins appointments in an environment away from the working areas and ensuring It was a confidential and safe space. The whole purpose is to see how the trainee was doing in their day to day work and ensuring they were able to approach with any queries and concerns if they wished to. Meetings were arranged mid Sept to early October and across sites to ensure easy accessibility. Trainees were met face to face to ensure that the contact was felt to be more human and personable.Assessment of issue and analysis of its causesThe size of the challenge was dominated by the number of trainees. It’s on average we have around 65-70 trainees to meet. However with identifying time aside in the allocated times, this was an achievable task to allocate all trainees a slot or work around the time to allocate alternative time slots. This meant dedicating afternoons over a 2-3 week period.Educational supervisors were informed of the meetings in advance to ensure trainees were released for their time slot and again confidentiality was prioritised to ensure the trainees didn’t feel intimidated and forced into meeting.Feedback was then sought from the trainee group to assess if the meetings were helpful and how to improve upon the format.ImpactA feedback survey was sent out following on the meetings and a good response rate (50%) from trainees identifying their views about the well-being meetings.Majority of trainees identified the meetings as very useful and found the environment to be very supportive Witt regards to their well-being. Feedback comments on the meeting format;‘a lovely idea, felt very comfortable'‘A month in was a good time to check in' ‘nice to meet up and chat'Overall the meetings were received very well. It was suggested by trainees to arrange one per rotation, this was going to be challenged mainly by time and availability.For ongoing meetings, it has been consistently well received for the past two years and will continue in this format. We will be guided by survey/feedback responses to ensure the process works consistently well.InterventionThe main outcomes from this work has been to assess wellbeing but also key in identifying any trainees who are struggling and particularly those who have struggled to engage with other senior colleagues to share any concerns. This in turn has resulted in further 1:1 meetings with these trainees (this has been 3 in the past training year 2021-2022) and appropriate signposting and guidance to helpful resources (including occupational health and the Professional Support and Wellbeng Unit) has further supported trainees to guide them through the year. Overall the positive outcomes have been all three trainees achieving the needed competencies to complete their FY1 year successfully. This work has shown focused meetings wit the right stakeholders achieves satisfying outcomes for those in training and those particularly struggling in training.The format of meetings can be easily reproducible at differing training levels or across trusts.Involvement of stakeholders, such as patients, carers or family members:Overall no direct involvement with patients but indirectly if there are concerns which in turn would affect patient safety, appropriate measures have been taken as and when needed. No patient safety concerns came about as a result of these meetings.Key MessagesThe main message is about investing time and focus in trainees at the infancy of their career matters and this time can be invested well to ensure that their well-being is addressed at an earlier stage to ensure that should any concerns are highlighted, they can be addressed.This in turn as improved outcomes in relation to unplanned sickness or time out of training. Ensuring that appropriate platforms of support are highlighted have helped in this respect.It also helps your trainees in identifying those who are going to help when needed and having appropriate signposting at this stage has helped them considerably in processing well.Lessons learntLessons include that you need to be accessible but ensuring that trainees also understand there are other means of support outside this remit. This means ensuring that all knowledge is shared and this would be helpful in identifying resources prior to meetings so they're aware of support mechanisms at hand.It's important to also understand that not all trainees will be open to sharing concerns so early on in a meeting so identifying we can be approached at a later stage is also important.Constraints is time and this isn't always easily accessible to trainees who struggle out of hours. Ensuring appropriate mentorship through peers is an important consideration at this point.Measurement of improvementSurvey feedback via the trainee group is important to ensure the meetings are delivering what the trainee needs. Through feedback and changes, ensuring that follow on meetings have been adjusted as per suggested changes and this will be assessed through the process of QI and establishing a PDSA cycle. Work is ongoing through to ensure the next feedback meetings are planned in a similar format as last year, as the overall feedback has been hugely positive on a wholeStrategy for improvementNext meetings/check in planned Late Sept/early Oct. Feedback to be sought from meetings.Planned further 1:1 meetings with well-being leads for those trainees identified as in need for further support. Follow up meetings will be done as per their choice/consent and involvement of educational supervisors if indicated.

