Pandemic Pedagogy: Elements of Online Supportive Course Design

The purpose of this study was to identify which course design elements students perceive as supporting an easier transition to emergency remote teaching due to COVID-19, as well as to use those items to develop the Online Supportive Course Design (OSCD) measure. By asking students to rate their course with the easiest transition and hardest transition to emergency remote teaching, this study identified which structural elements were most important for supporting students during the transition. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a seven-item measure was developed to operationalize OSCD, and initial validity was established by examining the relationships between OSCD, autonomy support, and teacher competence. Finally, practical implications for university faculty and areas for future research are discussed.

Reconfiguration of L2 Chinese Learners' Ecologies of Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China and the US

This chapter examines how L2 Chinese learners' ecologies of resources were reconfigured at universities in China and the US when face-to-face instruction was abruptly migrated to remote delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter first conceptualizes four general categories of resources that support the L2 Chinese learners, that is, environment, technological tools, people, and knowledge and skills, then identifies the specific resources available to them during this global crisis and discusses how these resources interacted with the L2 Chinese learners to support their learning. Findings indicate that all four categories of resources were significantly restructured. While similarities can be found in how the ecologies of resources were reconfigured at universities in China and the US, some differences and reasons behind them were highlighted as well. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Emergency Remote Instruction (ERI) in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Educators at Zimbabwean Higher Education Institutions

As part of COVID-19 containment measures, the government of Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency on 17 March 2020 and higher education institutions closed by 24 March 2020. Against this background, this chapter seeks to examine the experiences and preparedness of educators in adopting, and adapting to, emergency remote instruction (ERI) on one hand, and availability of infrastructure that facilitates ERI on the other hand. Our study was prompted by the prevailing challenges faced by educators in transitioning from conventional face-to-face teaching to ERI through Google Classroom, Zoom teaching, and other platforms. This qualitative research adopted an exploratory research design. Data was gathered through telephone interviews, Zoom and Skype meetings, and online questionnaires. Purposive and convenient samplings were utilized for the selection of six key informants and 30 educators from six higher education institutions in Zimbabwe. The findings reveal that the majority of the educators were not ready to adopt ERI in performing their duties. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Mitigating learning disruption: School leadership sensemaking and preparation for blended and remote learning during COVID-19 school closures

School closures resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic had deleterious effects on student learning requiring continuous school improvement efforts to recover from the learning loss. This study investigated the level of preparedness of K-12 school leaders for the implementation of blended or remote instruction in an online environment during the pandemic. This entailed how principals and assistant principals evaluated teacher pedagogy in their school communities, while using their lived instructional leadership experiences to reduce the uncertainty, chaos, and student learning disruption that was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The director of a New York City principal leadership pipeline program for aspiring school leaders and four school leaders were interviewed about their level of preparedness to implement online instruction. Participants reported inconsistent professional learning to support the implementation of online instruction. Asynchronous virtual professional learning modules were designed and disseminated to the participants to strengthen their pedagogies using an online instructional delivery method. In addition, a rubric to gauge non-evaluative online teaching was introduced. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated for the online modules, revealing participant satisfaction with the professional learning modules and change agency for the participants and their school communities. These findings can inform school leaders on how to support online instruction in their school communities and approaches to mitigating student learning disruption in an online environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Social and Emotional Learning during Pandemic-Related Remote and Hybrid Instruction: Teacher Strategies in Response to Trauma

Schools play an important role in fostering student intrapersonal and interpersonal skills and development, also known as social and emotional learning (SEL). This study examined how K–12 teachers used student SEL strategies in remote and hybrid classroom environments during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of heightened distress and trauma. Survey data were collected from 26 teachers in Southern California and follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 teachers. Responses were analyzed from an integrated SEL- and trauma-informed perspective. Themes that emerged included focusing on relationships;building routines and predictability;creating space to identify and share feelings;incorporating movement, mindfulness, and play;implementing culturally affirming practices;providing student choice and leadership;and engaging and collaborating with families. Various challenges associated with implementing SEL during COVID-19 are discussed, including teacher burnout, being unsure who was listening in on class conversations, and feeling disconnected in an online environment. Recommendations for practice and further research are provided.

