Exploring Virtual Coach Education in USA Lacrosse

In 2020, USA Lacrosse moved all coach training workshops to a virtual format in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing that in-person coach training has been heavily studied regarding the motivation of the coaches who participate, the shift to virtual delivery of coach education prompted the researchers to examine how the workshops themselves supported the basic needs, motivation, and engagement of coach learners. Aligned with self-determination theory's conception of motivation and the three basic needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, the researchers drew upon observation and survey data that were collected to determine the success of the virtual training. Using this information, the researchers found that the coach trainers used a variety of need-supportive behaviors and very few need-thwarting behaviors. Surveys revealed that the coaches displayed high levels of autonomous motivation, low levels of controlled motivation, and favorable engagement. These results are discussed in conjunction with the literature that is focused on in-person training programs as well as best practices in technology-enhanced learning to provide input into how virtual programming may be of benefit to coach learners and how coach trainers can best support coaches' needs in a virtual environment.

Engaging Students in Scientific Practices in a Remote Setting

The goal of science education has shifted from teaching scientific concepts to facilitating students' active role in making sense of phenomena through engaging in scientific practices (SPs). While engaging in scientific practices, students use and develop core ideas. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a shift towards online education, stressing the need to explore how SPs are used in a remote setting. This study aimed to investigate upper secondary students' use of SPs during collaborative work in a remote setting. The study was conducted in two stages. In Stage 1, the researcher designed collaborative assignments according to the SP approach. In Stage 2, students (N = 16) worked on the designed assignments in small groups. Students' actions on the computer were recorded with screen-recording software and investigated from three perspectives: use of digital resources, use of SPs, and collaboration. Interviews were conducted to understand students' perceptions and engagement and were analysed by content analysis means. The results indicated that the collaboration actions were intertwined with SPs use and use of digital resources. The challenges faced by students varied by SPs, with developing models and constructing scientific explanations causing the most challenges. We discuss possible strategies to engage students in SPs in online settings. © 2023 by the authors.

Italian Hospital Teachers' Perceptions of Technological and Methodological Innovations after the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant long-term impact on education worldwide. In many countries, schools and universities experienced a rapid switch to emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL), which affected many education systems in the 2020–21 school year. This was true for the Italian educational context as a whole, including School in Hospital (SiHo) services. This study explored how the SiHo functioned in Italy during the 2020–2021 school year. The aim was to explore what, if any, changes the emergency brought about in educational practices and in the adoption of technologies in this specific context, with a particular focus on any differences between school levels. The study was conducted with 252 SiHo teachers using a questionnaire format. The results showed that after the forced adoption of distance modes during the spring 2020, face-to-face teaching returned to be the prevalent mode in the 2020–2021 school year, with some exceptions for upper-secondary school students (covered by ministerial provisions). The teaching approach that SiHO teachers prefer, both for face-to-face and distance lessons, remains frontal instruction, probably given the particular needs of their students. Younger students probably experienced the most significant changes due to the limits imposed on interpersonal contact in hospitals, which prevented group work and play, previously commonly adopted by kindergarten and primary school teachers. In terms of technology integration in educational practice, teachers stated that they had acquired greater competence in the use of a variety of technological resources. © 2023 The Author(s).

Proactive and reactive engagement of artificial intelligence methods for education: a review.

The education sector has benefited enormously through integrating digital technology driven tools and platforms. In recent years, artificial intelligence based methods are being considered as the next generation of technology that can enhance the experience of education for students, teachers, and administrative staff alike. The concurrent boom of necessary infrastructure, digitized data and general social awareness has propelled these efforts further. In this review article, we investigate how artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning methods are being utilized to support the education process. We do this through the lens of a novel categorization approach. We consider the involvement of AI-driven methods in the education process in its entirety-from students admissions, course scheduling, and content generation in the proactive planning phase to knowledge delivery, performance assessment, and outcome prediction in the reactive execution phase. We outline and analyze the major research directions under proactive and reactive engagement of AI in education using a representative group of 195 original research articles published in the past two decades, i.e., 2003-2022. We discuss the paradigm shifts in the solution approaches proposed, particularly with respect to the choice of data and algorithms used over this time. We further discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced this field of active development and the existing infrastructural challenges and ethical concerns pertaining to global adoption of artificial intelligence for education.

