Development of Teaching Digital Skills: possibilities in Distance Education

The objective of this investigation is to understand how online distance education can contribute to promoting the development of digital skills, in particular, teaching digital skills. Contemporary society increasingly demands the use of digital technologies in the various areas of life, including in the teaching and learning process, even more evident in the pandemic context of COVID-19, which caused the suspension of face-to-face classes worldwide and imposed a new educational model, facilitated by digital technologies and based on online education methodologies, designated as emergency remote teaching. Among the many challenges, teachers had to adapt and reformulate their pedagogical practices and teaching methodologies in a virtual learning environment, often without having fundamental digital skills to promote quality learning. Through a narrative bibliographic review of an exploratory nature and qualitative methodology, studies, programs and models were identified that could be used as a reference to enable training propositions for the development of teaching digital skills, a key factor for pedagogical innovation.

LearnIT2teach: Teacher training and online learning for newcomers in times of crises

How teachers creatively adopted and adapted to the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak is at the heart of the findings presented in this chapter. With the support of the Avenue-LearnIT2teach project, English Second Language (ESL) teachers in Canada enabled the rapid response of many Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs to site closures, resulting in an unprecedented uptake of online learning (OL) in a matter of weeks. The project rapidly changed course to support LINC teachers to adopt blended learning (BL) courseware and adapt teaching practices to the new OL reality. This chapter discusses the impact of the project's efforts to meet the surge in demand in teacher training and learner courseware for these online immigrant settlement and language learning programs. The project's rapid response to onsite LINC program closures during the COVID-19 crisis is reviewed. As a result of the disruptions to in-person program delivery, the focus of the project has shifted from blended learning (BL) to online learning (OL) by adapting its formal and informal professional development (PD) offerings. Findings with respect to the surge in demand for teacher training, course development, and mentoring are presented. Feedback from teachers on the "front lines" further illustrates teachers' OL uptake. The chapter also addresses the impact of formal and informal PD provided by a committed team of mentors as well as the importance of teacher presence in online program delivery. Implications and recommendations with respect to rapid responses in situations of crises conclude the chapter. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Teaching quantitative and non-quantitative courses: Online and remote delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper presents the experiences and perspectives of two Yorkville University faculty members teaching quantitative and non-quantitative courses to BBA students remotely and online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors discuss new issues faced while teaching online during the crisis. Most universities have shifted their existing courses to the online remote mode of delivery without making any changes to the course design. This study examines teaching differences for quantitative and non-quantitative courses online with a view to make recommendations based on our teaching experiences for transitioning such courses to remote synchronous delivery online. This paper also explores new methods that have been applied during online teaching while conducting different assessments (e.g., quizzes and exams). The authors share their challenges and issues based on two specific courses - Statistics for Business and Introduction to Marketing, which are typical examples of quantitative and non-quantitative courses. The paper suggests teaching approaches and how to conduct assessments online for these types of courses. These recommendations invite further discussion and research into online teaching. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Heading for the Future After COVID-19: Reflections and Recommendations on Teaching Processes in a Rapidly Changing Learning Landscape

The COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges for instructors and students. Professors, for example, struggled to quickly and effectively migrate face-to-face courses to remote teaching modalities. What had not been anticipated, however, were the additional challenges to be managed when returning to face-to-face and in-person teaching. This reflective essay provides some insight into how faculty at the University of Puerto Rico attempted to modify teaching practices to re-engage disengaged students as they returned to the campus classroom. Also, recommendations about how to move forward by applying a pedagogy of renewal are made.

Loneliness, academic self-efficacy, and student engagement in the online learning environment: the role of humor in learning

This study investigated the impact of loneliness on academic self-efficacy (ASE) and student engagement in the context of remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, as a boundary condition, we examined the role of intermediate ASE in the relationship between loneliness, student engagement, and perceived humor in learning. A total of 367 undergraduate students from six universities in Indonesia completed an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Macro Process version 4 to test the moderating mediation model hypothesis. As expected, the study results show that loneliness is negatively related to ASE and student engagement. ASE is proven to affect student engagement positively;concurrently, it plays an intermediate role in the link between loneliness and student engagement. Finally, humor had a significant moderating effect on learning in the tested model. This study contributes to the existing literature on loneliness and student engagement by uncovering the intermediate role of ASE. Drawing on the social cognitive theory (SCT) and instructional humor processing theory (IHTP), we explored how perceived humor in learning moderates the relationships between loneliness, ASE, and student engagement. © 2024, Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education. All rights reserved.