Communication media as mediators of telework frequency and knowledge sharing in Japan under COVID-19

This paper examines how telework frequency has affected the usage of major communication media, and subsequently knowledge sharing, among a large sample of full-time Japanese employees with no prior telework experience during the country's fourth COVID-19 state of emergency. Results suggest that mandatory telework resulted in lower use of face-to-face meetings and phone calls;in higher use of instant messaging and virtual meetings, and that it had no effect on e-mail use. Moreover, phone call, instant messaging, and virtual meeting frequencies were found to mediate the relationship between telework frequency and knowledge sharing. These findings highlight the importance of both existing and newer communication media in offsetting the loss of face-to-face meeting opportunities. Government-mandated telework may have accelerated the adoption of new communication tools such as instant messaging and virtual meeting, which had not yet gained full acceptance before the pandemic.

Loss of rural Appalachian recovery meetings from before to after COVID-19

Sharp rises in overdose deaths nationally coincided with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rural Appalachia, known for high rates of substance use and barriers to health care in general, was suspected to be disproportionately impacted in terms of recovery supports such as 12-step recovery meetings. This study investigated the availability of recovery meetings in South Central Appalachia before and after COVID-19 lockdowns. The number of confirmed recovery meetings was compared before and after COVID-19 lockdowns by geographic location (i.e., rural/nonrural and medium metro/small metro/micropolitan/noncore). Recovery meeting data were systematically collected through interviews with community contacts, reviewing social media and websites, making phone calls, and sending emails and surveys and updated longitudinally. There was no significant change in the number of meetings from pre- (n = 189) to post-COVID-19 (n = 178). There was no significant shift in meeting location when dichotomizing by rural/nonrural classification, chi2(1) = 2.76, p = .097, pi = -0.087. Chi-square test of independence did reveal a significant change in number of recovery meetings by location when using four location classifications, chi2(3) = 7.97, p = .047, Cramer's V = 0.147. There was a noteworthy rise in the meetings in small metro (36.5%-51.1%), with all other locations declining. The establishment and reestablishment of recovery meetings in rural communities should be prioritized to address the longstanding scarcity of recovery resources in rural locations, recent decline in such support, and the rise in overdose deaths. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement This study highlights a significant barrier to recovery from problematic substance use in rural areas. Strategically establishing recovery meetings in areas with few or no meetings and facilitating access through addressing transportation is critical. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Still Muted: The Limited Participatory Democracy of Zoom Public Meetings

Recent research has demonstrated that participants in public meetings are unrepresentative of their broader communities. Some suggest that reducing barriers to meeting attendance can improve participation, while others believe doing so will produce minimal changes. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted public meetings online, potentially reducing the time costs associated with participating. We match participants at online public meetings with administrative data to learn whether: (1) online participants are representative of their broader communities and (2) representativeness improves relative to in-person meetings. We find that participants in online forums are quite similar to those in in-person ones. They are similarly unrepresentative of residents in their broader communities and similarly overwhelmingly opposed to the construction of new housing. These results suggest important limitations to public meeting reform. Future research should continue to unpack whether reforms might prove more effective at redressing inequalities in an improved economic and public health context. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Urban Affairs Review is the property of Sage Publications Inc. 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.)

Cognition-oriented Facilitation and Guidelines for Collaborative Problem-solving Online and Face-to-face: An in-depth examination of format and facilitation influence on problem-solving performance

During the Covid-19 pandemic, more guidelines were created to teach people how to facilitate meetings online, but few were designed from a cognition-oriented perspective. Additionally, solving complex problems is essential in many occupations. However, the influence of online and face-to-face discussion formats on the performance in complex problem-solving tasks is unclear, even though remote working has become common over the past several few years. Hence, this study aims to answer two research questions: (a) Does problem-solving performance differ between online and face-to-face meetings? and (b) Does facilitation improve problem-solving performance when different formats are used? We conducted experiments with 40 groups using a 2 × 2 factorial design, which were controlled for both facilitation and format. Each group comprised two randomly selected participants, and each problem-solving discussion lasted between 1.5-2 h. The obtained evidence showed that format can influence the performance of balancing intercorrelated factors in a complex scenario, but it does not affect the performance of achieving a predefined goal. Instead, it we found that facilitation is helpful for achieving a predefined goal. Based on the results obtained, we propose future design directions for problem-solving centric computer-supported cooperative work systems from a cognition-oriented perspective. © 2023 Owner/Author.