Bite-sized and peer-assisted video-based learning in statistics education: benefits on attainment, attitudes and preferences of university students

The use and acceptance of online learning have increased following the COVID-19 pandemic. This mixed-methods study examined learners' preferences and performance in online learning interactions in relation to two factors: 'bite-sized' learning and 'presenter status' in instructional videos. University students (N = 18) without a mathematical background utilised bite-sized online learning episodes focusing on statistics. Each episode included a 10-minute instructional video followed by an assessment. The videos implemented three alternative 'presenter-status' conditions: lecturer, student-imitating-lecturer or student-peer-tutor. Individual students completed three episodes, one from each presenter-status condition (counterbalanced). Participants presented high performance in the post-episode assessments, irrespective of presenter status. Students also reported remarkably positive views towards bite-sized learning in user-satisfaction questionnaires. Finally, qualitative analysis of open-ended responses and interviews uncovered three main themes: positive learning experiences, divergent attitudes towards video-based learning, and differential preferences for presenter status. These findings have clear implications for teaching and learning in higher education.

Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments and Adaptive Learning Systems - Development of Functionality Taxonomies

Especially against the background of the current coronavirus crisis, technology-enhanced learning environments (TELEs) increasingly characterize teaching at universities. For the successful use and integration of TELEs, it is important to understand the functionalities of the technologies used. Based on the state of the art and following [1], we develop two taxonomies. The first taxonomy depicts eleven functionalities with different dimensions relevant for successfully designing TELEs. Sound knowledge of the functionalities supports research on adaptive learning within TELEs and the implementation of student-centered learning opportunities, which is structured in a second functionality taxonomy for adaptive learning systems (ALSs). We contribute to current research on TELEs and ALSs by providing a structured overview of functionalities and suggestions for further research with our research opportunities. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

To educate, not simply to teach: Higher education institutions post-Covid-19

Institutions, including higher education institutions (HEIs), may use crises as an opportunity to develop, to transform and to improve their institutional resilience. Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic proves that a vast majority of HEIs around the world effectively adapted to the circumstances of the pandemic and successfully embarked on remote learning. The analysis of HEIs proves as well that the nearly overnight switch to remote learning was but one aspect of the quiet transformation that HEIs worldwide were subdued to. In this context, this chapter identifies the administrative practices, including talent management, operations management, and above all, the organizational culture. The notion of changed expectations on the part of the faculty and the students is highlighted. The key point that this chapter makes is that the faculty and the art of education, rather than simply teaching, need to be placed first if HEIs are to retain their resilience. © 2023 by Anna Visvizi, Miltiadis D. Lytras and Haifa Jamal Al-Lail.

Enabling Genuine Connections in a Digital Learning Environment for Students Through Information Communication Technologies

This study introduces initial results concerning a collaborative learning mobile application to mitigate 8th-grade students' learning loss and learning variability. COVID-19's impact on the education system and its shortcomings before, during and after the pandemic was the starting point of this study. The interactive system's concept and design are derived from a collaborative reflection expressed on the school community's daily needs while teaching and learning during the unpredictable circumstances created by the pandemic. Also, by a state-of-the-art comparison of the scarce K-12 e-mentoring systems in combination with the ubiquitousness of various technological mediums, namely mobile devices like smartphones, and their fundamental role in e-mentoring programs could create successful bonds based on knowledge transmission. The OWL CLUB mobile application seeks to curate the knowledge exchange in a more humane and positive digital experience in an educational community. It also allows for creating and growing a space that encourages new genuine connections in a digital positive learning environment for students and their community. © 2023, ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.

