Leveraging affordances in an ecological stance: Reflective language teaching for professional development during COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a prominent impact of social contexts on teachers' professional development in remote classroom teaching. To explore how the change has altered human-environment relationships in university language classes, this qualitative case study investigated three teachers' progressive reflection on their use of affordances for teaching Chinese as a second language (L2) during COVID-19. Under the framework of human ecological language pedagogy, three themes of emergency remote teaching emerged from monthly semi-structured interviews about the three teachers' reflective practice in remote classrooms: computer-dominant teaching conditions, flexible classroom interaction, and rational social empathy in L2 education. The findings suggest the importance of a growth mindset for L2 teachers to leverage their teaching abilities and environmental resources for continuing professional development during COVID-19 and post-pandemic periods.

Teaching during the Pandemic: An Exploratory Study in Portuguese and Brazilian Secondary Education Teachers

The present study takes as a starting point the COVID-19 lockdown to which Portuguese and Brazilian schools were confined during 2020, to trace the scenario regarding the training needs of secondary education teachers in terms of digital skills. The research questions seek, firstly, to understand how the transition from face-to-face environments to digital environments was carried out in those countries and, secondly, to assess how to improve digital skills in education when considering a post-pandemic future. The results, obtained from responses by 300 teachers to a questionnaire survey, are in line with the conclusions of the intense research that has been conducted in this area: the COVID-19 pandemic has made teachers' digital training more urgent, and has highlighted the importance of integrating digital environments in education, both as a strategy for the continuity and sustainability of education itself, and as a fluid space that allows the development of practices that enhance quality learning. The analysis also allows us to perceive the differences and similarities in terms of education between two countries that share the same language and have historical proximity, but different socioeconomic indices. © 2023 by the authors.

Predicting user acceptance of peer-to-peer e-learning: An extension of the technology acceptance model

With COVID-19 compelling some countries to close their schools, e-learning has now become the primary mode of learning. Researchers have renewed their interest in users' acceptance of e-learning via different platforms, given the possibility of different results relative to what was known pre-pandemic. However, e-learning still poses issues such as isolation, demotivation and learning attrition, which may be counterbalanced by peer-to-peer (P2P) learning. On this basis, this study surveyed 417 Indian students on their acceptance of P2P e-learning with the extended Technology Acceptance Model. The data analysis confirmed that perceived ease of use was positively associated with the perceived usefulness of and students' attitude towards P2P e-learning. Credibility was also found to be positively associated with perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude towards P2P e-learning. However, the study could not confirm the association between perceived usefulness and attitude towards P2P e-learning. Additionally, self-efficacy displayed a weak, but significant association with perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of P2P e-learning. Internet self-efficacy was found to have a positive association on the intention to use P2P e-learning, but not its perceived ease of use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A framework for adopting gamified learning systems in smart schools during COVID-19.

The outbreak of COVID 19 has increased the anxiety and stress among teachers and students. This has increased the need for gamified learning systems (GLS) to make the educational process more attractive and increase the engagement as well as the participation of all stakeholders. The use of GLS in teaching and learning has not been deployed effectively in the educational systems in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of using GLS in Iraqi smart schools. Building on the literature, a framework of GLS is proposed. Data used in this study were collected from 394 teachers and managerial staff in Iraqi smart schools and analysed using Partial Least Square. The findings showed that individuals and organizations are important predictors of using GLS, and their effects on BI are mediated by satisfaction. Readiness and performance expectancy are critical for adopting and using GLS by smart schools. In addition, the findings showed that gamification and self-efficacy are moderating variables. Important implications of the predictability of GLS using a combination of theories as well as the practical suggestions for decision makers to enhance the adoption of GLS among smart schools in Iraq are discussed. In the time of COVID-19, decision makers have suggested increasing gamification features of teaching and learning to reduce anxiety and achieve a better learning process.

Impact of instructor on-slide presence in synchronous e-learning.