Multiliteracies in the Analysis of a Multimodal Tweet from a Former Brazilian Minister of Education

The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly led millions of teachers and students in Brazil to migrate massively, quickly, and at scale to online remote teaching. This created a strong tension between different sectors of society and rekindled (old) beliefs, values, and prejudices related to the use of new technologies in education. On the one hand are vehement defenders for adoption of these technologies at schools;on the other are those who reject them, as they consider that transitioning from in-presence to online teaching at scale is a very difficult and highly complex undertaking for education systems. In this chapter, one seeks to discuss how the perspective of multiliteracies, updated for the currently pervasively digital age, can contribute to understanding the clash between defense and resistance to new technologies at schools. To do so, first, this article will explore the main features and concepts of the theory of multiliteracies. Second, in order to highlight the close relationship between multiliteracies and education, the article analyzes an example of a multimodal tweet posted on Twitter by a former Minister of Education in Brazil, addressing the Brazilian public school setting of online remote teaching.

Analysis of emergency remote teaching in formal education: crosschecking three contemporary techno-pedagogical frameworks

During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak many countries around the world were forced to turn to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) and upscale the use of digital technologies for learning, teaching and assessment. The current study analysed field reports from 89 elementary and secondary Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking information and communication technology schools in Israel, representing the cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity of the education system. The qualitative analysis of the collected data was based on three well established contemporary models of technology integration and Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu): the International Society for Technology in Education, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and DigCompEdu. The analysis (n = 872 statements) yielded aspects in the teachers' reports that correspond with the theoretical models, along-side aspects that extend these models to ERT and aspects that were missing from the reports. Finally, based on our findings and previous work we suggested a comprehensive framework for ERT that can be used to design teachers' professional development necessary for effective remote teaching in both emergency and routine times. © 2023, Association for Learning Technology. All rights reserved.

Online University Teaching During COVID-19: The Malaysian Experience

Malaysia, like the rest of the world, was hard hit by SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19. After the first COVID-19 case was detected in Malaysia (on January 25, 2020) and traced back to three Chinese nationals, the country was put under Movement Control Order (MCO), a partial lockdown, initially for two weeks, on 18th March. Among MCO consequences: close major economic sectors and educational institutions. Public universities, which began a new semester under a Ministry of Higher Education ruling, switched to online teaching and learning. This chapter chronicles public university experiences with online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 period. A brief background captures the measures taken by the government;how these steps affected university education is appraised next;and finally, the steps taken by the universities to activate online teaching and learning. What challenges cropped up and how to deal with them are acknowledged before drawing conclusions from the online teaching and learning experiences of Malaysian universities. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

Norms, appropriation, and social affordances in studying in emergency remote teaching: a meta-analysis of student experiences

