Technology, the flipped classroom, and exigent paradigm shifts or being forced into the present

Princeton University, including the various language programs it offers, has intentionally resisted distance learning for decades, primarily out of a desire to concentrate on the residential undergraduate educational experience. In New Jersey, USA, state-level restrictions and institutional decisions resulted in the closure of campus instructional spaces from the halfway point of the 2020 spring semester through the end of the 2020-2021 academic year, with further precautions, mitigations, and flexible responses throughout the following academic year, including but not limited to frequent reversion to remote instruction during periods of high incidence, interior masking requirements, and social distancing when possible in classroom spaces. For the past six years, I have also redesigned, expanded, and aligned our second-year German program with the first year, which is based on a high-frequency core vocabulary and the development of contextual reading strategies, among other approaches (for a detailed description of approach, form, and function, see Oberlin, in press). Of the many tools and approaches considered during this frantic and bewildering week, one stands out: the application of outside-of-class student-to-student communication via Zoom or other video-conferencing technologies with written follow-up to fulfill a number of desiderata: (1) that students speak more in an alternate assignment format given the realities of affective and technological hurdles while using video conferencing software;(2) that they are provided with an unsupervised opportunity to speak in an effort to reduce anxiety;(3) that self-scheduled partner work might offer flexibility necessary during home-based study and the various complications and distractions that entails, particularly during a period of ongoing disruptions;and (4) that a written response to this oral communication would generate classroom discussion, deepen engagement with materials, and present instructors with another avenue for teacher-student feedback and the assessment of sentence- or paragraph-level writing.

Student perspectives on the challenges of an online orientation at a large South African university during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020 gave rise to a number of challenges for first-year experience activities at universities globally. One of the key challenges was the process of onboarding first-year students through an orientation programme that could not take place face-to-face as per the norm. In 2021, the first-year orientation at a large South African university in this study moved to an online platform, becoming a week-long programme conducted on Microsoft Teams and comprising a variety of live and pre-recorded videos. The programme included seven core learning sessions designed to introduce the students to key services available at the university and to lay the foundation for student success. Using data from the university's 2021 Orientation Week (O-Week) Survey, this paper seeks to explore - from the perspective of the students - the core challenges associated with an online orientation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employs descriptive statistics to decipher the profile of the survey respondents as well as participants' experience of various learning sessions. A thematic approach was used to analyse the open-ended questions to provide the contextual perspectives on the challenges that students experienced with online orientation. The study identified five categories of challenges, which had a negative impact on their process of transitioning into the university environment. The study's findings will help universities to understand the drawbacks of online orientation as well as provide empirical guidance for them as to how they could leverage online orientation for student success in shaping the remote, blended, and hybrid learning discourse. The particular university under discussion subsequently used these findings as guidelines to conceptualise a new three-week blended orientation programme, Gateway to Success, which was introduced at the beginning of 2022.

Lessons learnt from teaching an Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy online in a digitally divided South Africa

An Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy is rooted in principles of embodiment, participation and collaboration, praxis and immersion in social contexts. Over the past fourteen years, the Drama for Life department at the University of the Witwatersrand prioritised the implementation of an Applied Drama and Theatre teaching and learning practice that is premised on our bodies operating within social and cultural contexts. Furthermore, the experiential pedagogy is reliant on physical presence and human contact for the purposes of reflection, transformation and education. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, this complex pedagogy faced a threat. How can we migrate an Applied Drama and Theatre curriculum to online learning platforms? Can we fully honour its pedagogical objectives remotely? The study explored how Applied Drama and Theatre educators re-envisioned and implemented strategies to maintain the integrity of the embodied pedagogy as it moved online. These collective approaches transpired amidst a disruptive digital divide within a South African context, which impacted connectivity, access and the hopes of a synchronous learning experience. From 2020 to 2021, the ethnographic study tracked and observed Drama for Life and its Applied Drama and Theatre educators as they;1) responded to the pandemic and identified its threats to the pedagogy;2) through processes of experimentation, transitioned the curriculum to online learning platforms;and 3) reflected on their discoveries, challenges and interim solutions throughout the journey. The study found (based on literature and data) that the pandemic provided higher education institutions and practitioners with an opportunity for directed change. Central to the collective strategies remained student centredness and pedagogical alignment. Although certain aspects of the Applied Drama and Theatre pedagogy have undeniably been compromised online, the study demonstrated that with increased efforts to bridge the digital divide, the strategies can be navigated continually with a carefully negotiated balance.

