Use of information technology and problems faced by students in the teaching-learning process in higher education during the 2019 Covid pandemic

The 2019 Covid pandemic has changed the interaction of human life in the education sector. The teaching-learning process in higher education uses online communication techniques more, both synchronous and synchronous. Various information technology-based applications are used for students learning to obtain learning resources and to conduct teaching-learning interactions. This is useful, but there are also many problems faced by students. This study aims to explore online communication techniques and the problems that arise in using these techniques. The research object included 80 students of the master's program. The research design used mixing methods, supported by google form as a data collection technique. Descriptive statistics were used for qualitative data analysis. The results showed that widely used online techniques by students were Google Meet, WhatsApp, Google Search, Google Scholar, Zoom Meeting, Sipejar, YouTube, and Scopus.Com. Meanwhile. Problems were related to the use of Zoom Meeting, Sipejar, Google Meet, WhatsApp, Scopus.Com, YouTube, Google Scholar, and Google Search. The source of these problems included network problems, mastery of applications, ease of use, costs, the amount of data, the troubles in the using process, and so on. Based on these problems, effective strategies for using online communication techniques are suggested. © 2023 Author(s).

How digital technologies are taking shape in the teaching-learning process: COVID-19 and beyond

In face of the COVID-19 pandemic, over 1.5 billion students were affected by the closure of school institutions in 191 countries worldwide (UNESCO, COVID-19), forcing educational institutions to migrate quickly to online and virtual teaching formats. This article aims to analyze the importance of Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) in the teaching-learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper uses an analytical-interpretive method to provoke reflections that may help researchers, educators, tutors, and administrators to understand the challenges and technological innovations that were developed and experienced during this crisis, as well as implications for the future of remote synchronous delivery. In our analyses, it was observed that it is not enough to have access to the latest technological resources in order to have an effective online learning experience. It is necessary to provide opportunities to students and professors to develop a new learning path, using information and communication technologies that are gradually shifting from corporate environments to an educational context. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Perspectives, stakeholders, and competences Editorial

Purpose: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) was closed temporarily. During this historical lockdown, the face-to-face mode classroom was temporarily got replaced by a virtual classroom. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of nationwide lockdown on the benefits of the virtual classroom for the teaching-learning process for teachers and students due to change in the teaching-learning process in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A total of 893 responses have been used for this study. We have collected data through a structured questionnaire on a Likert scale from 305 teachers and 588 students of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) from all India levels. Descriptive and frequency statistics, t-test was used in SPSS software to analyze the data collected through the primary source. Findings: The mean difference between expected benefits from the virtual classroom and actual benefits from the classroom is positive for students as well as faculty members. That indicates the overall mean of expected benefits is higher than the overall mean of actual benefits, and that difference value is 0.250055, with a Sig.(2-tailed) value of 0.036 which is less than 0.05 for teachers and 0.3872827, with a Sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.000 which is less than 0.05 for students. That indicates the significant difference between means of actual benefits and expected. The mean value of the expected benefit is higher than the mean value of actual benefits for 11 pairs and 08 pairs in the case of teachers and students respectively. Discussion: Technical barriers are the reasons for not being able to attend the expected benefits from virtual classrooms in full capacity by students as well as by faculty members. Poor digital skills of teachers and students, lack of electricity facilities, less availability and accessibility of internet, connection issues, inadequate facilities, training, funding, and unacceptability of technology, etc. were the barriers to online education at the time of closure of colleges due to COVID-19 pandemic Onyema et al. (2020). Students can also have a casual attitude, less attendance, feeling of isolation and less interaction can lead to mental distress, spending more time in front of a computer could be hazardous for health too Surkhali and Garbuja (2020). Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) faculty members, as well as students, were not able to perceive actual benefits in full in comparison to expected benefits due to the presence of challenges in the virtual classroom as moderators. The higher education authorities, colleges/institutes/universities need to fix the above issues to enhance the quality of the teaching-learning process. The higher education authorities, institutes/colleges/universities must work together to resolve the issues and challenges of virtual classrooms to improve their effectiveness of the virtual classroom. Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) may provide technical support, and training to the faculty members as well as students for a better experience in the virtual classroom. Students who are lacking technical infrastructures such as computers/laptops and internet connectivity may be provided by Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) with financial and technical support to these students.

