Teaching in the Post COVID-19 Era: World Education Dilemmas, Teaching Innovations and Solutions in the Age of Crisis

This handbook showcases extraordinary educational responses in exceptional times. The scholarly text discusses valuable innovations for teaching and learning in times of COVID-19 and beyond. It examines effective teaching models and methods, technology innovations and enhancements, strategies for engagement of learners, unique approaches to teacher education and leadership, and important mental health and counseling models and supports. The unique solutions here implement and adapt effective digital technologies to support learners and teachers in critical times - for example, to name but a few: Florida State University's Innovation Hub and interdisciplinary project-based approach;remote synchronous delivery (RSD) and blended learning approaches used in Yorkville University's Bachelor of Interior Design, General Studies, and Business programs;University of California's strategies for making resources affordable to students;resilient online assessment measures recommended from Qatar University;strategies in teacher education from the University of Toronto/OISE to develop equity in the classroom;simulation use in health care education;gamification strategies;innovations in online second language learning and software for new Canadian immigrants and refugees;effective RSD and online delivery of directing and acting courses by the Toronto Film School, Canada;academic literacy teaching in Colombia;inventive international programs between Japan and Taiwan, Japan and the USA, and Italy and the USA;and, imaginative teaching and assessment methods developed for online Kindergarten - Post-Secondary learners and teachers. Authors share unique global perspectives from a network of educators and researchers from more than thirty locations, schools, and post-secondary institutions worldwide. Educators, administrators, policymakers, and instructional designers will draw insights and guidelines from this text to sustain education during and beyond the COVID-19 era. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

The Global Challenge of Educational Reform

Three vectors describe the research about the global challenge of educational reform (Shirley, J Educ Change 21(3):385-392, 2020). These vectors address fundamental questions within the field: Who is doing the work and how are they supported? How can reform that is successful in one realm be both sustained within that context and travel to other contexts? Who benefits? These sticky questions are not rhetorical, and yet they also do not have an answer. In spite of decades of practice and research, much of the field of educational reform remains in flux. This chapter builds upon such scholarship, describing the global challenge of educational reform, briefly tracing the history of reform over the last 20 decades in order to frame the understanding of educational reform, and then outlining the obstacles that have been met along the way. These waves of reform and across the waves the vectors of change play a strong role in making sense of the past and highlighting the global challenge of educational reform work. The chapter then describes the challenges of the present moment, including but not limited to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on reform efforts. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Correction: Same, but different? Digital transformation in Swiss vocational schools from the perspectives of school management and teachers

Reports an error in "Same, but different? Digital transformation in swiss vocational schools from the perspectives of school management and teachers" by Martina Rauseo, Andreas Harder, Deborah Glassey-Previdoli,, Alberto Cattaneo, Stephan Schumann and Serge Imboden (Technology, Knowledge and Learning: Learning mathematics, science and the arts in the context of digital technologies, Advanced Online Publication, Dec 5, 2022, np). In the original online version of this article, several author's corrections were missed to be carried out before publication. The original article has been corrected. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2023-27273-001). The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the importance of the digital transformation of educational organizations. The effects of this transformation process are not limited to the classroom level but extend into various areas of the school, such as Equipment and Technology, Strategy and Leadership, Organization, Employees, and Culture. Against this background, we assessed the status quo of the digital transformation in Swiss vocational schools from the perspective of both school management members and teachers. For this endeavor, two surveys were conducted: the first one in the period from November 2019 to January 2020 (school management members) and the second one between June and September 2020 (teachers). In total, 202 school management members and 1,739 teachers from 62 schools participated in the study. The results of the analyses indicate that the digitization-related dimensions of Strategy and Leadership, as well as Pedagogical IT Support, were perceived better by school management members, whereas teachers considered the areas of Digital Competencies, Attitudes, and Culture to be more advanced. Furthermore, linear regression models show that the dimensions considered important when assessing the status quo of digital transformation differ between the groups. The results emphasize the importance of communication between and the inclusion of all school stakeholders for the successful management of the digital transformation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The Logic of Practice and Development Opportunities of Digital Transformation of Education

"Digital transformation of education” is a hot topic of present educational reform and the development tendency of future educational innovation. Digital transformation of education, as a process stressing technology-driven educational innovation and reform, boasts the importance of development in its birth and practice. It is driven jointly by social and cultural transitions, the impetus of technical innovation, the guidance of national policies, and the endogenous development of the education system. The logic of practice of the transformation can be regarded as the behavior choice dominated by value and intentions, and the underlying generation principles in practice comprise the "problem-driven + concept-led” principle, the "system evolution + innovative breakthrough” principle, and the "value assessment + iterative optimization” principle. At present, under the background of constructing the new ecology of a smart society and a high-quality education system, and under the pressure of COVID-19 pandemic, the transformation faces golden development opportunities. Nonetheless, the present transformation practice still has some differences from the expected value orientation. Therefore, it is required to research and develop a mature digital education model or framework, carry out a national digital education preparation campaign, work for pilot schemes for the transformation at all levels and of all kinds, attach importance to theoretical research on education relating to the digital transformation of education, and more actively embrace the new wave of educational reform worldwide.

