Evaluation of Online Education in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review from Students, Parents, and Teachers' Perspectives

Qualitative content analysis is used in this study to review related online education since the outbreak of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to summarize the impact of online teaching on the education industry during the pandemic, sum up the viewpoints of all kinds of people to draw conclusions, and conclude the practical countermeasures. Based on the result of the analysis, firstly, we think that students and teachers are satisfied with online education, but parents have expressed dissatisfaction with this kind of education. Secondly, this paper lists the advantages and common problems of online teaching during study at home from different aspects. According to deficits, we summarize the solutions from three aspects: network equipment, teaching, and self-adjustment. This research is of great significance. It is not only beneficial to the development of educational platforms and personalized teaching but also helps formulate education policy to reduce the burden of education.

The Purposes and Justifications for Preferences of Web 2.0 Tools Used by Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers in Their Teaching Practices in Distance Education Environment

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mandatory changes were required in the field of education, as in many other fields. One of these fields is a teacher training programme, which includes teaching practice. It has become of great importance that pre-service science teachers, who frequently include experiments in their teaching practices in face-to-face education, will carry out this process in online education. This process, experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prompted pre-service science teachers to find something that could replace the wet labs. One of the solutions in this situation is for them to choose and use appropriate Web 2.0 tools in their online lab teaching practices. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the Web 2.0 tools used by pre-service chemistry teachers in their online teaching practices in a distance education environment, the purposes of using these tools, and their justifications for preferences to use these tools. This study was conducted with 15 pre-service chemistry teachers. Data were collected via observations, a form filled out by the participants, and semi-structured interviews in this study. According to the results of this study, it was determined that the participants used 17 Web 2.0 tools during their online teaching practices. The findings highlighted that the most used Web 2.0 tools were Perculus+ chat, Google docs, and Quizizz. Moreover, it was determined that the participants used these tools for 21 different purposes such as drawing students' attention, getting hypotheses, and designing experiments. The results also indicated that the participants emphasised the ease of the Web 2.0 tool as a justification for the preference for almost all of the Web 2.0 tools they use, regardless of their purposes for using these tools. It is thought that the results can be used to show how to make online or face-to-face teaching practices in teacher training programmes by using Web 2.0 tools more effective in the future.

TeleNGAGE: Enhancing Collaboration between Families and Schools

Findings in the literature strongly support the importance of family engagement in education. However, effective partnerships between families and schools are rare, especially in ethnically diverse communities where families may lack efficacy or face structural challenges for engagement. Additionally, educator perspectives toward engagement are often framed by White, middle-class paradigms. Educators often fail to acknowledge structural challenges faced by low-income families or the cultural contributions low-income and/or minoritized families can bring. To facilitate engagement between families and schools, a new ECHO® line, TeleNGAGE, was developed at Oklahoma State University, Educational Leadership program. ECHO®, traditionally used in the field of medicine, has utility for professional development for educators because it offers a platform for case-based learning where real problems are addressed in real-time. Additionally, didactic presentations provide professional development for collaborative learning. Through the lens of Communities of Practice (CoP), this qualitative case study explores how relationships between families and schools changed as a result of participation in TeleNGAGE. Tenets of CoP, negotiated meaning, mutual engagement, and a shared repertoire, support a collaborative approach to addressing complex problems. Findings suggest that a CoP has emerged through TeleNGAGE and has resulted in changes in perspectives across families and educational leaders about "what it means to be engaged," enhanced family efficacy for engagement, and changes in engagement practice as family voice has expanded through sharing of concerns/perspectives. These findings have important implications for equitable engagement in a convenient, cost-free environment where educators and families can communicate and develop mutually supportive understandings and practices.

Empowering Teachers in Rural Venezuela: Ensuring Strong Foundations in Education through Amblema

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools in 2020, the effect on rural areas was significant. Access to the internet in rural areas is limited and cost prohibitive. This article discusses why we must find ways to ensure education delivery in urban and rural areas. Unfortunately, many school systems in developing countries lack the expertise and resources to ensure quality education. That is where programs like Amblema come in and bridge the gap. Amblema promotes the values and virtues of self-reliance. With simplicity at its core, a clear set of measurable objectives, and an easy-to-execute selection of activities, Amblema is an innovative practice for education delivery in both urban and rural areas.