Measuring Usage versus Preferences for Online Study Materials among Business-Majored Undergraduates

As online learning becomes a recurrent component of higher education, there have been growing interests in the interaction between students and educational resources within digital environments so as to understand and facilitate students' initiative in managing those resources. The present study is an explorative inquiry into the relationships between students' self-reported preferences of study materials, their actual usage of those materials and their learning performances in online learning. It focuses on analysing the learning management system's log files, test results and students' responses to an evaluative survey of a bachelor business course at a large Belgian university, which was a blended course turned fully online due to the pandemic circumstance. The first research question concerns how preferences relate to the usage of materials. A cluster analysis was conducted to classify students based on their perceived interest and actual access to learning resources. The results show three clusters of students with different preferences and levels of usage towards the four types of study materials provided in the course. However, the majority showed strong favour for multimedia online learning, with Web lectures being prioritised both in perception and access behaviour, while discussion boards receive mixed opinions and the lowest actual participation. The second question follows these up by linking the preference-usage patterns with academic performances. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to compare the learning performances of students with different preference-usage patterns. The results show no significant differences, which means the students' preferences and/or usage of study materials has little to no impact on their learning performances in the online course.

Analysis of the Relationship between Online Learning Activities and Academic Achievement of Physical Education and Sports School Students

This research, which was performed in order to determine the relationship between some activities in the online learning environment and their academic achievements of Physical Education and Sports School students, was designed in a relational scanning model. The research was conducted on the data of 444 students who attended online classes at a physical education and sports school of a state university in the spring term of the 2020-2021 academic year. Data used in the research were collected through "Aid for Learning Management System (ALMS)" and "Student Information System (SIS)" of the relevant university. The duration of watching the courses live and from the archive, the number of downloading the course documents and the duration of watching the course videos uploaded were obtained within the scope of online learning activities via ALMS;and the academic achievement scores of the students for these courses were obtained via SIS. As a result of the research, a positive and significant relationship was found between course attendance, the duration of watching the archived and uploaded course videos, the number of downloading course documents and students' gender and their academic achievement scores while there was no significant relationship between students' grade level and academic achievement scores. According to the significant correlations, it was seen that the duration of live course attendance and watching from the archive significantly predicted the academic achievement scores of the students while the duration of watching the course videos, the number of downloading the course documents and gender did not significantly predict the academic achievement scores of the students.

E-learning Challenges for Lecturers in Indonesia Higher Education Institutions

Since the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020, e-learning has become a necessity. There may have been some uncertainty on how to perform e-learning properly because many educational institutions may not have expected the rapid change in learning style. This is especially true when it comes to offering an e-learning management system (LMS). This study aims to examine the affordances of higher education institutions in Indonesia in conducting the e-learning during the pandemic. To understand more about the adoption of e-learning in their individual institutions, we conducted an online survey towards 100 university lecturers from several cities. The results revealed that 79% of the participants used a specially built LMS in their universities, while the rest still used commercially built LMS like Moodle. Then, 82% of the participants prefer blended learning model which combined face-To-face and e-learning models, and 46% of them wanted to have a fifty-fifty division between face to face and e-learning. As for the challenges, no interaction with students was deemed as the most disturbing challenge for the lecturers. The results imply that e-learning will continue to be implemented in Indonesia, regardless of the condition of the pandemic. Thus, universities should provide an e-LMS that can cater all the e-learning needs, while lecturers should also equip themselves with pedagogical as well as technological skills to face the e-learning challenges. © 2023 IEEE.

Testing the Impact of Social Isolation on Students' Acceptance of Learning Management Systems After the COVID-19 Crisis Using a Modified UTAUT Model

After more than two years of the beginning of Covid-19 crisis, this research work investigates the students' acceptance towards utilizing learning management systems (LMSs) as a useful supporting learning medium while most of higher education institutions over the world have adopted these systems to become an indispensable, promising teaching tool and considering the distance learning as compliance to the conditions of social isolation is case of any crisis. This article analyzes the most significant factors effecting the adoption and led to the acceptance of LMSs through the higher education across 423 undergraduate and postgraduate students from several universities in Jordan. By applying the structural equation modelling, the results reveal that all proposed determinants have an impact on the adoption of distance learning, with noted significant impact for social isolation. The infection anxiety and students' level have moderated these effects on the behavioral intentions and actual use of learning management systems and show significant impact on them.