Supporting grandchildren's remote instruction during COVID-19: Experiences of custodial grandmothers.

While negative impacts of COVID-19-related remote instruction on children continue to emerge, it appears that vulnerable students will disproportionately bear the burden. One such vulnerable population is children being raised by grandparents. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to gain insight into custodial grandmothers' (CGMs) experiences of their grandchildren's remote instruction, as well as individual and contextual factors associated with these experiences. A national sample of 315 CGMs, drawn from two randomized clinical trials, completed an online survey in Spring of 2020. Results of a thematic analysis and supplemental quantitative analyses revealed three themes. First, access to technology and instructional supports were critical to the success of remote instruction, with barriers being difficulties using technology and poor-quality remote instruction. Next, grandchild socioemotional difficulties, and fit with remote instruction, were central to their engagement and success with remote instruction. Finally, CGMs experienced multiple stressors related to managing the demands of remote instruction, work, and family. Challenges associated with remote instruction were related to pre-pandemic difficulties such as grandchild problems and CGM depressive symptoms. Collectively, the results highlight how multiple adversities may have amplified grandchildren's existing vulnerability to negative outcomes. Implications are addressed, including strategies for supporting children raised by grandparents beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drawing from and Expanding their Toolboxes: Preschool Teachers' Traditional Strategies, Unconventional Opportunities, and Novel Challenges in Scaffolding Young Children's Social and Emotional Learning During Remote Instruction Amidst COVID-19.

Building on aspects of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory centering around social interaction and adult scaffolding as essential to children's learning, this study investigated the most prominently used strategies by eight teachers to scaffold social and emotional learning (SEL) in preschool children (ages 3-4) in the context of remote instruction during the 2021-2022 school year amidst COVID-19. These teachers (seven females and one male) came from two urban preschools funded by their local Board of Education in the state of New Jersey in the United States. These teachers (ages 28-44 years, M = 32 years) varied in teaching experience from five to 29 years (M = 13 years). Each teacher was interviewed for an average of 40 min virtually via Zoom. The interviews were digitally recorded and then transcribed for analysis. A thematic analysis of the data revealed that the three most salient strategies the teachers implemented to virtually scaffold the children's SEL were: (1) involving book reading and discussion, (2) utilizing visuals, and (3) engaging in targeted conversations. In addition to adapting these three traditional strategies applied during in-person instruction to remote instruction, the teachers creatively and appropriately leveraged online resources to further scaffold and enhance children's SEL in the unconventional virtual environment, thereby expanding their toolboxes. Despite their intentional efforts, these teachers found that there were unconventional opportunities and novel challenges in scaffolding children's SEL during remote instruction not traditionally found during in-person instruction. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest that in-person instruction, due to its social nature, is still the most optimal condition for promoting children's SEL.

Indian Primary Grade Teachers' Perceptions About Internal and External Barriers to Remote Instruction: A Phenomenological Inquiry

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of primary grade teachers in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Sambalpur about the barriers they faced in implementing remote instruction effectively during the pandemic. Interviews were conducted over Zoom and via phone. The findings highlighted two sources of barriers. The external barriers included lack of device availability and internet data issues, professional development issues and teachers' own efforts, time commitment to prepare materials, and classroom management challenges. Teachers' lack of positive beliefs about remote instruction surfaced as an internal barrier. The findings are consistent with studies conducted by researchers globally and bear implications for early childhood teachers, parents, programs, and policymakers. While research findings have exposed global unpreparedness to implement remote instruction effectively during the pandemic, these findings have also made the field aware of the need for harnessing the potential of technology in enhancing teaching and learning processes and outcomes. Future researchers may design mixed-method studies to identify the extent of children's learning loss and evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs offered by schools to help children achieve their current grade level competencies by the end of the academic year. Gathering teachers' and parents' voice is critical in this context. © 2023 Childhood Education International.