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many higher education programs had to switch to synchronous online teaching. Teachers suddenly faced pressing unaddressed challenges, such as how to better transfer their "presence" from the traditional classroom to the online space in a way that keeps students engaged. This paper explores new venues for increasing the quality of synchronous online learning. We propose the notion of broad on-slide presence, pillared on an increased instructor expressiveness and an elevated instructor slide-content interaction. We conducted four studies to investigate the benefits of delivering lectures in this format, using a mixed methods research approach. We combined survey methodology with transversal design and structural equation modelling with qualitative methodology using discourse analysis of teacher interviews. Results revealed a significant increase in perceived knowledge gain and attentional engagement, and an improved and more personal student experience. At the same time, the instructor's broader on-slide presence also resulted in an increased teacher satisfaction.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation among students for laboratory courses - Assessing the impact of virtual laboratories

Understanding the role of motivation in engaging students in laboratory skill education is crucial for learning and academic achievement. Physical laboratories in science are considered experiential learning environments where students develop high-level conceptual learning. Attitudes towards these laboratories affect the efficacy of skill training. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, computer-based virtual laboratories (VL) had emerged as a potential medium for skill training and experimentation, compatible with lockdown restrictions. However, there remains a significant gap in VL adoption due to the lack of awareness and familiarity of VL amongst teachers and students. This study examined the key motivational factors impacting the efficacy of VLs to teach students laboratory skills and tasks. The survey-based data for the study was collected using an intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI) scale, self-reported survey responses for extrinsic factors, and a teachers' VL perception scale. Independent sample t-test and automatic linear modeling (LINEAR) were used to analyze the data. The findings show that the animated graphic learning materials of VLs had a higher impact on students' intrinsic motivation than the e-book learning materials. The role of teachers was also crucial in increasing students' motivation levels for performing laboratory experiments using VL. the results also indicate performing VL experiments for longer durations or multiple times, positively influenced students' laboratory performance.

Promoting art appreciation performances and behaviors in effective and joyful contexts: A two-tier test-based digital gaming approach

To enhance students' learning motivation and learning interest, scholars have attempted to incorporate game-based learning (GBL) into courses to improve conventional teaching which is mostly carried out using textbooks, presentations, or videos. However, one-tier tests were mainly adopted in previous GBL, meaning that it was difficult to identify whether students answered questions correctly by understanding knowledge or merely guessed the correct answer. Such tests also make it difficult to provide adequate feedback and guidance during the learning process. In order to solve this problem, a two-tier test-based digital gaming approach (TT-DGA) developed using RPG Maker was proposed in this study. It not only provided students with a more interesting way to learn art and view world-famous artworks in the game, but also introduced a two-tier test in the learning process to help students gradually construct professional art appreciation knowledge. To explore the effects of this approach, a total of 62 university students who took an elective art course were recruited in the current study. A quasi-experimental design was employed and the course was conducted physically during the Covid-19 pandemic. One class was the experimental group which adopted the TT-DGA for learning, while the other class was the control group which adopted the conventional gaming approach (C-DGA). The results showed that the TT-DGA could significantly enhance students' learning achievement of art appreciation, learning motivation, learning attitudes, and flow experience. Based on the behavioral analysis, students in the experimental group were more active than those in the control group in terms of reading art history materials, watching videos, engaging in tests, and playing the game again. Finally, the interview results uncovered that the two-tier test could help students conduct self-inspection, confirm the accuracy of their understandings of knowledge, and correct misconceptions, and that DGBL made the art course more interesting. • A two-tier test-based digital gaming approach for art education is proposed. • An educational computer game was developed based on the proposed approach. • The approach improved students' learning achievement of art appreciation. • The approach improved students' learning motivation. • The approach improved students' self-inspection and accuracy art concepts. [ FROM AUTHOR]

When the school door closes, do teachers open a window? Using diary method to investigate teachers' online teaching practices and momentary experiences in crisis