Blending Innovative Pedagogy and Technology for Capacity Development of Educators during the Pandemic

The increased use of digital learning environments augments the adoption of open practices in education which contributes to SDG4. The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled an accelerated move towards technology-enhanced learning, prompting educators to re-think and re-design learning environments grounded in innovative pedagogy and technology. In the current scenario it is imperative that educators are offered capacity development opportunities to meaningfully engage in digital and open practices. This paper presents a case study of an online capacity development intervention in OER-integrated technology-enhanced learning (TEL) material creation, implemented with a group of 15 educators selected using the purposive sampling method. It focused on the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of OER-integrated TEL materials by the educators. The intervention comprised a carefully designed learning experience with intensive hands-on activities in a Moodle online learning environment, supplemented with a series of ZOOM-based interactive workshops. The study explored the design strategies that enhanced the creation of OER-integrated TEL materials by the educators, challenges encountered by them and how those were managed, and the effects of the intervention on changing their thinking and practices. Multiple data gathering occurred via questionnaires, discussion forums, reflective journals, and focus group interviews. Primarily, an in-depth content analysis of the qualitative data gathered was conducted. The findings revealed that the systematic learning experience design, which adopted a ‘learning by designing' approach harnessing the affordances of both technology and pedagogy, empowered educators to become active creators of OER-integrated TEL materials and to take leadership in integrating digital and open practices into teaching-learning processes. © 2023, Commonwealth of Learning. All rights reserved.

Limits and Benefits of Using Telepresence Robots for Educational Purposes

The continuing spread of the COVID19 virus shows that adequate preparation for telepresence scenarios such as teleteaching is elementary for structured teaching in secondary education. There should be no negative impact on teaching quality, either in times of general crisis or simply as a measure to ensure institutional stability and individual flexibility in an increasingly digital world. State-of-the-art telepresence approaches include the possibility to use telerobotic systems or telepresence robots (TR). These systems are configured with an immersive interface such that users feel present in a remote environment, projecting their presence through the remote robot. While many professional tasks can be shifted away from the workplace rather easily, social aspects gain particular significance in the context of learning and education. By enabling physical and spatial interaction far beyond the possibilities of mere video conferencing, the high degree of social presence provided by TR can assist better learning experiences. TR can compensate for the lack of mobility or restricted travel options of students, educators or staff. TR can foster language learning and intercultural exchange, and TR can prepare students for the workspaces of tomorrow. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

COVID-19: A catalyst for technology-enhanced learning (tel) an empirical validation of the efficacy of learn from home in higher education students

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for mandatory use of technology to deliver classroom learning to students who have been forced to learn from home (LFH). Learn from home requires technology-enhanced learning (TEL) method if students are to be satisfied with online delivery of lessons. Technology-enhanced learning is used to describe the integration of technology to teaching and learning;the demand for technology-enhanced learning has been increased as a result of the lockdown. The study explores various online teaching platforms, techniques, online examination, and technology-enhanced learning methods needed to be used by university instructors to ensure that educating the students goes on unhindered. The identified variables were empirically tested with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The study concludes that there is a positive relationship between satisfaction with the delivery of online study and the perceived effectiveness of TEL among higher education students. © 2022 IGI Global. All rights reserved.

Digital Transformation of Teaching and Perception at TU Graz from the Students' Perspective: Developments from the Last 17 Years

The use of digital technologies in teaching to make it more varied, better, more diverse, or even more accessible is being pursued systematically at many universities. This article shows the developments in the digital transformation of teaching at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) over the last 17 years. In the process, the various activities of Graz University of Technology and of the central department of teaching and learning technologies about the digital transformation of teaching and its focus and change during this period are described in the form of a workshop report. The consequences and developments of the Covid-19 pandemic on digital transformation efforts are also addressed. This is contrasted with results of two students' surveys from 2014 (N = 1,502 complete questionnaires) and 2021 (N = 1,386 complete questionnaires). Within this contribution, the authors use the survey's data to assess how students' attitudes towards technology-enhanced teaching were changing at TU Graz. Mean indices were created to be able to compare the two surveys. This shows that despite the less good experience with teaching at TU Graz during the pandemic the attitude towards digital teaching is relatively satisfying. Nevertheless, the authors point out that the students clearly indicate that digital (distance) learning has a negative impact on communication between students and teachers as well as between students themselves, and that measures would be desirable here. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Traditional and technology-enhanced learning: Faculty perspectives and student experiences and satisfaction in an art & design program during the COVID-19 pandemic