Adjustments of the educational policy during the health emergency in Mexico

The announcement of a global pandemic of COVID-19 surprised Mexico on a context of numerous changes in public policy, including a recent educational reform with several new laws (a new General Law of Education, The General Law of the System for the Career of Teachers and the Teachers and the Law for the Continuous Improvement of Education) which were approved towards the last quarter of 2019). In this text, we analyze the contingency measures adopted in the educational sphere. First of all, we discuss if these interventions considered certain international recommendations, but also to the specific conditions of the national context. Second, the main existing evidence on the effects of the pandemic on various educational processes is summarized. On this basis, it is evaluated how much the pandemic circumstance has affected the development of some of the main changes defined by the educational reform. © 2023, Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law. All rights reserved.

Observation of Online vs Offline Learning Experience

As the outbreak of COVID-19 increased in various countries. India is also majorly affected with the COVID-19 by that education system is affected, and it has transferred the traditional face-to-face teaching to online education platform. Considering student's perspective on both online and offline learning mode in India, we conducted a survey to collect the data. In that survey questionnaire, focus was on the factors and situation which can affect the education system. Using that data, we used Kruskal Wallis test to collect the evidence for which learning mode is better and Naive Bayes Algorithm, we were able to conclude the results. © 2022 IEEE.

The Long-Term Solvency of Teacher Pension Plans: How We Got to Now and Prospects for Recovery

The COVID-related financial market decline and economic recession have raised new concerns regarding the financial sustainability of retirement plans for state and local government employees, the largest group of whom is public school teachers. Using data from the Public Plans Database and the National Income and Product Accounts, I analyze teacher pension plans over the 2001–2019 period, seeking to answer questions regarding teacher pensions' funded status, investment decisions and returns, adequacy of contributions, and generosity of benefits. These data show that teacher pension funding peaked at the beginning of the 2001–2019 period due to the tech bubble's inflation of asset values, but then it declined thereafter due to investment returns that significantly underperformed assumptions, failures by sponsoring governments to consistently make full contributions, and increases in the generosity of pension benefits. School districts will face substantial funding challenges in the post-COVID period, as investment losses are factored into contribution rates, government revenues available to make contributions shrink, and education funding from state governments comes under pressure. I outline several policy alternatives that policymakers may consider, but none would make restoring teacher pensions to full funding a painless process. © 2022 AERA.

Time is ticking: the dynamics of education reform in the Covid-era

Purpose: This paper applies concepts from organizational theory as well as physics to elucidate the role of time in the US education system's efforts to recuperate from the pandemic. This paper contributes to an important body of work focusing on implementation of reform efforts in education that use time in innovative ways. Design/methodology/approach: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted time in educational organizations and, thus, for educators and students. Time has been a vital tool for educational reform, yet many applications of organizational theory and literature on educational change neglect to underscore its importance. The authors explore resources, guidelines and practices related to time employed to recuperate from pandemic-related disruptions to schooling. Findings: The authors discuss three cases in which time has been utilized to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) accelerated learning;(2) extended time;and (3) redeveloped professional learning. For each case, the authors demonstrate how time has been conceptualized and how leaders are stretching the space-time of schooling to provide resources and learning opportunities to students and educators. Practical implications: This article describes how district and school leaders can draw on their agency to reshape time-use in educational organizations. Originality/value: This article advances an innovative framework demonstrating the importance of time in educational change. The authors also portray innovative models that provide time for students to receive an array of responsive, equity-centered, academic and SEL opportunities and for educators to collaborate, continuing their own development amid the ever-shifting Covid-context. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Teacher mindset toward the school improvement process in Florida schools