School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had a major impact on teaching activities. Adopting a mixed-methods design, this study aims to categorize daily instructional practices in the early stages of school closure using two-cycle content analysis, present the transition of the categories over days, and test the differences between categories using ANOVA. A total of 48 high school teachers with varying levels of teaching readiness (measured by online professional development experience and distance teaching TPCK) kept teaching logs where they recorded daily teaching practices and assessed teaching satisfaction and perceived student engagement. They also submitted diary entries to report episodic optimal experience. Four salient emergency online teaching patterns emerged, which were further interpreted based on the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison et al., 1999) as four presence orientations: 1) low social low cognitive, 2) low social high cognitive, 3) high social low cognitive, and 4) high social high cognitive. Daily transition of these orientations revealed slight to medium changes. Teachers adopting different orientations were found to differ in terms of teaching readiness, teaching satisfaction, and perceived student engagement. No difference was shown in optimal experience. The results inform future professional development programs how to prepare high school teachers for the next emergency crisis. • Mixed-methods used to explore online teaching and teachers' optimal experience during pandemic. • Four emergency online teaching orientations emerged from teaching diaries. • Daily transition of emergency online teaching orientations revealing slight changes. • High social low cognitive presence perceived as an effective online teaching approach. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Viewing oneself during synchronous online learning increases appearance anxiety and decreases memory for lecture content

In response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, instructors began using online learning platforms to offer live remote instruction (e.g., Zoom), which allow students to view themselves in real‐time (i.e., self‐view). The present research examined whether having students keep their cameras on, relative to cameras off, during a live online lecture would increase anxiety and reduce learning. In both Experiment 1a (small group setting) and Experiment 1b (large group setting), students in the camera‐on condition did not report greater state anxiety, nor was anxiety associated with lower performance on an immediate multiple‐choice exam. Experiment 2 specifically examined the effect of self‐view and if appearance anxiety (rather than state anxiety) might mediate the relationship between camera use and test performance. Results indicate that participants viewing themselves reported significantly higher appearance anxiety, and that higher appearance anxiety was related to decreased learning. These findings suggest that viewing oneself may uniquely contribute to heightened appearance anxiety and may reduce memory for content when learning synchronously online. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Digital Game-based Learning and Learning Analytics in Mathematics

The boom of the 4.0 industrial revolution and the Covid-19 pandemic have changed the teaching and learning process, where digital learning environments have become increasingly necessary and convenient. The application of game-based learning (GBL) provides many benefits, such as helping to improve the quality of the mathematics teaching and learning process. This paper describes digital GBL with the application of Learning Analytics (LA) in a primary school and how the LA approach can enhance learning with GBL. GBL allows students to have more practice in their learning, while LA allows the data on teaching and learning materials to be recorded. The recorded data allows the teachers to systematically analyze them to keep track of students' learning performance. The use of LA is also useful to researchers and game designers. This paper has also proven the importance of the cognitive load theory and its application in GBL. It allows the use of GBL-based application to present learning information to cater to students' cognitive needs. This study involved sixty-four students from a rural primary school who participated in a 10-week GBL-based intervention. The results show that digital GBL helped increase the students' achievement in mathematics. Moreover, the LA process could be used as a mathematics achievement prediction model. In this regard, data on login frequency, duration of use, and the score to predict could be used to predict the intervention's impact on mathematics achievements. The study concludes by discussing the findings and their implications towards GBL and LA-based research and practice in mathematics teaching and learning. © 2022,Pegem Egitim ve Ogretim Dergisi. All Rights Reserved.

In-service teachers' TPACK development through an adaptive e-learning environment (ALE).

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on educational institutions, schools had to close and switch to online education. Training in-service teachers to incorporate and utilize technology as part of Internet-based instructions was a challenge and pressing necessity. TPACK is an essential framework for comprehending how teachers employ technology in teaching. Despite the significance of adaptive learning environments in recent years, research has not addressed how to use these environments to improve the TPACK of in-service teachers, particularly during crises. Consequently, our objective was to design an adaptive learning environment that provides in-service math, science, and English teachers with substantial and continuing support for each TPACK component. A total of 173 in-service teachers were divided into two groups: an experimental group of 83 who used adaptive learning and a control group of 90 who used Zoom techniques. TPACK questionnaires were administered before and after the experiment. The experimental group improved TPACK more than the control group. All teachers believed that adaptive learning training helped them to build technology-integrated lesson plans. This study provides ideas and practices for developing an adaptive learning environment for the in-service teachers' TPACK development. The challenges to adaptive learning environments have been highlighted, identifying the potential for future investigations.