Digital skills are essential in today's digital age, which means that students require technology-enhanced skills in higher education to succeed in their future careers. In this study, faculty and students in an Art & Design (A&D) program at a Midwestern university were surveyed regarding their perspectives and experiences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this university changed its teaching and learning strategy by offering courses online during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, where quarantine was mandatory. Still, the A&D program did not provide all courses online. This study included online surveys based on three constructs of quality of studio learning, traditional studio learning opportunities, and online studio learning opportunities from either live studios (on-campus) or online studios. The findings indicated that the data surveys offered the differences in mean scores, standard deviations, and percentage of some form of agreement between faculty perspectives and student experiences in this A&D program. This quantitative research and future research aim to develop assessments through implications of practice from advantages and disadvantages with recommendations while establishing what would be possible to include in all A&D courses online in higher education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A technology-enhanced scaffolding instructional design for fully online courses

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced teachers to implement fully online teaching. This study reviewed the popular technologies that are used in online learning, as well as the advantages and difficulties of applying fully online courses for formal education. Based on this research background, this study proposed a nested scaffolding design of an online course for 215 college students in China with the help of six technological tools, which effectively replaced face-to-face interactions and significantly improved the usage of the supporting learning platform. The inner-outer learning cycles supported by the technological tools improved the quality of the scaffolding conversations, reduced the scaffolding time cost that teachers had to expend and enhanced the effectiveness of the individualised scaffolding instructions.

The great equalizer: A case study of distance learning in public schools

This exploratory case study aimed to understand how the sudden and abrupt transition to distance education due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic of 2020 highlighted the vast differences in levels of readiness for adopting distance education among the public-school districts throughout the State of Connecticut. It explores the reasons behind the inequities in the implementation of distance learning in public school districts. To develop a more detailed understanding of the problem, the research employs the exploratory approach to identify the contributing factors that render some districts more successful than others in their rollout of distance learning for their students. The experiences of school and district administrators as well their familiarity with advanced learning technologies are utilized. The basis of this study's conceptual framework consists of three streams: the history of public education delivery, perception and familiarity with modern learning, and modern learning and delivery modalities. The guiding research questions are as follows: 1. What defines distance learning in Connecticut public schools? 2. What factors contributed to the adaptation of distance learning from an administrative perspective? 3. What is the current perception of distance learning from critical stakeholders? (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Health Literacy During Pandemic and Education.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the importance of health literacy. This commentary discusses the consequences of poor health literacy and argues that we need to improve health literacy. Better health literacy has the potential to improve community trust, alleviate health disparities, and improve the results of the immediate response required in the early stages of a pandemic. The commentary argues that health literacy has to be addressed as part of mandatory school curriculum. Methods on how to improve and provide equitable access to education are also discussed.

Trustworthy remote assessments: A typology of pedagogical and technological strategies