Distance Teaching Experience of Campus-based Teachers at Times of Pandemic Confinement

Amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, distance education, where the learning process is conducted online, has become the norm. Campus-based programs and courses have been redesigned in a timely manner which was a challenge for teachers not used to distance teaching. Students' engagement and active participation become an issue;add to that the new emerging effects associated with this setup, such as the so-called "Zoom fatigue", a term coined recently by some authors referring to one's exhaustion feeling that stems from the overuse of virtual meetings. In realising this problem, solutions were suggested in the literature to help trigger students' engagement and enhance teachers' experience in online teaching. This study analyses these effects along with our teachers' experience in the new learning environment and concludes by devising some recommendations. To attain the above objectives, we conducted online interviews with six of our teachers, transcribed the content of the videos and then applied the inductive research approach to assess the results. © 2022 Owner/Author.

Cultivating social well-being: (Re)discovering the impact of positive relationships

[...]the social dimension of well-being, which includes our experiences of positive relationships and positive interactions, is the strongest predictor of our overall perception of wellbeing (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Virtual collaborations have also added new opportunities for creativity and information sharing in that Zoom allows us to work with colleagues to add ideas to a shared whiteboard or to synchronously annotate a text, for example, during interactive workshops and breakout group sessions at online/hybrid conferences. Another example is one of the author's participation in a new collaborative project with a European research group on the representation of hunting in German literature and art. Other instructional practices we have implemented to foreground social connectedness and students' sense of belonging include frequent check-ins (Stanton et al., 2016;Simon Fraser University, 2023) with students, for example, by using memes such as "Welche Katze bist du heute?," explicit conversations about resources and sense of belonging (a module with local resources added to our Learning Management System [Canvas]), and more intentional focus on integrating students' lived experiences and self-reflections into assignments.

Communicating for the Safe Use of Medicines: Progress and Directions for the 2020s Promoted by the Special Interest Group of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance: An International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Drug Experience

Bahri et al discuss the International Society of Pharmacovigilance's (ISoP) Special Interest Group on Medicinal Product Risk Communication (CommSIG). ISoP dedicated a range of activities to communication about the risks and safe use of medicines in the decade before creating the CommSIG, including a pre-conference training course in Tianjin in 2014. Establishing the CommSIG also built on a forward-looking attitude to changes in medicine, communication technology, patient expectations, and societies overall. It was also recognized that the multidisciplinary approach to communication would support reaching out to patient groups, healthcare, medicine information and media professionals, and experts from the communication, social, healthcare and data sciences. The nine founding members of the CommSIG published its background and aspirations in ISoP's official journal, Drug Safety.

How It Started, How It's Going: Why Past Research Does Not Encompass Pandemic-Induced Remote Work Realities and What Leaders Can Do for More Inclusive Remote Work Practices

In response to the increasing prevalence of remote work during and after the pandemic, industrial-organizational psychologists postulated a diverse set of recommendations on key actions based on what we already know about remote work complexities that are well captured in the literature. However, as most recent recommendations were made under light of past studies, which elaborated remote work as a voluntary perk rather than a reactive response under the crisis situation, most of the actual challenges that people experienced while working from home remained untouched. Therefore, with this piece, our aim is to present counterarguments to already published recommendations entailing the core difficulties linked to the forced nature of remote work during the pandemic. We believe that the unique pandemic conditions pose particular complexities that go beyond previously identified ones. Thus, there is a need to underline these unidentified obstacles to better equip leaders and employees working remotely during and after the pandemic conditions. We conclude our article by recommending leaders to evaluate the contextual differences in their organizational settings and take appropriate actions by taking a critical lens in evaluating the latest research.

INNOVATIVE UTILIZATION OF VIRTUAL CONFERENCING APPLICATIONS: BASIS FOR NEW TECHNOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT APPROACH

