Peer-to-peer interaction for learning and assessment in the post-COVID era

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a change in the mode of delivery of most of our teaching programs. Within a few months, academics responded to the lack of contact with students by generating and using online content to deliver their modules. Even before this forced change, curricula had already undergone significant development. But whereas teaching methods had morphed over time, learning approaches and assessment strategy remained stagnant. The change to online teaching and assessment during the pandemic revealed that in many modules, assessments are still testing at low cognitive levels, rewarding recall instead of understanding. It also revealed that plagiarism and collusion in online assessments were rife, and the type of assessments offered created an enabling environment for this. Students seldom engage with the course material during the semester, except for assignments. Almost all learning occurs in the short period before the main exam session (or in recent years, with the possibility of deferring exams, the students can extend this period into the supplementary session). The change to continuous assessment placed an unusual strain on students accustomed to this particular learning style. They were now forced to engage with material throughout the semester. In this study the student network was considered. Counter intuitively, this has actually strengthened as a result of the pandemic, with students using a variety of communication platforms to engage with one another. As part of this work, the informal study groups and other partnerships that have arisen were investigated as a means to support the formal teaching program. A system based on peer-to-peer interaction was piloted in an undergraduate chemical engineering program, over two modules at the third- and fourth-year levels. The system awards points for various peer activities that usually occur in an informal way, which can be translated into bonus marks on assessments. In doing so, the system addressed a potentially contentious but powerful supposition, i.e. is there a way to exploit the knowledge sharing potential of plagiarism and collusion for a better purpose? Such systems have traditionally been used in businesses and large corporations to motivate and reward employees. The recent pilot has demonstrated that the system, as implemented within an undergraduate program and linked to assessments that test at higher cognitive levels, can improve student engagement and performance. © 2022 IEEE.

Online Peer Teaching in Medical School during a Pandemic Period: A Reflection

Peer-teaching has been rapidly adopted throughout higher education institutions, including medical schools, to provide students with a diverse learning environment and to enhance academic development. Peer assisted study session (PASS) is a peer-teaching program implemented in Monash University Malaysia and was conducted virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perspectives from the viewpoint of peer tutors during the pandemic period are presented in this paper. Throughout the year, peer tutors were confronted with the unique challenges of teaching virtually. Various factors which contribute to changes in the dynamics of group-based discussions in online classes are discussed. On online platforms, students are graced with more privacy and freedom, a double-edged sword that can translate into reduced student engagement. Nonetheless, the practical skills acquired by adapting to the abrupt switch from on-campus to online peer-teaching can be employed in our future practice as health professionals. Copyright © 2021 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

Evaluation of Online Teaching with the SIPEJAR Platform during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of online teaching with the SIPEJAR platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses a teaching program evaluation research approach. To measure the effectiveness of online teaching with the SIPEJAR Platform, we used a questionnaire containing 15 questions. Research respondents were 214 students of the Universitas Negeri Malang. Data obtained from student responses to online teaching extracted from SIAKAD. We used descriptive statistical data analysis and the one-sample t-test formula to test the hypothesis. The results show that online teaching with the SIPEJAR platform is effectively implemented to support instructional activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 IEEE.

Telafer University’s Experiment in E-learning as Vague Neutrosophic Experiment

This paper is dedicated to studying the stages that Telafer University has gone through at using E-learning. The challenges of converting traditional learning (i.e. classical learning with realistic student attendance in their teaching programs) to E-learning over google classrooms. The efforts to maintain the quality teaching and their outcomes were a very ambiguous experiment that led the authors after more than two years for spreading the Covid-19 Pandemic to evaluate the University's performance using the most modern mathematical tools in uncertainty systems that called the Neutrosophic theory and logic. Finally, the flexibility of the neutrosophic mathematical methods has been applied to analyze the recorded issued data of E-learning in the University. © 2022, Neutrosophic Sets and Systems.All Rights Reserved.

Achieving Domestic Internationalization and Global Competence Through On-Campus Activities and Globally Responsive Education

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and educators are well known. However, there is a paucity of literature available on its impact on educational institutions in the context of their abilities to develop global competence in the middle of an ongoing pandemic. The virtual communication and remote delivery of educational content have been a popular trend for many universities to adapt to the pandemic challenges and re-think their internationalization strategies. The limited travel opportunities because of the pandemic have highlighted a big need for the domestic internationalization mechanism at educational institutions. In this paper, the authors discuss how the Globally Responsive Education and Teaching (GREAT) program at Missouri State University is promoting globally responsive and inclusive teaching and learning among faculty and internationalization of the curriculum. It provides an overview of the activities and program structure of the GREAT program. In addition, it covers how culturally responsive teaching and global learning are being promoted for global competence by increased domestic Internationalization efforts. The importance of exploring global teaching and learning models and the significance of faculty engagement are emphasized in this paper. It also discusses how international virtual exchange learning gained popularity because of COVID-19 and how the GREAT program plans to integrate it by offering a grant to support faculty with an aim to promote the internationalization of the curriculum and global learning for all. This paper also discusses how lessons learned from teaching abroad and international education are being incorporated for domestic internationalization to provide similar international learning experiences for both domestic and international students. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021