Background Online learning has grown significantly during the past two decades, and COVID-19 pandemic has expedited this process. However, previous research has shown how academic dishonesty is more prevalent under these modalities. Therefore, there is the challenge of performing trustworthy remote assessments, in order to obtain valid and reliable measures of students' knowledge. Objectives The research question that drove this research was: what actions have been proposed in contemporary research to improve remote assessment trustworthiness from a technological and pedagogical perspective? Methods We analysed the papers accepted for the special issue titled 'Trustworthy Assessment and Academic Integrity in Remote Learning' following a deductive qualitative category coding methodology to find the main approaches. Results and conclusions We identified eight approaches to improve trustworthiness in remote assessment: four for exams and high-stake tests, one exclusively for performance-based assessments, and three for any type of assessment. Our findings shift attention from academic dishonesty to trustworthy assessment, integrating recent findings of papers accepted to this special issue. Implications Our findings deepen current understanding of trustworthy remote assessments, inviting practitioners and researchers to explore different types of assessment methods and different moments related to assessing learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Readiness of Health Care Professionals in Singapore to Teach Online and Their Technology-Related Teaching Needs: Quantitative Cross-sectional Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing acceptance of face-to-face classes transitioning to web-based learning due to COVID-19, there is an increasing need to have educators trained and equipped to teach online. The ability to teach in-person may not necessarily mean that one is ready teach in a web-based environment. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to investigate the readiness of health care professionals in Singapore to teach online and their technology-related teaching needs. METHODS: This was a quantitative cross-sectional pilot study conducted among health care administrative staff and professionals in medicine, nursing, allied health, and dentistry. Participants were recruited via an open invitation email to all staff members of Singapore's largest group of health care institutions. Data were collected using a web-based questionnaire. Differences in the readiness of the professionals to teach online were analyzed using analysis of variance, and a 1-sided independent sample t test was performed to analyze the differences between respondents younger than 40 years and those older than 41 years. RESULTS: A total of 169 responses was analyzed. Full-time academic faculty members scored the highest for readiness to teach online (2.97), followed by nursing professionals (2.91), medicine professionals (2.88), administrative staff members (2.83), and allied health professionals (2.76). However, there was no statistically significant difference (P=.77) among all the respondents in their readiness to teach online. There was an agreement among all professionals in their need for software tools to teach; in particular, there was a significant difference in the software needs among the professionals for streaming videos (P=.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the readiness to teach online between those younger than 40 years and those older than 41 years (P=.48). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that there are still some gaps in terms of readiness to teach online among health care professionals. Our findings can be used by policy makers and faculty developers to identify opportunities for development among their educators so that they are ready to teach online with the appropriate software tools.

Technology-Enhanced Learning and Well-being: a Contribution to the Validation of a Measure to Assess University Students' Technostress in the Italian Context.

COVID-19 has forced many universities to adopt widely technology-enhanced learning (TEL), highlighting the role of technostress as a risk factor for detrimental outcomes that may be prevented through the assessment with reliable tools. Thus, the present study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the Italian validation of the technostress scale by Wang, Tan, and Li. A self-report online questionnaire was completed by 915 participants (aged 18-33 years) attending an online university course during the health emergency. A subsample of 301 subjects (M Age = 20.91, SD = 1.93) filled out the same questionnaire after a 3-month time interval to evaluate the test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the one-factor structure of the scale, which was confirmed across academic courses considered (first-year and senior students). Moreover, the findings showed significant associations with the Italian Technostress Creators Scale and the Italian Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, as well as a satisfactory test-retest coefficient value supporting its validity and reliability. In light of the above, the study provides a useful instrument to evaluate technostress related to TEL and indications to implement preventive interventions for this type of stress by improving students' experience with learning technologies.

Pharmacy students' experience of technology-enhanced learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy students and educators experienced an abrupt shift as programmes that were previously taught exclusively in-person were then predominantly taught online. This sudden change provided little time for students to prepare for the new learning environment. Objectives: The study objective was to explore pharmacy students' experiences of technology-enhanced learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed by email to all 3rd year (N = 76) and 4th year (N = 68) pharmacy students undertaking an MPharm programme in an Irish university. Results: A total of 32 responses were collected, including 20 third year and 12 fourth year pharmacy students (response rates of 26.3% and 17.6%, respectively). The majority of respondents reported good or very good internet speed (71%) and stability (59%). Almost all were confident or very confident using Canvas (97%) prior to the onset of online learning. Respondents preferred engaging with other students in-person rather than online for coursework (68.8%) and learning new material (56.3%). Students favoured face-to-face delivery, with a recording of the session available online afterwards, for lectures (68.8%), workshops (50%) and tutorials (56.3%). Analysis of free-text comments indicates that respondents used recorded content to support exam revision and that a key drawback of online learning was social isolation. Implications: Pharmacy students favoured a blended learning approach, with in-person learning being recorded to support study and revision. Students' experience of TEL during the pandemic should be considered in the development and ongoing review of pharmacy programmes.