After the 2020-2021 school year, schools across Florida experienced decreases in their unofficial school grades due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational reform is no longer limited to a third of Florida's schools and is necessary for almost all schools across the state, so there is a need for data on teacher mindset for leaders to use in their decision-making while supporting low achieving schools. The primary gap in the literature is teacher belief systems are unaddressed in educational reform efforts. Two research questions in the context of Florida schools were explored: How do teachers in Florida schools describe their mindset toward the school improvement process? What are the perceptions of teachers in Florida schools on structures, processes, or activities part of the school improvement process? In this basic qualitative research design, teachers participated in semi-structured interviews responding to open-ended questions aligned to Kotter's (1996) eight steps for organizational change. The population was Florida teachers who worked in schools that experienced a decrease in their Florida State Assessment (FSA) English-language arts (ELA) proficiency from 2019 to 2021. A purposive sampling strategy was utilized, requiring participants to meet four inclusion criteria: employment location, employment duration, professional certificate, and participation in school improvement efforts. Braun and Clarke's (2006) six phases of thematic coding were used to analyze the data. Codes were assigned, patterns were identified, emergent codes were arranged in tables, and themes were determined. Teachers described themselves and their collective staff using descriptions aligned with growth mindset or shifting from a negative to positive attitude when faced with structures or activities involving change. Teachers also described a small population of staff, mostly veteran staff who had been employed for some time, as demonstrating a fixed mindset toward the school improvement process. Findings included: Teacher engagement was necessary at all stages of the process to reinforce purpose, establish buy-in, and maintain a collective responsibility. When considering structures and activities, leaders must guide the work and provide celebrations of change efforts. When using data to determine supports for students, the necessary time, curriculum resources, and human allocations to implement the plan must be also included. There are missed opportunities and obstacles school leaders should consider when leading staff through the school improvement process. These findings could support school leaders in understanding teachers' perceptions of the school improvement process and be used when making important decisions involving change initiatives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Strengths and weaknesses of asynchronous e-learning in nursing education throughout the COVID-19 crisis: a qualitative study

Background: Despite the introduction of e-learning in recent years, it has not been utilized as a major educational method in numerous universities, especially in the area of medical and health sciences, until the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This study aimed at explaining the strengths and weaknesses of asynchronous e-learning in nursing education throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

Post-COVID e-learning in Bahrain: Where are we in meeting the educational reform objective of sustainable development?

This chapter reports on a research study that investigated the question, "How has progress toward sustainable development in the Kingdom of Bahrain been impacted by the covID-19 transition to e-learning?" The study was qualitative in nature in the form of a small-scale inquiry of a specific case, where aspects of e-learning in higher education institutions in the post-covID Bahrain were analyzed. An Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) model was used to frame the analysis. The results of the study indicated that progress toward the achievement of the sustainable development objective in Bahrain has been slightly expedited by the transition to e-learning. There were several persistent barriers, which were in need of addressing. Such examples include the absence of an overarching e-learning strategy aligned with the requirements for achieving sustainable development, and the lack of capacity-building opportunities targeting e-course instructional design that incorporates ESD components. Such instructional design includes higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) integration, interdisciplinary critical reflections, and knowledge transfer. © KONINKLIJKE BRILL NV, LEIDEN, 2022.

Retention and success in the midst of a pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis has been a salutary stress test of our retention and success ecosystems in higher education. In particular, it has shone a light on the urgency to reimagine our conceptualisations of these core concepts for greater nuancing to reflect the uniqueness and diversity of individual students, their communities and institutions. In this chapter, we revisit the themes set out in Chap. 1 and canvass the meta impact of the pandemic on the book's foci. We examine disruption-driven, whole-of-institution and curricular good practice, with specific attention directed to COVID-19's acceleration of issues around mental health and wellbeing, assessment design, learning analytics and engaging with students as partners. Throughout, further success opportunities are highlighted for attention in the next wave of cross-institutional and cross-sectoral action. We conclude by joining with our contributors in calling for a universal commitment to inclusive curriculum, polices, practices, resources and supports to assure and enable all learners' successful engagement in beneficial and lifelong learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Opportunities and challenges of educational technology in the post epidemic Era

The outbreak of COVID-19 has exerted a great impact on the educational system of countries all over the world. In the post epidemic era, educational technology researchers need further research on how to change education and teaching and continue to give full play to the advantages of online education. By studying the literature, this study combs the research of educational organizations and scholars on the reform of the educational system in the post epidemic era from three aspects: the new trend of educational development, educational and teaching reform, and the exploration of international education. On this basis, it summarizes the three directions that educational technology scholars need to strive for, that is, to improve the information literacy of primary and secondary school teachers;Promote the inclusive use of high-quality educational resources;Committed to improving the teaching quality of mixed teaching. © 2021 IEEE.