Promoting art appreciation performances and behaviors in effective and joyful contexts: A two-tier test-based digital gaming approach

To enhance students' learning motivation and learning interest, scholars have attempted to incorporate game-based learning (GBL) into courses to improve conventional teaching which is mostly carried out using textbooks, presentations, or videos. However, one-tier tests were mainly adopted in previous GBL, meaning that it was difficult to identify whether students answered questions correctly by understanding knowledge or merely guessed the correct answer. Such tests also make it difficult to provide adequate feedback and guidance during the learning process. In order to solve this problem, a two-tier test-based digital gaming approach (TT-DGA) developed using RPG Maker was proposed in this study. It not only provided students with a more interesting way to learn art and view world-famous artworks in the game, but also introduced a two-tier test in the learning process to help students gradually construct professional art appreciation knowledge. To explore the effects of this approach, a total of 62 university students who took an elective art course were recruited in the current study. A quasi-experimental design was employed and the course was conducted physically during the Covid-19 pandemic. One class was the experimental group which adopted the TT-DGA for learning, while the other class was the control group which adopted the conventional gaming approach (C-DGA). The results showed that the TT-DGA could significantly enhance students’ learning achievement of art appreciation, learning motivation, learning attitudes, and flow experience. Based on the behavioral analysis, students in the experimental group were more active than those in the control group in terms of reading art history materials, watching videos, engaging in tests, and playing the game again. Finally, the interview results uncovered that the two-tier test could help students conduct self-inspection, confirm the accuracy of their understandings of knowledge, and correct misconceptions, and that DGBL made the art course more interesting.

When the school door closes, do teachers open a window? Using diary method to investigate teachers’ online teaching practices and momentary experiences in crisis

School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had a major impact on teaching activities. Adopting a mixed-methods design, this study aims to categorize daily instructional practices in the early stages of school closure using two-cycle content analysis, present the transition of the categories over days, and test the differences between categories using ANOVA. A total of 48 high school teachers with varying levels of teaching readiness (measured by online professional development experience and distance teaching TPCK) kept teaching logs where they recorded daily teaching practices and assessed teaching satisfaction and perceived student engagement. They also submitted diary entries to report episodic optimal experience. Four salient emergency online teaching patterns emerged, which were further interpreted based on the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison et al., 1999) as four orientations: 1) low social low cognitive, 2) low social high cognitive, 3) high social low cognitive, and 4) high social high cognitive. Daily transition of these orientations revealed slight to medium changes. Teachers adopting different orientations were found to differ in terms of teaching readiness, teaching satisfaction, and perceived student engagement. No difference was shown in optimal experience. The results inform future professional development programs how to prepare high school teachers for the next emergency crisis.

Predicting user acceptance of peer‐to‐peer e‐learning: An extension of the technology acceptance model