An empirical study of student performance during the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper aims to establish if any of the following characteristics are associated with a difference in student performance during the COVID-19 pandemic: online lecture attendance, study time and performance;gender, class standing (freshman (1st year), sophomore (2nd year), junior (3rd year)and senior (4th year)) and having one's own room. A Learning Management System was used to measure students' study times and performance on the assessments. A survey instrument was used to obtain information about their gender, class standing, whether they had their own room and their perceptions of online education. The study found a positive correlation between study times and performance, except for test 1 and its study time, and a positive relationship between academic performance and having their own room. There was also a difference noted between class standing and performance, however, there was no difference based on gender in the performance of the students.

Perception of Learning Management System (LMS) on the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The study investigated the perception of undergraduate students on the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) in the teaching-learning process. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The data for the study were collected using online questionnaires. The study sample comprised 551 undergraduate students from five colleges in Osun State University. The study found a significant difference in undergraduate students' perception of the use of LMS in instructional delivery based on gender, class levels and area of speciliasation. The results showed that the LMS is helpful in reflecting on students' knowledge gaps when preparing for classes. It also revealed that the cost for accessing the LMS, power failures and poor Internet services are major challenges in using the LMS platform. Hence, the study recommends students and lecturers should be encouraged to improve on their computer literacy skills to enhance their usage of the LMS and the use of the LMS should be improved upon and made functional by universities to facilitate blended learning.

Predicting students' continuance use of learning management system at a technical university using machine learning algorithms

PurposeThis study aims to investigate factors that could predict the continued usage of e-learning systems, such as the learning management systems (LMS) at a Technical University in Ghana using machine learning algorithms.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model for this study adopted a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology as a base model and incorporated the following constructs: availability of resources (AR), computer self-efficacy (CSE), perceived enjoyment (PE) and continuance intention to use (CIU). The study used an online questionnaire to collect data from 280 students of a Technical University in Ghana. The partial least square-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) method was used to determine the measurement model's reliability and validity. Machine learning algorithms were used to determine the relationships among the constructs in the proposed research model.FindingsThe findings from the study confirmed that AR, CSE, PE, performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence predicted students' continuance intention to use the LMS. In addition, CIU and facilitating conditions predicted the continuance use of the LMS.Originality/valueThe use of machine learning algorithms in e-learning systems literature has been rarely used. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on the continuance use of e-learning systems using machine learning algorithms. Furthermore, this study contributes to the literature on the continuance use of e-learning systems in developing countries, especially in a Ghanaian higher education context.

Editorial: Reflecting on the implementation of teaching and learning strategies for sustainability

LMS use and the academic performance of undergraduate students In our first Refereed Article Odekeye, Fakokunde, Metu and Adewusi investigated the perception of undergraduate students on the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) in the learning process. researchers employed a descriptive survey design and administered an online questionnaire among undergraduate students at Osun State University. Using digital tools for social engagement in remote learning The authors note that digital tools have evolved into a way of life, and as a result, they have become a growing area of interest for academics who research teaching and learning. The section closes with two studies that present use cases that may be of interest to readers on resource availability and creative use of digital tools to enhance teaching and learning in resource strained contexts. Reflections on teaching and learning post COVID-19 In this article Tiyamike Ngonda reflects on teaching and learning at two universities in Africa, considering evidence from the literature on the challenges of transition to online teaching and learning and the affordances of the learner management systems they adopted.