In this fourth industrial revolution of technologies, video conferencing applications are now utilized for online business meetings, online classes, and scientific and experimental purposes engaged in a virtual meeting room due to rigorous cases of coronavirus disease 2019. Several difficulties and technical disruptions were encountered in using the said apps, especially during online classes and business conferences. In connection thereto, this Optimization and Innovative Utilization of Virtual Conferencing Applications dissertation were developed to have a new basis for a technological management approach based on the most commonly used video conferencing applications. The encountered problems, considered factors, and optimization processes were also determined. Descriptive quantitative research was used as methodology, and initial closed-ended questionnaires, evaluation forms with a 4-point Likert scale, interviews, consultations, and testing were the instruments and sources of data. Three hundred one (301) respondents were randomly selected around the Province of Laguna, Philippines, composed of 203 respondents from schools, 78 respondents from companies, and 20 professional evaluators. The developed strategic model was evaluated using 6 out of 8 general characteristics of the ISO/IEC 25010: 2011 system quality model, which includes usability, reliability, performance efficiency, maintainability, compatibility, and security. All data gathered were validated as well as the statistical treatments such as percentage, weighted and composite means, and t-test, which was used to determine the significant difference between the normal and optimized utilization of video conferencing applications. Obtained results revealed that utilizing the developed strategic model was significantly more acceptable and effective rather than the normal utilization of the common apps. The teachers and students and as well as the workers of business enterprises are the beneficiaries of this study to optimize and utilize the said applications for better learning and optimal workflow © 2006-2023 Asian Research Publishing Network (ARPN). All rights reserved

Estimating Stress in Online Meetings by Remote Physiological Signal and Behavioral Features

Work stress impacts people's daily lives. Their well-being can be improved if the stress is monitored and addressed in time. Attaching physiological sensors are used for such stress monitoring and analysis. Such approach is feasible only when the person is physically presented. Due to the transfer of the life from offline to online, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, remote stress measurement is of high importance. This study investigated the feasibility of estimating participants' stress levels based on remote physiological signal features (rPPG) and behavioral features (facial expression and motion) obtained from facial videos recorded during online video meetings. Remote physiological signal features provided higher accuracy of stress estimation (78.75%) as compared to those based on motion (70.00%) and facial expression (73.75%) features. Moreover, the fusion of behavioral and remote physiological signal features increased the accuracy of stress estimation up to 82.50%. © 2022 Owner/Author.

Teacher Motivation during the Pandemic

The ripples of the pandemic were evident across all the industries, not just locally but on a global scale. The industry which bounced back in no time was the education industry. All thanks to the stakeholders of the educational establishment as they adapted to the change superfluously. The frontline workers in all fields were considered high on the priority list for vaccination as they were more susceptible to the Covid infection. Interestingly, there was a strong recommendation to consider teachers as a frontline worker by the chief of education, UNESCO for their incomparable contribution during the turbulent times. This article focuses on the ways in which the administrators of educational institutions may consider motivating their teaching staff.

Co-designing with engineers for community engagement in rural Uganda

Co-design is seen as crucial for designing solutions for resource-constrained people living in developing countries. To best understand their needs, user engagement and co-design strategies need to first be developed. In this Design Practice Brief, a process of co-design was created and used to understand ways telecommunication engineers could engage with rural communities in Uganda. It reports and reflects on (i) the experience of co-designing with nondesigners and (ii) creating a co-design structure and developing co-design methods of engaging with community members living in developing countries. In doing so, it offers a format and case study for future practitioners facilitating and conducting co-design with nondesigners and contributes to a knowledge gap in the reporting and reflection of co-design practice. This case study is unique as the co-design practice was achieved remotely (online), crossed disciplines (designers and telecommunication engineers) and cultural boundaries (European and African). It finds that in co-designing with nondesigners, preparation and structure are key, with acknowledgement and management of cultural and discipline differences.

School Personnel Perceptions of Video Conference Individualized Education Program Meetings

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools in the U.S. pivoted to provide services to students using technology to mitigate the need for face-to-face interactions. In addition to providing instruction using distance technology, it was necessary for schools to conduct much of their other business in a way that limited face-to-face interactions, including Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings for students who receive special education services. This study sought to better understand the extent to which school personnel believe they will continue to use a video conference format for IEP meetings, even without the existence of school policy restricting face-to-face events. Additionally, barriers and facilitators related to video conference IEP meetings were explored. A survey was completed by school professionals (n = 292) that included responses to Likert-scale items related to video conference IEP meetings as well as open-ended qualitative items to better understand respondent perceptions. Results suggest school personnel generally believe that video conference IEP meetings can be beneficial and should be offered as an option to IEP teams. In addition, qualitative data related to barriers and facilitators have been provided. Implications for school personnel and future research have also been described.