In March 2020, all Swedish university education went online practically overnight due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study focuses on how university students experienced emergency remote teaching in the autumn of 2020. This article provides a thematic meta-analysis of 53 student group reports based on a total of 247 interviews with third-year university students. The findings suggest three themes of particular interest regarding what areas the students themselves find important or challenging: awareness of what it means to be a student, technology reframing communication, and the need for explicit guidance. The findings are discussed in relation to norms, appropriation, and social affordances, as important factors to consider in emergency remote teaching. [or as] blended or hybrid courses and that will return to that format once the crisis or emergency has abated” (Hodges et al., 2020, p. 7). The primary objective "is not to re-create a robust educational ecosystem, but rather to provide temporary access to instruction and instructional support in a manner that is quick to set up and is reliably available during an emergency or crisis” (Hodges et al., 2020, p. 7). One important characteristic of ERT is that it is a short-term solution, with the ambition of going back to the format used before ERT. Therefore, ERT's "intent is to create temporary access to instruction and instructional support that is easily implemented and available during [a] crisis” (Rivera et al, 2021, p. 213). Although ERT is a short-term solution without any explicit pedagogical or didactical ambitions, ERT may include qualities that the unique students appre-ciate. In this article, we use ERT as a descriptive framing of the educational situation in the autumn of 2020. Scope and research question Although there is a growing body of primarily quantitative studies on ERT, there is still a limited number of qualitative studies on students' experiences of ERT during the COVID-19 pandemic. An in-depth understanding of students' experiences is essential in order to provide a nuanced picture of the qualities and challenges associated with ERT. The research question for this study is thus: How do university students experience emergency remote teaching (ERT)? The scope of this study is a qualitative analysis of Swedish university students' responses to interview questions regarding their experiences of ERT. The empirical data give a unique insight into how 247 third-year university students experienced ERT during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Patrik Hernwall, Annika Käck & Johan Stymne.

Keeping a school community together in times of COVID-19

The goal of this chapter is to share a series of teaching-learning activities carried out online with a group of high school students in Bergamo, the Italian city that was most affected by COVID-19, in March 2020. This research examines the necessary changes that had to be introduced, not only in the teaching of the English language but also in a new relationship established with the students and the school community. The changes were related to students' mental health and emotions. Online teaching activities were tailored to the new situation being experienced, taking into account that learning online for students could represent a good way of not losing contact with the school community and helping each other to face difficulties, grief, and loneliness. Three case studies are examined. They demonstrate how the main aims of learning a language during a disease outbreak were very different from those planned for a traditional teaching curriculum in normal times. They show how learning technologies can be very helpful to achieve these aims. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Hands on activities in emergency remote teaching – form and subject content in science and technology education in the primary teacher program during covid-19

Teacher education has a dual mission;to teach specific subject content to student teachers but also to provide them with examples of how this subject content can be taught in a school context. This dual task is particularly important and difficult in relation to technology and science education, where construction activities, laboratory work and excursions are central practices. As covid-19 struck, Swedish universities had to adapt to emergency remote teaching, ERT. In this study, we explore three university teachers' experiences of adapting laboratory work, excursions, and construction tasks to ERT. The analysis shows that both form and subject content were affected by this adaptation in that students' opportunity to practice science and technological practices and procedures decreased, as well as teachers' possibility to gain feedback from their students. In turn, new ways of communicating and supporting students were developed. © 2022 Johanna Frejd & Jonas Hallström.

Remote teaching in the pandemic: Opportunities fora transformative learning

The Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced remote teaching (RT) as a trend in management education. This research reflects on the central elements that make RT a transformative learning (TL) experience, based on a case study of a TL-anchored sustainability discipline that was migrated to RL during the pandemic. Theoretically, we propose a framework or reference that combines TL, education for sustainability (EfS), and communicative ecosystem (CE) theories;we also extend the concept of RL, coining the term 'transformative remote teaching' (TRT). With regard to practice, students' feedback points to three elements that are key for TRT: exploring different windows of knowledge;rethinking the teaching role;and adapting tools to support the teaching-learning process. We conclude by highlighting the need to approach education in ways anchored in epistemological, paradigmatic, and transformative changes.

Analysis of Barriers in Conduct of Lab Based Courses in Remote Teaching Learning Paradigm

Many countries are implementing distance learning in response to the Covid19 pandemic. Distance learning helped learners continue their studies as schools and universities were closed due to the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of Covid-19 lockdown on learners' academic performance. This research focuses on the challenges faced by distance learning learners. The purpose of this study is to identify barriers to distance learning. This study applies the DEMATEL (Decision Making Test and Evaluation Institute) approach to assess the barriers faced by learners in distance learning. The DEMATEL strategy is being used to identify the key factors by identifying the interrelationships between the various factors. A quantitative survey method using a structured questionnaire was carried out. The questionnaire was administered to a cohort of 54 undergraduate engineering students of third semester (2nd year) pursuing Bachelor of Technology (Information Technology) in India. This study found that motivation, social interaction, and resource costs were assessed in causal groups with RiCi scores of 0.332, 0.1774, and 0.113, respectively. Technical concerns and administrative issues are categorized in the effect group with Ri-Ci values of-0.333 and-0.287 respectively and are the most important criteria based on first and second highest Ri+Ci values of 0.646524 and 0.59817, respectively. Our findings reveal that motivation is the most important barrier in remote teaching learning. A sense of self-motivation can be induced by organizing workshops, practical sessions and grooming sessions. The study would benefit academic institutions and learners as it would help them to enrich the remote teaching learning process. © 2022 by the authors.