Acceptance of Social Media for Study Purposes—A Longitudinal Case Study

Background: Social media is a ubiquitous phenomenon that serves as a tool for communication, collaboration, and creativity. In the long term, it has an indispensable place in the field of education. The research paper discusses the use of certain social networking sites where learning management systems are extensively and consistently used in the teaching and learning process at universities. The rapid transition to online platforms had a tremendous impact on the educational process, exposing and promoting the effectiveness of heutagogy. The circumstances made it necessary to emphasize the value of self-directed learning and the capacity to identify educational requirements and strategies for reaching study objectives. This kind of research corresponds to the increased need to develop desired self-study skills in students. Objectives: The goal of the paper is to demonstrate how undergraduate students perceive the trends in acceptance and the degree of appropriateness of social media for academic purposes. Methods: Research on social media use in education was inspired by a review of the literature. The purpose of the questionnaire is to track awareness, use, general satisfaction, communication, testing, and revision. The set of social media examined in the survey (years 2021 and 2022) was modified to reflect the social media landscape at the time. This study compares the findings of four different studies. The outcomes are displayed in graphs. Results: Two areas are analyzed: 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. The first two studies, which were conducted in 2014 and 2019, are based on the same set of examined social media and fit the comparison, enabling to define the trend in students' perceived satisfaction with social media for study purposes. The third and fourth studies discussed in this paper were run during the winter semesters of 2021 and 2022. Conclusions: The most significant differences between 2021 and 2022 can be seen in Instagram, Twitch, and other platforms, where a substantial drop in satisfaction in the communication field can be seen. The biggest difference in revision and testing is found in Facebook, Twitch, and Teams, which are abandoning online teaching and learning after the COVID-19 event. Social media use for studying has significantly decreased, with noteworthy decreases in Wiki, Facebook, and video calls.

Preference For Virtual and Physical Classrooms Among Undergraduate Agriculture Students at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

This study examined the preference for virtual and physical classrooms among undergraduate agriculture students at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted and 334 students from the three Colleges of Agricultural Sciences were randomly selected for this study. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that 52.1% of the students were female, the mean age was 21.12±2.23 years. Platforms utilized by the majority of the students included Google Classroom (97.6%) and Google Meet (86.2%). It was also found that 64.4% of the students preferred virtual classrooms while 35.6% preferred physical classrooms, and that 62.0% had a positive perception of virtual classrooms. The most severe constraints to virtual learning included reduced interaction with lecturer (x=1.63) and erratic power supply (x=1.63). Results from Chi-square analyses revealed that students preference for the virtual classroom was significantly associated with their age (x2 = 8.874, p<0.05) and computer literacy level (x2 = 20.006, p<0.01). It was concluded that more Agriculture students in FUNAAB preferred virtual classrooms than physical classrooms. Among the recommendations the authors noted that University Management should ensure the provision of a constant power supply by making alternative power sources available within the Campus.

Factors related to tertiary education teachers' use of the Microsoft Teams platform

Previous research disclosed that teachers faced challenges while using different learning management systems during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study investigated teachers' perceptions of Microsoft Teams' functionalities and the extent to which they are related to teachers' time spent on it as well as the various factors associated with their syllabus coverage. Situated within human-computer interaction theory, 157 university teachers at Chouaib Doukkali University, Morocco, were administered a questionnaire that measured their perception of the functionalities offered by Microsoft Teams. Results indicated that teachers' perceptions of the functionalities offered by learning management systems also play an intervening variable in the deployment of these tools in teaching. Hence, this paper calls for an extension and re-adaptation of existing models such as the technology acceptance model and the system usability scale to include an evaluation of the functionalities offered by these tools.

E-learning platforms and their impact on university education during the COVID-19 pandemic

The current situation caused by COVID-19 has accelerated the change in lifestyles and therefore Universities have had to modify their teaching-learning models. The objective of this work is to explore the factors that affect the perception of satisfaction and the learning results of those when using online learning applications. Through a quantitative methodology and using as a basis the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Information Systems Success Model (ISs), the results were analyzed by means of PLS-SEM (Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling). The data were collected through a survey conducted by a structured questionnaire and sent to students of different levels of higher education. Among the main findings, it was obtained that the higher the satisfaction of users of online learning platforms, the higher the results. The information obtained can contribute to the Universities being able to enhance this type of tool to efficiently achieve the proposed educational objectives.