High Impact for Youth by Youth: Health and Education Programs in Southern Africa

Young people in East and Southern Africa need greater access to reliable information about health and education in order to make informed decisions on health matters--focusing on HIV and teenage pregnancy--and to increase basic education outcomes. Young 1ove organization, established in March 2014 in Gaborone, Botswana, is a grassroots, youth-led, evidence-based movement in East and Southern Africa. Its mission is to connect youth to proven life-saving information. Its core competencies are delivering sensitive information to young people in a credible and relatable fashion, busting myths, changing beliefs and norms, generating demand, and building connection and trust. As a portfolio organization, Young 1ove commits to a few, highly curated programs. It invests in these programs for the long term--testing, iterating, and following the evidence at each step of the program life cycle. This article discusses lessons learned along the way of implementing Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL). TaRL is an education program that supports students who are falling behind in basic literacy and numeracy by grouping them according to ability level, rather than teaching to a syllabus that is often far too advanced for most students. In addition, the program has a menu of fun and level-appropriate activities that are custom-tailored to each group of students.

A New Paradigm for Early Childhood Education: Opening Doors through Virtual Kindergarten

While the COVID-19 vaccines bring hope about the end of pandemic-related closures, leaders worldwide recognize that a fundamental shift has occurred in the way we work, live, and learn. Though we will always need brick-and-mortar schools, our "new normal" must include hybrid and virtual education options for students who do not have access to safe and healthy classrooms. The consequences of not making this shift will place an at-risk generation further behind their peers. At Pathways Early Education Center of Immokalee, in Florida, educators are constantly looking for new ways to engage the children and the families in the migrant farm-working community. As educators discussed strategies to safely bring the children back into the classroom, they considered the option of enhanced virtual classes for their pre-kindergarten students. They were seeking a way to keep students who needed to quarantine for two weeks from falling behind their peers. This article discusses the results of a pilot virtual pre-kindergarten program, which showed that virtual pre-kindergarten students had more positive gains in fine motor skills. Both in-person and virtual pre-kindergarten students will be more prepared with essential skills to succeed in kindergarten than children who have not had access to early education.

A New Way to Distribute Research Seed Funding: Peer Review without Formal Review

As some of the most stable and important structures in society, colleges and universities are rarely described as nimble. Yet, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, institutions across the globe not only shifted within days to online instruction, but many academic researchers also immediately launched efforts to understand the virus, identify treatments, produce medical supplies, and study its impacts. While some investigators managed to make progress, other talented researchers lacked timely access to funding for key personnel, lab supplies, and incentives for study participants--the needed fuel for discoveries. Even as researchers have long called for low-barrier processes to accelerate time-sensitive research contributions, the pandemic has painfully underscored the need for rapid responses to pressing societal needs. Experimental programs offer models of the funding mechanisms needed to heighten efficiency, whether in the face of COVID or other ongoing crises. In this article, the authors discuss the shortcomings of the current, widely used peer review process and suggest that Mcubed, a novel token-based review and funding program developed at the University of Michigan (U-M), may offer significant advantages. This article describes the operation of Mcubed over an 8-year period on U-M's three campuses and details the positive results that were obtained, hoping to motivate others to engage in comparable endeavours.

PPOHA Project Evaluation: Promoting Program Quality and Accessibility for STEM Graduate Degree Completion (Evaluator Report on Year 1 Operation)

California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) was awarded a five-year grant, "Promoting Excellence in Graduate Education and Increasing Hispanic STEM Related Degree Completion", that began in Fall 2019. Despite the COVID-19 impact during the first year of grant implementation, the institution has established a co-director leadership structure to complete seven tasks committed in the grant proposal: (1) Establishing physical space for a Graduate Research Center (GRC), (2) Purchasing computers and software for the GRC, (3) Hiring the essential personnel (Project Assistant), (4) Creating mechanism for fiscal management, (5) Organizing the Advisory Committee, (6) Hosting the First Grad Fair, and (7) Facilitating 11 Graduate Student Center workshops. The evaluation outcomes, as illustrated by attainment of the seven milestones, indicate that the program expectation has been met for the first year. Additional accomplishment in formative evaluation is demonstrated by development of a "Rate of Progress" to track student performance toward degree completion. The conclusion section includes three recommendations for improving "program quality," expanding "STEM education capacity," and strengthening "graduate school-going culture" in Year 2 of the grant administration.

Teacher Professional Learning Whilst in Quarantine: A Case Study from China

Transforming two early education centres in China to incorporate the educational philosophy of Maria Montessori is a huge task. To induct teaching staff into Montessori's philosophy, pedagogy, and curriculum when their past educational experiences have been formed by a rigid, traditional model added to the challenge. To further complicate matters the transformation took place during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the staff participated in a completely voluntary capacity whilst in isolation. For this research project the authors collected data through direct observations, surveys, questionnaires, individual teacher interviews, and focus group interviews. How online professional learning for 35 staff members was planned, organised, modified, and undertaken is outlined. Practical and technical issues involved in moving from face-to-face to online teaching are also included. Teachers reported that the professional learning program had prepared them well for when the centres reopened and the children returned.