Online teachers from offline worlds: Lessons learned

This chapter describes the professional development experience implemented at a Colombian university at the onset of COVID-19 to help alleviate concerns resulting from transforming face-to-face to emergency remote courses. After a review of the literature, we implemented a program for faculty that focused on three key points: (1) exploring the types of technology available for each modality and how to successfully integrate them into the teachers' practice;(2) clarifying the concepts around each modality and how they are implemented;and (3) supporting educational and emotional needs to help faculty and their students during this time. Feedback from faculty was positive although some professors felt overwhelmed at the beginning of the process. In addition, many professors took active roles to help their colleagues promoting emergent learning communities. Future implications show that despite having institutional professional development to meet immediate needs in crisis situations, it also could be useful to tap into the knowledge and experiences of the institution's faculty. Furthermore, continuing professional development for online teaching and learning is essential, thus allowing sufficient time for faculty to learn, adopt, and adapt to new technological tools. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Exploring the Effect of Remote Teaching on Preservice Special Education Teachers Motivation During COVID-19 Pandemic

The study aimed to explore the impact of remote teaching on the motivation towards learning of special education students in a private university in the UAE. The researchers administered a 22-item questionnaire to 150 special education students and analyzed the data collected to determine the level of their motivation towards remote teaching. The results of the study revealed that the motivation of special education students towards remote teaching was moderate. The study also found that there was no significant difference in motivation levels based on gender, academic year, and job status. The findings of this study can be beneficial for designing and implementing teacher education programs that cater to the needs of special education students. Furthermore, the study provides valuable insights into the effective use of remote teaching in special education. The implications of the study suggest that educators need to develop specific strategies to increase the motivation of special education students towards remote learning. For example, educators may consider the use of interactive and engaging teaching methods, such as gamification or multimedia tools, to increase student engagement and motivation. Finally, the study recommends further research to explore the impact of remote teaching on the academic performance of special education students. Further research can help to identify effective teaching strategies that can enhance student learning outcomes and contribute to the development of effective teacher training programs. © 2023 Otjivanda Presse.Essen. All rights reserved.

Designing for digital transformation of residency education - a post-pandemic pedagogical response.

BACKGROUND: The forced transition to emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted health professions education worldwide. In Sweden, the need for alternative solutions for the training of junior doctors became urgent, as many of the mandatory onsite courses required for residents to qualify as specialists were canceled. The purpose of this study was to understand course leaders' perceptions and experiences of using digital technologies, such as video conferencing, to teach medical residents (ST) during the pandemic and beyond. METHODS: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with seven course leaders responsible for residency courses during the first year of the pandemic to capture their perceptions and experiences. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis, drawing on the technology affordances and constraints theory (TACT) as a framework to explore pedagogical strategies and new teaching practices emerging from the forced use of digital technologies for remote teaching. RESULTS: The data analysis revealed affordances of, as well as constraints to, teaching specialist medical training during the pandemic. The findings show that the use of digital conference technologies for ERT can both enable and inhibit social interactions, the interactive learning environment and the utilization of technological features, depending on the individual course leaders' goals of using the technology and the situated context of the teaching. CONCLUSIONS: The study reflects the course leaders' pedagogical response to the pandemic, as remote teaching became the only way to provide residency education. Initially, the sudden shift was perceived as constraining, but over time they found new affordances through the enforced use of digital technology that helped them not only to cope with the transition but also to innovate their pedagogical methods. After a rapid, forced shift from on-site to digital courses, it is crucial to utilize experiences to create better preconditions for digital technology to facilitate learning in the future.