Application of 'Design Thinking' in the Development of Virtual Platforms with Gamified Elements

This article presents the development of a virtual platform with the Design Thinking methodology and gamified elements, to strengthen the teaching-learning process in the teachers of the González Suárez Educational Unit. This research arises from the need of a virtual platform with gamified elements that are free, easy to use, interactive and motivational. In this study user stories with the agile POV format, test cases to verify the functionality and abuse cases for robustness and to prevent the vulnerability of the virtual platform are used, as well as a b-Learning approach for testing in the classroom. Obtaining in the end as significant results a high and satisfactory assessment of the use of the virtual platform. © 2022 IEEE.

Presyllabic Method to Correct Dysorthography in Elementary School Students

The process of teaching writing was impacted during virtual education by the Covid 19 pandemic in the first years of study, due to the inadequate use of methodological strategies. Dysorthography is a disorder that affects between 10 to 15% of the population in Latin America and is considered one of the first factors that affect the student's school performance, so we sought to implement a methodological guide of phonemes to contribute positively to learning in students in the third year of basic education. The research was field, descriptive, and bibliographic documentation was applied. Through the application of the methodological guide of phonemes, it was possible to observe the continuous improvement of the students in the learning process. The development of the research was necessary, since it was possible to determine in the first instance that the students do not have a correct spatial orientation, there is confusion with the letters b and d, because they do not recognize phonemes, so their writing is not legible, it is evident that dysorthography affects 70% of the academic performance in the area of language and literature. After four months of application of this phoneme guide, the results were excellent, with an 80% improvement in the teaching and learning process. It is considered that 52% of the students recognize the phonemes, 30% correctly apply punctuation marks and a 40% improvement in performance has been observed. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Lyrics Training: An E-learning Approach to Improve Listening Skills

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational agents have been forced to apply strategies and methodologies and use new technological tools that allow them to continue with the teaching–learning processes. Because of this, the present research implements an innovative methodology to analyze the contribution of the Lyrics Training method in the development of listening skills for English language improvement. The experiment was carried out with high school seniors from an academic unit in the city of Ambato. A sample of 62 students was divided into two groups, an experimental group and a control group, each of 31 learners. When comparing both groups through a t-student test for independent samples, the results showed a p-value lower than 0.05 and a Cohen's d coefficient higher than 0.8, establishing that the teaching process through the Lyrics Training methodology is efficient. Finally, to verify if the Lyrics Training method is suitable for the selected experimental group, the usability scale (SUS) was applied, in which an average acceptance of more than 70 points was obtained, indicating that, in general terms, the Lyrics Training method through a web page is efficient for teaching the English language. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Reshaping Teaching-Learning Process During COVID – 19 Pandemic

The education sector and the students are the ones who have been largely affected by the spread of the global pandemic. The sudden outbreak of the coronavirus has taken an enormous emotional and psychological toll on people. Across the world, people had to face various problems starting from very simple daily life necessities to education, work-related problems. In the domain of education, adaptability came along with a set of challenges and took some time to settle. The transition in the teaching-learning process across the world has been truly undeniable. Like all other things, even this new mode of imparting education has its own set of benefits as well as drawbacks. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, a lot of research has been going on in understanding the kind of psychological impact it causes and how the students are impacted due to reshaping the teaching-learning process. As per UNESCO 2020 report, greater will be the risk of children losing out on their youth, and future due to the closure of the educational institutes. Adequate training and assessment are required for the teachers to adjust to the new technology-based learning. This article tried to analyze the transition in the teaching-learning process and its effect on students and how is it affecting their quality of life as well as we also shed some light on how it has shown some positive aspects and has proved to enrich the learning process amidst the adversities. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Virtual Laboratory, a Learning Resource for Distance Education

Distance education programs have grown rapidly in recent years and have become even more massive because of the restrictions on movement due to the covid 19 pandemic. The development of information technologies has helped this teaching modality to have good results due to its autonomy and flexibility, however, it has some points of improvement especially in activities of practical nature. Virtual laboratories appear as a tool to support this type of activities. The success of these laboratories depends on several factors, not only imitating a face-to-face laboratory. This article proposes a methodology to guide the process of design and development of immersive experiences that allow the realization of laboratory activities in distance education mode. The objective is to ensure that the development of this type of experience becomes a resource to help the teaching-learning process, ensuring its contribution to the achievement of learning outcomes, allowing the validation of the knowledge acquired by students and helping the professor in the teaching of the course. The proposed methodology considers the opinion of the coordinating committee of the distance education program, students and professors. Its application is presented through a case study of a distance education program of an industrial engineering school in a Chilean university. © 2022 IEEE.