Logistic Regression Model for Measuring Perception on Open and Distance Learning (ODL) during COVID-19 Pandemic based on Impeding Factors among Students

Authorities have suggested emergency remote instruction to guarantee that students are not left idle during the pandemic due to the sudden closing of educational facilities. Then for the time being, traditional methods (face-to-face) have been replaced by Open and Distance Learning (ODL). Face-to-face learning was preferred by the majority of students over online learning since students were not able transit to online learning and lacked inspiration. Hence, this study focuses on perception towards ODL during COVID-19 among statistics' students at FSKM UiTM Shah Alam based on some impeding factors such as social issue, lecturer issue, accessibility issue, academic issue, generic skills and learner intentions. The aim of this study is to investigate the perception of statistics' students on ODL based on impeding factors and to identify the significant impeding factors effect on statistics students' perception on ODL. There are 160 observations that are used in this study. The methods that are being used in this study are descriptive analysis and logistic regression. Overall, from the result obtained, students' perception on ODL are approximately to agree for social issue, academic issue and learner intentions variables. Meanwhile, the significance impeding factors in this study are social issue and learner intentions. This study may help higher education institution to improve and make a better strategy to improve the existing teaching method that have been applied by all lecturers. © 2022 IEEE.

Teachers' Readiness for Emergency Remote Teaching and Its Relation to Subject Area During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In many countries the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020–May 2021), was a year of emergency remote teaching (ERT). Teachers were not prepared in terms of their technological, pedagogical, emotional readiness. This study investigates teachers' readiness for ERT and analyzes the changes in readiness for ERT in the first two school years during the pandemic (2020–2021). Study also searches for development and differences in readiness for ERT depending on teachers' subject area (SA). Based on the existing research and tools available to measure the readiness for online teaching, a self-evaluation survey was developed and adapted for the remote teaching circumstances. It consisted of 32 items, organized into five sub-domains: "Required individual and administrative support”, "Student engagement and communication”, "Digital resources used in ERT”, "Teaching methods used in ERT” and "Attitude to ERT”. Total "Readiness for ERT” was calculated by summarizing the answers in all sub-domains. The results confirm that emergency remote teaching from March 2020 to May 2021 had a significant impact on Latvian teachers' Readiness for ERT: it had become significantly higher in all subject areas, except Native language and Computer Science. The significant differences (readiness gap) found in the first months of remote teaching had decreased by May 2021 because of the great amount of ERT practice hours, online webinars and consultations. Subject area did not determine teachers' readiness for ERT, but added to it. Teachers' pedagogical competence and attitude were more important for Readiness for ERT than digital competence and technological skills. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Faculty, FERPA, and COVID-19

This qualitative case study was conducted to understand the experiences of Ten faculty participants at a private, not for profit, 4-year degree granting, high research institution located in the Northeast, who needed to change from in person instruction to remote teaching due to COVID-19 during Spring 2020, as they prepared to protect student privacy while teaching online. In addition, this study sought to better understand how faculty were protecting and sharing student data, PII, and other personal information during that time. Data for this study was collected through semi-structured interviews. Narrative methods informed my choice of interviewing because this method provided a vehicle for me to gather stories and rich descriptions that cannot be gathered through a survey. Using such an approach, I was able to use the guided questions to see how faculty were prepared, if at all, to change from teaching in person to teaching online and if this transition may have played a role as it relates to FERPA. Using a two-stage coding method process I analyzed the data, and summarizing each interview into a narrative, experiences and challenges participants shared were depicted.I highlight the findings of the study and discuss how these findings support the three Research Questions, and how the findings of this study provide a greater understanding of the faculty experience during Spring 2020, revealing the importance to inform future literature. The following themes emerged from this study: (a) control, (b) preparation, (c) time, (d) best practices, (e) yearning for more, (d) survival and (e) instinct. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

First-Year Engineering Students' Experiences and Motivation Amid Emergency Remote Instruction