With COVID‐19 compelling some countries to close their schools, e‐learning has now become the primary mode of learning. Researchers have renewed their interest in users' acceptance of e‐learning via different platforms, given the possibility of different results relative to what was known pre‐pandemic. However, e‐learning still poses issues such as isolation, demotivation and learning attrition, which may be counterbalanced by peer‐to‐peer (P2P) learning. On this basis, this study surveyed 417 Indian students on their acceptance of P2P e‐learning with the extended Technology Acceptance Model. The data analysis confirmed that perceived ease of use was positively associated with the perceived usefulness of and students' attitude towards P2P e‐learning. Credibility was also found to be positively associated with perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude towards P2P e‐learning. However, the study could not confirm the association between perceived usefulness and attitude towards P2P e‐learning. Additionally, self‐efficacy displayed a weak, but significant association with perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of P2P e‐learning. Internet self‐efficacy was found to have a positive association on the intention to use P2P e‐learning, but not its perceived ease of use. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic E‐learning which poses issues such as isolation, demotivation and learning attrition became the primary means of education due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Issues with e‐learning can be counterbalanced by peer‐to‐peer (P2P) learning. There is a renewed interest in user acceptance of e‐learning via different platforms, as the sudden and prolonged shift to e‐learning is revealing different results relative to what was known pre‐pandemic. What this article adds Usage of the extended TAM model to predict users' acceptance of P2P e‐learning platforms during a pandemic. Extending the TAM model with a renewed focus on the importance of self‐efficacy and Internet self‐efficacy in accepting P2P e‐learning during a period of complete remote learning. Extending the TAM model with credibility as a factor: because P2P platforms allow any user to provide answers, students may struggle with choosing which answer to accept. Credibility was discovered to have a positive association with perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitude towards P2P platforms. A positive association between perceived usefulness and attitude could not be confirmed—a discovery we consider related to the supplementary way the P2P platform was utilised. Perceived ease of use had a larger association with the intention to use P2P e‐learning than perceived usefulness, thus suggesting that students are more concerned with the ease of finding an answer than the usefulness obtained from it. Implications for practice and/or policy P2P e‐learning platforms should consider means through which an answer's credibility can be increased in order to bolster the ATT towards them. At a macro level, schools should consider the self‐efficacy and Internet self‐efficacy of students to ensure they are able to partake in e‐learning and provide training and resources to those who are lacking. P2P e‐learning platforms need to improve their user interface design and user experience to increase the Perceived ease of use for their users. What is already known about this topic E‐learning which poses issues such as isolation, demotivation and learning attrition became the primary means of education due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Issues with e‐learning can be counterbalanced by peer‐to‐peer (P2P) learning. There is a renewed interest in user acceptance of e‐learning via different platforms, as the sudden and prolonged shift to e‐learning is revealing different results relative to what was known pre‐pandemic. What this article adds Usage of the extended TAM model to predict users' acceptance of P2P e‐learning platforms during a pandemic. Extending the TAM model with a renewed focus on the importance of self‐efficacy and Internet self‐efficacy in accepting P2P e‐learning during a period of complete remote learning. Extending the TAM model with credibility as a factor: because P2P platforms allow any user to provide answers, students may struggle with choosing which answer to accept. Credibility was discovered to have a positive association with perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitude towards P2P platforms. A positive association between perceived usefulness and attitude could not be confirmed—a discovery we consider related to the supplementary way the P2P platform was utilised. Perceived ease of use had a larger association with the intention to use P2P e‐learning than perceived usefulness, thus suggesting that students are more concerned with the ease of finding an answer than the usefulness obtained from it. Implications for practice and/or policy P2P e‐learning platforms should consider means through which an answer's credibility can be increased in order to bolster the ATT towards them. At a macro level, schools should consider the self‐efficacy and Internet self‐efficacy of students to ensure they are able to partake in e‐learning and provide training and resources to those who are lacking. P2P e‐learning platforms need to improve their user interface design and user experience to increase the Perceived ease of use for their users. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of British Journal of Educational Technology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Towards a novel catalog of assessment patterns for distant education in the information technology domain

This paper presents a research and its results in the domain of higher education's pedagogical patterns for remote assessments - precisely in the computer science, software engineering and informatics-related courses. This research was motivated by the COVID-19 crisis, which separated teachers, teaching assistants, and students physically. During this period, remote knowledge assessment was one of the most challenging among all educational activities. The lack of available resources and advice on remote knowledge assessment revealed a need for a specialized assessment pattern catalog. The main result of the research is the assessment pattern catalog that started to grow organically at the Institute of Informatics, where we teach IT-related courses. We started with the initial set of patterns, identified by analyzing recurring practices, applied by teaching staff for remote assessments in the period from March 2020 till December 2020. The patterns were aggregated and gradually refined using a systematic approach. In addition to guided workshops, a systematic literature review was employed, followed by catalog refinements, and, finally, an extensive survey was carried out among teachers and teaching assistants. The latter was used as a validation of the correctness of the novel assessment pattern catalog, as well as the presented patterns’ suitability and popularity among users. The resulting assessment pattern catalog presented in this paper boasts 47 patterns, classified into four main categories, that support the whole process of (remote) assessment. It is organized and documented systematically. It also boasts several indicators per each pattern to demonstrate its suitability for distant assessments, popularity rankings among teachers, teaching assistants, and top picks in every category per teachers and teaching assistants. The survey that we performed revealed a subset of patterns that are important for a successful remote assessment, validated in the IT-related courses. Based on the results, the presented assessment pattern catalog showed itself to be useful not only for the remote assessment but also for judging knowledge in the classroom successfully.