A Decade with DYSS: Lessons Learned and Looking Forward

Each summer over the past decade, the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Washington has hosted the "Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar" (DYSS) series, bringing outstanding research trainees from top-tier programs around the country for day-long campus visits filled with student discussions, faculty meetings, mock interview questioning, and a research seminar. Here, we discuss the history and evolving structure of DYSS, highlighting prior successes and lessons learned, as well as opportunities for ongoing improvement.

Exploring Data from Lived Experiences: A Pandemic Case

Data reasoning and digital literacy skills, especially the ability to find, represent, and accurately interpret the relevant data, are critical in workplaces and lifetime experiences. Given the importance of developing data reasoning skills from learners' experiences, this article aims to describe teacher and student actions that contributed to the student explorations of data from life experiences. The authors share a COVID-19 lesson as an example of how a framework that can be used to support student exploration of current issues and represent them mathematically might be applied to support students as they explore data. The authors focused on COVID-19 because it has tremendously affected the world and their students' lives. Disinformation (i.e., misleading information that deliberately circulated) and misinformation about COVID-19 were widely disseminated across the internet, endangering lives and hampering recovery. The student autonomy allowed in this exploration (e.g., the choice of topics and mathematical questions, collaborators, and presentation modalities) enables the inspiration and diverse perspectives shared by students. [Note: The page range (122-129) shown on the page is incorrect. The correct page range is 122-130.]

Strengths-Based Coaching Supports Teachers during COVID

Two years after the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19 continues to take a toll on educators' morale and well-being. The need to strengthen relationships between educators and students is growing. The MyTeachingPartner-Secondary (MTP-S) program, which is a strengths-based coaching program for middle and high school teachers, helps educators respond to the demands and stresses of the pandemic. In this article, the authors speak with veteran district coaches who use this program to talk about their experience using MTP-S with teachers before and during the pandemic. Meg Ryan, a coach in Louisa County, Virginia, and Becky Odajima, a coach in Midway, Texas, are enrolled in a three-year research project to study student outcomes as a result of being in classrooms with teachers who are receiving MTP-S coaching. The authors also talked with coaching experts Anna Savitsky and Destiny Woodbury, who train, support, and coach coaches on using the MTP-S model. These experts shared their insights.

Parental Perceptions of Their Preschool and Elementary School Children with Respect to Teacher-Family Relations and Teaching Methods during the First COVID-19 Lockdown

The goal of this study was to learn about parental perceptions of their preschool and elementary school children with respect to relations with the teachers and various aspects of distance learning used during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Israel. Research was carried out in the summer of 2020 among 602 parents, comprising a representative sample of parents of children in preschool, grades 1-2, and grades 3-6 of the Jewish population of Israel. Participants completed a questionnaire designed for this study that sought to measure attitudes towards aspects of distance learning (e.g., Zoom lessons) and how the teachers related to the children and parents. Findings indicate that the child's age had an impact on how the parent perceives the activities of the children and the teachers with respect to several forms of distance learning imposed by the pandemic. At all ages, parental interpretation of the impact of the pandemic on teacher-family relations was found to contribute to the explained variance regarding parental evaluation of the children's and teachers' activities as well as the variance in attitudes about distance learning (both online and asynchronous). Also, parents of every age cohort reported that they were more involved in their children's distance learning than in encouraging the children to reach out to their friends -- the parents of third through sixth graders were even less involved than parents of the younger children.

Supporting Student Collaboration in Online Breakout Rooms through Interactive Group Activities

Many instructors globally reported a lack of engagement in synchronous online sessions during the COVID-19 lockdowns. This article outlines the use of collaborative small group tasks mediated via breakout rooms in Teams during the 2020/21 academic year. The rationale for the activities, which are available for download, is described along with details of the evaluation of their impact. Key findings were that a majority of students reported enjoying the tasks and felt that they improved their learning during online sessions.