Hybrid Model of Teaching-Learning is Total Chaos: An effect of Reverse Halo

Although the COVID-19 outbreak has had a disruptive impact on the education industry;the academicians have moulded themselves according to changing situations. They have evolved to an entirely different level during the last two years. This longitudinal study is conducted on faculty members from all over India and aimed to explore some individual and organizational factors affecting the "Hybrid” model of the teaching-learning process, which is the future of the education and training industry [1] [2] creating a Reverse Halo Effect [3]. More than 1000 faculty members from all over India have contacted over WhatsApp and a self-report questionnaire in the form of Google Form measuring various student-related factors, institute-related issues, faculty-related issues, technology-related issues, perceived learning, and perceived employability was circulated. A path analysis showed that the student-related issues, faculty-related issues, institute-related issues, and technology-related issues affect perceived learning which will eventually affect the perceived employability of students. The findings of this study provide a theoretical contribution toward the effectiveness of the hybrid model in the teaching-learning process and its effect on the perceived learning and employability of students. © 2022, Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology. All rights reserved.

Exploring Students'Attitudes toward Science and Course Engagement as Predictors of Science Literacy

Studies are limited that investigate the relationship of students' attitudes toward science and their engagement in the teaching-learning process to science literacy in a higher education setting and within the context of a pandemic. Hence, this cross-sectional, correlational study seeks to determine if (1) students' attitudes toward science are significantly related to science literacy;(2) student course engagement is significantly related to science literacy;(3) students' attitudes toward science and their course engagement are significant predictors of science literacy. 67 undergraduate students taking the mandated Science, Technology, and Society during the second semester of the academic year 2020 to 2021 in an institution of Jesuit higher education in the Philippines were surveyed in this study. Results revealed that 1) there is a positive moderate relationship between students' attitudes toward science and science literacy (p < 0.001);2) there exists a positive strong relationship between student course engagement and science literacy (p < 0.001);3) both students' attitudes toward science (p = 0.02) and their course engagement (p < 0.001) are significant predictors of science literacy. Such results can be helpful in (re)designing science education in a higher education setting and within the context of a pandemic. Copyright 2022. © by the International Institute of Informatics and Systemics. All rights reserved.

Teaching-learning process through virtual mode during the pandemic time: Systematic literature review and gap analysis

Purpose: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) was closed temporarily. During this historical lockdown, the face-to-face mode classroom was temporarily got replaced by a virtual classroom. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of nationwide lockdown on the benefits of the virtual classroom for the teaching-learning process for teachers and students due to change in the teaching-learning process in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A total of 893 responses have been used for this study. We have collected data through a structured questionnaire on a Likert scale from 305 teachers and 588 students of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) from all India levels. Descriptive and frequency statistics, t-test was used in SPSS software to analyze the data collected through the primary source. Findings: The mean difference between expected benefits from the virtual classroom and actual benefits from the classroom is positive for students as well as faculty members. That indicates the overall mean of expected benefits is higher than the overall mean of actual benefits, and that difference value is 0.250055, with a Sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.036 which is less than 0.05 for teachers and 0.3872827, with a Sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.000 which is less than 0.05 for students. That indicates the significant difference between means of actual benefits and expected. The mean value of the expected benefit is higher than the mean value of actual benefits for 11 pairs and 08 pairs in the case of teachers and students respectively. Discussion: Technical barriers are the reasons for not being able to attend the expected benefits from virtual classrooms in full capacity by students as well as by faculty members. Poor digital skills of teachers and students, lack of electricity facilities, less availability and accessibility of internet, connection issues, inadequate facilities, training, funding, and unacceptability of technology, etc. were the barriers to online education at the time of closure of colleges due to COVID-19 pandemic Onyema et al. (2020). Students can also have a casual attitude, less attendance, feeling of isolation and less interaction can lead to mental distress, spending more time in front of a computer could be hazardous for health too Surkhali and Garbuja (2020). Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) faculty members, as well as students, were not able to perceive actual benefits in full in comparison to expected benefits due to the presence of challenges in the virtual classroom as moderators. The higher education authorities, colleges/institutes/universities need to fix the above issues to enhance the quality of the teaching-learning process. The higher education authorities, institutes/colleges/universities must work together to resolve the issues and challenges of virtual classrooms to improve their effectiveness of the virtual classroom. Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) may provide technical support, and training to the faculty members as well as students for a better experience in the virtual classroom. Students who are lacking technical infrastructures such as computers/laptops and internet connectivity may be provided by Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) with financial and technical support to these students. © University of Deusto.