Contribution: The study provides empirical evidence and a deeper understanding of COVID-19’s impact on first-year engineering (FYE) students’learning experiences and motivation while accounting for gender and race/ethnicity-based variations. Background: In the Spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced campuses to close and shift unexpectedly to emergency remote instruction. These rapid transitions impacted all students, including FYE students. Research Questions: Based on the importance of the first-year experience of engineering students, this study investigated two research questions: 1) How does the rapid transition to emergency remote instruction affect FYE students’learning experiences? and 2) How do students’learning experiences during the pandemic relate to their motivation (self-efficacy and task value)? Methodology: A multimethod approach is used to investigate students’experiences on two dimensions: 1) engagement, learning, effort, concentration, interest, and interactions and 2) time management, study settings, and resources, by using ANOVA, regression models, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Students who reported increased value of learning experiences reported higher self-efficacy and task value. Also, the results indicated that international students reported increased learning of new concepts, concentration in the class, interactions with instructors, and higher self-efficacy, while White and Asian students reported higher task value and availability of resources. IEEE

Home learning environments during the covid-19 pandemic: Caregivers' and children's perceptions

In this study, we explored Pre-K through 3rd-grade children's home learning environments and caregivers' perceptions, strategies, and attitudes regarding home learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included 10 caregivers and their Pre-K through 3rd-grade children. Data were collected via caregiver and child interviews, and a caregiver survey in Summer 2020. Descriptive statistics, and open, axial, and selective coding were used to analyze research data. Findings indicated that caregivers provided academic support for children's learning, supervised their children's technology use for academic purposes, and created study areas. Children's learning activities were mainly in mathematics and language arts. During COVID-19, children completed homework and participated in activities with caregivers and siblings. Children reported missing their schools, friends, teachers, and school activities. Findings deepened our limited understanding of the home learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic from caregivers' and children's perspectives and illuminated possible pathways to improve children's learning at home with the assistance of caregivers and technology use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The Perceived Self-Efficacy of Teachers in the Use of Digital Tools during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study between Spain and the United States.

This study analyzed the use of fifteen groups of digital tools that 197 active teachers made during the sudden shift to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 quarantine orders placed by various health departments in Spain and the United States. The study also examined the impact that the use of digital tools had on teachers' perceived self-efficacy. A quantitative research design was used, supported by an exploratory descriptive approach that materializes in the application of an online questionnaire during the spring of 2020. The results indicate that perceived self-efficacy differs from country of origin and is conditioned by sociodemographic variables such as the training received and type of center. It is noted that teachers in Spain prefer the use of Moodle or Escholarium over that of teachers in the United States that opted for Google Classroom as a primary platform for teaching online, and the frequency of use of digital tools analyzed does not guarantee that their implementation is effective.

Challenges to Remote Instruction During the Pandemic: A Qualitative Study with Primary Grade Teachers in India.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profound implications for education of young children worldwide and especially for children in developing economies like India. This article presents a qualitative study that explored the challenges that private school teachers in low budget, mid-ranged, and high fee charging private schools faced in two cities in India. All the private schools in this study also followed the government mandate to reserve 25% of seats for children from low-income families. During the school closure, remote instruction was employed in schools where participating teachers taught. Teachers faced challenges related to parental involvement and children's participation in remote instruction. Parental involvement challenges included parental lack of access to technological devices and no or minimal access to internet for their children to participate in remote instruction activities. Parental lack of support due to their low technological literacy and literacy in general, lack of fluency in the English Language, as well as lack of time also contributed to their children's low participation in remote instruction. Teachers faced challenges in implementing remote instruction with children from different socio-economic backgrounds; however, the challenges were greater with families from low-income backgrounds. The study's findings suggest that governments around the world need to ensure children's access to digital tools and internet services which are essential elements in children's participation in remote instruction. For children in families where parents are unable to support their children's education at home, other support services may be instituted to take the pressure off of parents. Future studies may explore the 'learning loss' that may have resulted from the long school closure during the pandemic.