Transition to hybrid teaching of mathematics: challenges and coping strategies of Swedish teachers.

Sweden was one of the few countries that did not close down their schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. Different hybrid teaching methods were adopted, some of which are here to stay. This qualitative study explores the challenges that Swedish mathematics teachers had transitioning from face-to-face to hybrid teaching and the coping strategies that they adopted to reduce the effect of these challenges on their practices, well-being and students' learning experiences. The results from the study were gathered from some 51 primary and secondary mathematics teachers in Stockholm using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analysed with cognisance of Lazarus and Folkman's coping theory and Simonson's equivalence theory. The results revealed that hybrid teaching had some negative impact on teaching quality, student achievement, student health, teacher workload, and teacher-student dialogue, which underpins the Swedish school curriculum. This lack of dialogue and high-quality interaction undermines the equivalency theory principle, which suggests that the format of instruction should not influence the quality of students' learning experiences. Also, the results revealed that majority of the teachers ascribed positively to problem-based coping strategies as compared to the emotion-based coping strategy as they worked hard to provide students with good learning opportunities.

Blended/flipped biology classes during COVID-19.

Higher education has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting universities worldwide. Unexpectedly, the global academic community was forced to transition to remote and online learning. In many cases, fragilities in the systems of the higher education institutions were exposed, pointing to the need for investment in developing more digital solutions, infrastructure, and teaching modalities. In the post-COVID-19 era, the development and adoption of robust pedagogical modalities is crucial to provide the education systems with effective strategies for designing high-quality courses. Since 2008, MOOCs have been widely used to support billions of students worldwide with flexible, accessible, and high-quality learning experiences. This study attempts to investigate the effectiveness of adopting the MOOC-based flipped approach. We present findings and lessons learned from adopting this approach in two different biology classes using the MITx online materials. Findings on students' preparedness, students' performance, MOOCs integration evaluation, and during-pandemic approach assessment are also explained. In general, the results indicated that students favored the overall experience and the implemented approach. Since the online learning is currently at an evolving stage in Egypt, we believe this study's results might be beneficial for policymakers and Egyptian education institutions in designing strategies to improve the education process.

Rethinking determinants of primary school teachers' technology acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers to suddenly change their teaching mode from face-to-face to emergency remote teaching creating the biggest disruption in the history of education. Despite facing significant challenges such as a lack of proper information technology training, teaching unprepared students, and infrastructural barriers, there is a gap in research on primary school teachers' readiness to integrate technology. This study aims to address this gap by utilizing the technology acceptance model to explore the relationships between primary school teachers' computer self-efficacy beliefs, attitudes, and intentions to incorporate computer-based technology during times of disruption. Participants were N = 144 Greek, primary school teachers, who taught in virtual settings during the pandemic. Findings from structural equation modeling showed that self-efficacy beliefs, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness are strong predictors of teachers' attitudes towards computer use. The study adds to the scarce literature on the crucial role of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs as drivers of their intention to use technology during emergency remote teaching. Additionally, it highlights the need to consider the unique circumstances in which technology is used and provides insights that can inform the design of effective interventions and policies.

Comparative study between delivery modalities in higher education during emergency remote teaching due to COVID-19

Despite the difficulties faced during Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also true that such a situation has left a series of learnings that educational institutions around the world should capitalize on. Under this scenario, interest arose in studying three delivery modalities (face-to-face, hybrid, and remote) at the university level, aiming to compare the students' learning level and their perceptions of each delivery modality. The present study was developed in a private university in Mexico, following a quantitative methodological approach involving 360 students and 14 professors from various schools and geographical locations. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests and a perception questionnaire for students. Findings suggest that the students' learning level in every modality varies by school and that students positively perceive the three delivery modalities, albeit identifying factors that foster and hinder their learning process in each one. The results of this study contribute to strengthening the research field on teaching during ERT, allowing educational institutions to make better decisions regarding the quality of the educational offer.