Back to in-person classes in the Philippine basic education: threading the opportunities and limitations in the teaching of Physical Education

Two years after face-to-face classes were suspended in the Philippines due to the threat of COVID-19, the Department of Education is implementing the progressive expansion of limited in-person learning. More schools are expected to hold limited face-to-face classes as the government revises its School Safety Assessment Tool, which has streamlined the requirements for the conduct of in-person class sessions. With the push to get education back into schools, it is essential to look into the opportunities and limita-tions in teaching Physical Education. Using a qualitative descriptive phenomenological research design, 34 Physical Education Teach-ers teaching in the Philippine Basic Education took part in several in-depth interviews. During the triangulation of results, seven important themes on teachers' concerns came up: Students are demotivated to go to face-to-face classes, students are misbehaving and doing inappropriate learning actions, classroom settings need to be modified to follow standard health protocols, teaching strate-gies and learning activities need to be retrofitted, teachers' and students' performances are affected by the protective gear they have to wear all the time, and there is a worry that COVID may surge again. Based on these results, the government should look into these factors because these will have a significant effect on the implementation of face-to-face classes in the Philippines. The results of this study were used to come up with valuable conclusions and suggestions.

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE UNIVERSITY TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS IN TIMES OF COVID-19

Confinement, as a countermeasure to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, has affected all sectors of society, such is the case of Higher Education. This article exposes the results of an online survey applied to students of the University of Cienfuegos, Cuba, during March and April 2021, with the objective of characterizing their perception of the teaching-learning process during the confinement by COVID-19, based on 8 indicators: lifestyle, mood, planning, family support, technology, communication, access and treatment of the contents and ex-periences with the modality. The sample consisted of 372 volunteers. The results showed that for most of the students it has modified their lifestyle and affected their academic routine. Among the advantages of distance education are the possibility of managing their own time and the fact that transportation is not necessary, and the disadvantages are the reduction of direct contact with professors and classmates, more reading and work, and difficulties in the availability, costs and use of technology. These elements constitute premises for institutional decisions and the planning of the counseling services of the psycho-pedagogical office in the university community. © 2022, University of Cienfuegos, Carlos Rafael Rodriguez. All rights reserved.

Digital learning during Covid-19: The context of higher education in India

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) which have influenced global health and becomes a most sensitive challenge in this era. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a "Coronavirus" (a type of virus). Perhaps, the virus and disease were first identified in the Wuhan city, China, on 31st December 2019. Globally across 210 countries are fighting against COVID-19 and India also included among them with a large number of cases. To control the situation, India has been followinglockdown since March 2020 and people are facing lots of challenges in their dayto day life. During this period surviving has become a greater challenge to all. Like other sectors, all educational institutions have been closed for a long period. In India, many colleges and universities are adopted the digital classroom platform to cover up their academic session within a particular time. Learners are experiencing something new and unconventional through online classroom teaching. This paper aims to present "The Impact of digital learning on the teaching-learning process and whether it fulfills the needs of the learner by focusing on both positive and negative aspects". © 2023 Contributors and Manakin Press. All rights reserved.

Educational quality and technological complexity on recognition of enhanced learning platform in developing countries using PLS-SEM in a post COVID era.

The e-learning platform provides a new teaching-learning channel in which instructors provide information to learners irrespective of method used to access the platform. The purpose of this study is to examine instructors' acceptance of e-learning in Nigerian universities. The study adopted a quantitative approach, with a total of 299 questionnaires collected from instructors. The result was analyzed using PLS-SEM. The study results indicate the factors affecting instructors' adoption of e-learning platforms and the subsequent impact on instructors' behavioral intention, and consequenly, an impact on the acceptance of the e-learning platform in Nigeria. Based on the study, self-efficacy, educational quality, and ease of use, perceive usefulness, and behavioral intention were found to be predictors for instructors' acceptance of the e-learning platform in Nigeria. Also, the results drawn from the study revealed that there are individual challenges that come from the use of the e-learning platform. We discussed both theoretical and educational implications.