Research on the Design of Virtual Reality Online Education Information Presentation Based on Multi-Sensory Cognition

The popularity of the online teaching model increased during the COVID-19, and virtual reality online education is now firmly established as a future trend in educational growth. Human–computer interaction and collaboration between virtual models and physical entities, as well as virtual multi-sensory cognition, have become the focus of research in the field of online education. In this paper, we analyze the mapping form of teaching information and cue information on users' cognition through an experimental system and investigate the effects of the presentation form of online virtual teaching information, the length of the material, users' memory of the information, and the presentation form of information cues on users' cognitive performance. The experimental results show that different instructional information and cue presentation designs have significant effects on users' learning performance, with relatively longer instructional content being more effective and users being more likely to mechanically remember the learning materials. By studying the impact of multi-sensory information presentation on users' cognition, the output design of instructional information can be optimized, cognitive resources can be reasonably allocated, and learning effectiveness can be ensured, which is of great significance for virtual education research in digital twins.

Student satisfaction and perceived learning in an online second language learning environment: A replication of Gray and DiLoreto (2016)

The current study is an approximate replication of Gray and DiLoreto's (2016) study, which proposed a model predicting that course structure, learner interaction and instructor presence would influence students' perceived learning and satisfaction in online learning, with student engagement acting as a mediator between two of the predictors and the outcome variables. Using mixed methods, the current study investigated whether Gray and DiLoreto's model would be able to explain the relationships among the same variables in a computer-assisted language learning environment. A mediation analysis was conducted using survey responses from a sample of 215 college-level students, and qualitative analysis was conducted on the survey responses from a subsample of 50 students. Similar to Gray and DiLoreto's study, positive correlational relationships emerged between the variables. However, the model proposed by Gray and DiLoreto did not fit our data well, leading us to suggest alternative path-analytic models with both student engagement and learner interaction as mediators. These models showed that the role of course organization and instructor presence were pivotal in explaining the variation in students' perceived learning and satisfaction both directly and indirectly via student engagement and learner interaction. Moreover, qualitative analysis of students' responses to open-ended questions suggested that from students' perspectives, course structure was the most salient factor affecting their experiences within online language learning contexts, followed by learner interaction, and then by instructor presence.

Factors related to tertiary education teachers' use of the Microsoft Teams platform

Previous research disclosed that teachers faced challenges while using different learning management systems during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study investigated teachers' perceptions of Microsoft Teams' functionalities and the extent to which they are related to teachers' time spent on it as well as the various factors associated with their syllabus coverage. Situated within human-computer interaction theory, 157 university teachers at Chouaib Doukkali University, Morocco, were administered a questionnaire that measured their perception of the functionalities offered by Microsoft Teams. Results indicated that teachers' perceptions of the functionalities offered by learning management systems also play an intervening variable in the deployment of these tools in teaching. Hence, this paper calls for an extension and re-adaptation of existing models such as the technology acceptance model and the system usability scale to include an evaluation of the functionalities offered by these tools. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

University-Wide Digital Skills Training: A Case Study Evaluation

Digital competencies and confidence are thought to be critical to success in higher education. However, despite learning frequently taking place online through the use of virtual learning environment and tools such as lecture capture, and evidence to counter the idea of digital nativity, these critical skills are often not explicitly taught at university. In the present study, we describe the development and evaluation of our Essential Digital Skills programme, which is a university-wide digital training programme designed and implemented at a large London university, aimed at new students but open to all students at the University. Using Kirkpatrick's evaluation model, we demonstrate that the programme provided effective training in digital skills for all students but that individual differences exist in the training experience, notably around ethnicity and student status, with Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students and international students feeling that the training made a greater contribution to their skill levels and resulted in greater behaviour change and impact, as well as intention to undertake further training.

Evaluating the Culture of Online Learning and its Effectiveness Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic

According to Moore et al (2011) "Online learning or e-learning refers to some form of interaction between two parties (a learner and an instructor) held at different times and/or places and uses varying forms of instructional materials". With the use of technology and the internet, the students and instructors can interact in a learning environment that is web-based, known as Learning Management System (LMS) (Alias and Zainuddin, 2005). The first is DeLone and McLean (1992, 2003) information system success model that used the following variables: quality, information quality, service quality, use, user satisfaction, and net benefits (perceived individual impact and organizational impact). Table 2 shows that all indicators have factor loadings (rotated using orthogonal varimax) greater than 0.70. [...]showing indicator reliability.