Teacher Perceptions of Supporting Students Placed at Risk Socially and Emotionally through a Virtual Writing Camp

Students' social and emotional well-being can impact academic performance, the college planning process, transition to college life, and college retention. Many students have had their mental health and well-being negatively affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially within the educational setting. When instruction was shifted from in-person to virtual settings during the pandemic's onset in March 2020, students across the world found themselves disconnected from school, teachers, and friends. Leaders of schools and extracurricular programs sought online alternatives for connecting with others while physically separated. More than a year after the onset of the emergence COVID-19, educational leaders are still working to provide quality academic experiences while implementing safe approaches to instruction. The Improving the Blank Page (IBP) writing program was one such organization that shifted to a remote setting with facilitators hosting the first-ever virtual writing camp in Summer 2020. The researchers examined perspectives of teachers involved in the virtual writing camp about their beliefs regarding social and emotional impacts for participating students, all of whom attended high-needs high schools (Title 1 schools with all students receiving free or reduced lunch). Findings, including establishing a virtual writing community and opportunities for self-reflection and confidence building, are detailed within this article, along with recommendations for supporting social and emotional needs of students placed at risk. Professionals, it is critical that these professionals understand and incorporate the unique perspective of youth in foster care.

"I Am Also in the Compensation" Program for Learning Losses during the COVID-19 Process

In Turkey, for the first time in the summer season of 2020-2021, the "I am in compensation program" was applied to compensate for learning losses due to COVID-19. This research aims to determine the opinions of classroom teachers about the "I am in compensation program". The research was designed according to the phenomenology method. A semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers was used as a data collection tool. Nineteen participants from the classroom teachers who applied the "I am in for compensation program" at least once by using the criterion sampling method were included in the study. The data were interpreted with the NVivo 9.2 package program using the thematic analysis method. According to the opinion of the classroom teachers, "I am in compensation program", it has been revealed that it supports the students academically, contributes to the socialization of the students, makes the students happy by playing many games, and develops a positive attitude towards the lessons. Various suggestions were made based on the research findings.

Lessons Learned from Teaching English through Facebook Live for Future

Facebook Live has become a means of teaching and learning in many parts of the world. This paper, thus, reports an examination of teaching English through Facebook Live and students' experiences of learning on it in the COVID-19 pandemic. It as participatory action research employed observation of self-managed Facebook Live streaming, and an online semi-structured interview with students and parents. The intervention of Facebook Live consisted of three strategies: pre-recorded video streaming, live teaching and a combination of both. This paper reports on how students in absence of a physical classroom learned English through Facebook Live, developed communicative skills and gained ICT skills. Although the teacher's lessons on Facebook Live were appreciated by students and parents as students could get ideas for speaking English, students expressed concerns if they could interact with the teacher and friends. Facebook Live associated with videoconferencing tools, however, can complement physical classroom learning in crises and normal situations.

Understandability, actionability and suitability of educational videos on dietary management for hypertension

Background: Educational video is a productive means to advocate lifestyle modifications such as changes in the dietary routine. This study assesses the understandability, actionability and suitability of newly developed educational videos aimed at encouraging dietary adjustments among hypertension patients. Method: In all, 183 participants were recruited via convenience sampling and rated the understandability, actionability and suitability of the videos using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audio-Visual material (PEMAT-A/V) and the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) scale. Results: Eleven videos were developed from five main topics related to the dietary management of hypertension. Participants agreed that all videos were highly understandable, actionable and suitable for use as educational tools, with scores of more than 85%, 89% and 80%, respectively. Conclusion/Implications: Overall, the newly developed videos gained high scores for understandability, actionability and suitability. This finding reflects positive acceptance of the videos among various healthcare professionals and patients with hypertension.

Remote Learning: Challenges and Opportunities for Educators and Students in the New Normal

The occurrence of the global health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the education system around the world to consider remote learning. This mode of learning involves the use of advanced technology that entails an interactive learning experience in an online educational setup. This study aimed to determine the benefits gained and the challenges encountered by the teachers and students in remote learning. Findings showed that the respondents perceived several advantages ranging from personal benefits to improving overall performance while enjoying personal freedom to explore other things aside from academics. Although they had several challenges encountered, the opportunities it has brought to both students and teachers outweigh them all, which provide a prospect for a better student outcome having remote learning set up in the new normal.

Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic in Introductory Psychology Using the Jigsaw Method Adapted for Remote Learning

People's ability to evaluate scientific research is important to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. STEM educators can use the pandemic to frame instruction of scientific literacy and critical-thinking skills. In a small pilot introductory psychology course taught online in spring 2021, we created jigsaw-style modules organized around real-world applications of psychological research in which students applied results from empirical papers to address current issues and integrated their findings into group projects. In this article, we discuss a module focusing on how children's development might be impacted by different COVID-19 pandemic school opening policies. We found that students successfully applied empirical results to inform approaches to public policy. Our experience can offer guidance to future STEM instructors incorporating current events into course content to support student learning in a virtual learning environment.