Increasing engagement and student participation in Higher Education: Insights from the University of Pisa during COVID-19

The emergency distance learning methods adopted to face the pandemic are connected to some inherent problems which concern the lack of social aspects, interactions, and motivation. These and other frequent issues threaten to stop the opportunities offered by the widespread use of educational technology. This paper examines how the Higher Education Institutions adapted to the evolution of the pandemic, compared to relevant insights from University of Pisa gathered during the academic year 2020/21. Focusing on the communicative and socio-emotional aspects of the didactic event, we propose engagement tools real-Time interaction applications designed to increase active learning and motivation as a feasible solution that might tackle some of the emerged teaching-learning issues. In this context, it appears that the potential of these versatile and easy-To-Apply tools has not been fully exploited. Specific teacher training actions are therefore suggested. © HEAd 2022. All Rights Reserved.

The impact of COVID-19 Epidemic on Teaching and Learning

Recently articles in Newspapers, University News Bulletins and Scientific Literature report about negative aspects of the wellbeing of students caused by COVID-19 epidemic. Half of the students have mental problems and don't participate in the teaching learning process anymore. In the Netherlands, Universities are surveyed by questionnaires, researching the mental health problems of students. In this paper we focus on students of Delft University of Technology. It proved from surveys, that many students complain about loneliness, fear, sleep deprivation and lack of study motivation. In this paper we report about experiments at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, how students can be activated, motivated and socialized via study activities presented at the website of one of the Study Societies and via study-buddy groups. Students were personally invited to take part in discussions via a Forum, to enroll in group activities and to visit special lectures. A special COVID-19 didactics has been developed to stimulate students to make assignments in Calculus and Programing via Massive Open Online Courses developed in the framework EdX, an online learning destination and MOOC provider. © 2022 Owner/Author.

A model to assess the adoption of e-learning tools by professors in the context of COVID-19

In this paper, we propose a model to assess the adoption of e-learning tools by professors in the context of COVID-19. The proposed model was constructed by combining three technology adoption models: the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Technology Acceptance Model. This study followed a quantitative methodology based on the collection of data from 123 questionnaires administered to professors from different higher education institutions in Medellín (Colombia). According to the results, the variables that most influence the adoption of e-learning tools by professors are compatibility, self-efficacy, previous experience, satisfaction, infrastructure, administrative intervention, social influence, and technical support. IEEE

Application of technological tools Youtube and Zoom in the teaching-learning process of fifth grade students of the Basic General Education School “Gral. Manuel Serrano Renda” del Cantón El Guabo

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the teaching-learning process moved to a virtual modality, experiencing changes in teacher-student interaction, for which it was necessary to use technological tools, such as YouTube and Zoom, the which became the most used due to their accessibility and diversity of collaborative functionalities. The objective of this work was to determine the application of the technological tools YouTube and Zoom, as interactive resources in the development of the teaching-learning process of a primary institution in Ecuador. For this, a case study is presented, where a quantitative methodology was applied, with a descriptive-correlational type of study, considering the total population of fifth grade students to whom a previously structured survey and interviews with teachers were applied. In this context, it is concluded based on the results that the use of YouTube and Zoom contribute significantly to the teaching-learning process, however, little knowledge is reflected in the teachers regarding the use of its functionalities, which compromises the adequate development of the apprenticeships. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Utilization of Selected Social Media in University Setting with Focus on Communication and Revision – Longitudinal Case Study

The paper deals with utilization of selected social media where learning management system plays a comprehensive and stable role in the teaching/learning process in the university setting. The goal of the paper is to show the acceptance and a level of appropriateness of social media for study purposes perceived by students. Results from three consecutive studies form the backbone of the presented paper showing the trends in the acceptance of social media and satisfaction with them. Two areas are analysed: social media as a means of communication in the process of education and social media as a tool enabling students’ revision and testing of study materials. This kind of research corresponds to the increased need to develop desired self-study skills in students, especially in the context of Covid19 experience. The first studies, which were conducted in 2014 and 2019, are based on the identical set of examined social media and fit the comparison enabling to define the trend in students’ satisfaction with social media for study purposes. The third study discussed in this paper was run during winter semester of 2021. The set of examined social media in the questionnaire was adapted to reflect the current social media scene. Experience with the abrupt shift to online platforms caused by global crisis has significantly affected the process of education exposing and endorsing the power of heutagogy. The situation prompted the need to emphasize the importance of autonomous education and ability to define educational needs and ways of achieving study goals. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.