Parent Perceptions of Remote Instruction for Students with Extensive Support Needs

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools shifted to nontraditional education overnight, disrupting learning for millions of children in the United States. Despite the broad impact of these shifts in schooling, its effects have not been uniform. How would the specialized instructional supports known to be effective in meeting the needs of students with extensive support needs (ESN) be provided remotely? We interviewed eight mothers of students with ESN to learn how nontraditional education impacted the educational experiences of students with ESN. Our findings included the overall perception that nontraditional education was highly unsuccessful and could not replace in-person learning for participants' children. Findings also highlighted challenges participants experienced when working to support their children's at-home learning, as well as the unexpected benefits participants reported from remote service delivery that may be considered as future recommendations of instructional practices for students with ESN. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' instructional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools transitioned to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). In May 2020, as part of an existing study of flipped Algebra instruction, we interviewed eleven Missouri teachers to understand how their instruction changed as they moved to ERT. Drawing on practical rationality, we found the pandemic led to a breach of norms (assigning grades, synchronous meeting times, delivering new content, and students' completion of work). Findings highlight the interconnected nature of norms and reveal differences in teachers' responses to the breach of norms. We found administrative policies, particularly around grading, significantly impact teachers' decisions during ERT.

A Descriptive Review of Telehealth for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Since the early 2000s, telehealth has been used to provide behavior analytic intervention to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Evaluating evidence supporting telehealth remains valuable, especially as there has been increased accessibility since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is empirical support for telehealth as an effective service-delivery option, important variables (e.g., costs, implementer training) remain unknown. Despite potential roles in telehealth service-delivery models, a careful review of participant prerequisite skills, implementer characteristics (e.g., experience, education), technology variables (e.g., HIPAA compliance), and skill(s) targeted (i.e., mastered or untrained skills) have not been considered. Therefore, we aimed to extend prior telehealth literature reviews by evaluating current research across variables important for telehealth service-delivery involving individuals with ASD. We found thorough descriptions of participants and implementers, implementer training, and social validity evaluations. Limitations of telehealth literature include exclusion of teen and adult participants, limited description of prerequisite skills and evaluations of direct telehealth interventions. Future research areas were identified.

Digital Technologies in Orientation and Mobility Instruction for People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision

This paper investigates the tools and practices used by Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialists in instructing people who are blind or have low vision in concepts, skills, and techniques for safe and independent travel. Based on interviews with experienced instructors who practice in different O&M settings we find that a shortage of qualified specialists and restrictions on in-person activities during COVID-19 has accelerated interest in remote instruction and assessment, while widespread adoption of smartphones with accessibility support has driven interest in assistive apps. This presents both opportunities and challenges for a practice that is traditionally conducted in-person and assessed through qualitative observations. In response we identify multiple opportunities for HCI research in service of O&M, including: supporting a 'physician's assistant' model of remote O&M instruction and assessment, matching O&M instructors' clients with guide dogs, highlighting clients' progress towards O&M goals, and collaboratively planning routes and monitoring clients' independent travel progress. © 2022 ACM.

Did they Manage to Meet Students' Needs? English Language Instructors' Experiences of Remote Instruction Differentiation

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted English language teaching (ELT) in many ways, and it has pushed language educators to the limit. Due to the shift to virtual education, the non-mediated in-person support that many instructors used to acknowledge their students‟ needs, is no longer available. A question of significant relevance to this ongoing emergency shift is: How do English language instructors differentiate remote instruction? Differentiated Remote Instruction (DRI) is the pedagogical approach that is needed for successful e-learning and remote teaching. Guided by three main research questions, this study examines the adoption and challenges of differentiated remote instruction (DRI) in online classrooms by English language college instructors during COVID-19 in the Saudi context. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, and the examination is based on online surveys filled out by 172 English language instructors and a thematic analysis of six semi-structured interviews. Analysis has yielded interesting findings on the differentiation practices and challenges among virtual language instructors. Findings show that there are some factors related to 1) students;2) instructors;and 3) technological issues that affect and challenge the implementation of DRI in EFL virtual classrooms. Moreover, despite the DRI challenges faced by the EFL instructors, they did attempt to find methods to deal with them. These methods were related to effective teaching through online platforms (LMS), early diagnosis and interventions for problem and weak learners, specific tailoring of lessons and activities, and dedicating one-on-one online sessions for students in need. © 2022 Sciedu Press. All rights reserved.