Examination of Variables Affecting the Perceptions of Academic Performance of Higher Education Students during the Distance Education Process

COVID-19 has had serious consequences in all areas of social life, including education. In this period, distance education appeared as an inevitable solution. Even today, when the pandemic process is over and re-normalization has begun, online teaching environments have become such an indispensable part of education systems that it has been decided that a certain proportion of the courses will be conducted online in universities. For this reason, determining student experiences in online courses is important in planning the future of distance education. Since academic performance is the output of the teaching process, students' academic performance is one of the topics of interest in higher education research. There may be different factors affecting the academic performance of students in the distance education process, which imposes more responsibility on students and requires self-control. This study aimed to examine the relationship of academic performance in the distance education with home infrastructure, student interaction, computer skills, academic satisfaction. This research is based on a large-scale study, "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of higher education students", examining the pandemic's impact on higher education student perceptions in 2020. It has been observed that home infrastructure has a significant impact on the student's academic performance. The infrastructure increases the interaction of the student. When home infrastructure is taken as a control variable, students' computer skills are the highest predictor of their perception of academic performance, followed by their online interactions and, finally, perceived satisfaction. Today, pandemic conditions are still ongoing. In addition, even as the pandemic ends, online education has become an indispensable part of our education system. Therefore, the findings of the research would be beneficial for the ongoing planning process.

Chinese Normal Students' Satisfaction of Emergency Remote Learning in Higher Education during COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite the widespread use of emergency remote learning (ERL) during the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education, little is known about the determinants of Chinese normal student satisfaction with ERL. This study uses a questionnaire survey method to examine how Chinese normal students' satisfaction with ERL during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that Chinese normal students prefer face-to-face teaching to online teaching to some extent. According to the findings, it is important to emphasize students' pre-class preparation, adjust course assessment methods, change teachers' teaching strategies, create a positive teaching environment, boost students' learning confidence, and help them deal with their anxiety during ERL to improve the online course experience for Chinese students at normal universities. © 2023 ACM.

Predicting Student's Satisfaction towards Hybrid Learning in Informatics

This paper used regression and moderation approaches to evaluate the student's satisfaction with informatics towards the hybrid learning in their study. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) identified student satisfaction based on hybrid learning difficulty and benefit ($p < 0.001$). Linear Regression (LR) found hybrid learning benefits impacted the student's satis-faction significantly $(p < 0.001$). Student's $t$-test also revealed that Overall Satisfaction (OS) significantly affected hybrid learning's satisfaction ($p < 0.001$). Analysis of Co-variants (ANCOVA) also proved that hybrid learning's benefit ($p < 0.001$) and OS ($p < 0.05$) significantly influenced student satisfaction. The paper also proved that hybrid learning's benefits positively correlate with student satisfaction (0.596). The slopes of 'Yes' and 'No' are substantially different from one another when the probability value of 0.22 $(p > 0.05$). Hence, no moderator (OS) affects the relationship's strength between the benefit and satisfaction of hybrid learning. The paper also revealed that hybrid learning's difficulty has a negative correlation (-.18), and the benefit of hybrid learning is positively associated with student satisfaction (.66). Implementing a hybrid learning mode during Covid-19 periods significantly impacted student satisfaction and the decision taken by the administration was also meaningful. © 2023 IEEE.

Learning with Mobile Augmented Reality- and Automatic Speech Recognition-Based Materials for English Listening and Speaking Skills: Effectiveness and Perceptions of Non-English Major English as a Foreign Language Students

Due to the outbreak of COVID 19, an online bilingual curriculum was conducted via "Google Meet." The learning material was developed and implemented by using a smartphone application, STEMUP, based on augmented reality (AR) and automatic speech recognition (ASR) technologies. This study investigated the oral performance and perceptions of learning with STEMUP of ninety non-English major students from several colleges at a technical university in Taiwan. Data were collected from pre- and post-tests and a questionnaire survey. Results indicated that students significantly improved their oral performance and recorded their positive perceptions. Students' oral performance significantly depended on their English proficiency. Their perceptions were not significant related to their English proficiency, gender, or college. Instant feedback and evaluation provided by ASR technology and online "Google" text-to-speech service both embedded in STEMUP helped students notice, modify and improve their listening and speaking skills. They were satisfied with the bilingual curriculum, which helped them increase understanding about content knowledge by the teacher's explanation in Chinese, and improve English listening and speaking skills by learning with STEMUP. This study is a good start in creating an interactive and communicative learning environment where translanguaging is effectively integrated with innovative technologies.

The impact of E-service quality, Facebook usage and Artificial Intelligence on E-learning systems: The mediating role of student satisfaction

The adoption of e-learning systems has been increasing and reports indicate that Asia has the highest percentage of the growth towards e-learning systems. Following this backdrop, the main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the role of the E-service quality, Facebook usage, artificial intelligence, and student satisfaction on the usage of the E-learning systems. Sample data was collected from students enrolled in any institute offering e-learning in Malaysia. A total of 500 questionnaires were disseminated to the participants identified via online polling and a total of 412 usable questionnaires were evaluated for SEM. The findings of the study show that the usage of Facebook, Artificial intelligence, the satisfaction of students, and E-service quality affected the use of the E-learning systems. Students' satisfaction was also found to positively mediate with AI, FBU, ESQ, and ELS. E-learning adoption is increasing in Malaysia and the recent outbreak of COVID-19 has also invigorated the need for the development of effective e-learning programs so that the education of students doesn't get interruptions. The present study has important theoretical and practical implications in this regard;the findings can be applied to the development of e-learning systems of the country

Student Satisfaction on Lecturers' Effectiveness, Efficiency and Productivity: Malaysian Education Landscape during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the whole planet, including the education sector in Malaysia. As a result, the quality of lecturers' work is critical in maintaining the number of students in a university, particularly during a pandemic. Lecturers are put through their paces as they move from traditional to e-learning, learning new ways to teach classes, navigating technology, using new skills, and utilising their own knowledge. This study analysed responses of 892 local students from various officially registered public higher learning institutions throughout Malaysia. Convenient sampling method was used to gather responses through online google forms from the above respondents. The outcomes of this study provided some insight on how Malaysian higher education institutions might redeem themselves by offering better service to the society, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Predictive Model for Assessing Satisfaction with Online Learning for Higher Education Students During and After COVID-19 Using Data Mining and Machine Learning Techniques: A Case of Jordanian Institutions

Higher education institutions confronted an escalating unexpected pressure to rapidly transform throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic, by replacing most of the traditional teaching practices with online-based education. Such transformation required institutions to frequently strive for qualities that meet conceptual requirements of traditional education due to its agility and flexibility. The challenge of such electronic learning styles remains in their potential of bringing out many challenges, along with the advantages it has brought to the educational systems and students alike. This research came to shed the light on several factors presented as a predictive model and proposed to contribute to the success or failure in terms of students' satisfaction with online learning. The study took the kingdom of Jordan as a case example country experiencing online education while and after the covid -19 intensive implementation. The study used a dataset collected from a sample of over "300” students using online questionnaires. The questionnaire included "25” attributes mined into the Knime analytics platform. The data was rigorously learned and evaluated by both the "Decision Tree” and "Naive Bayes” algorithms. Subsequently, results revealed that the decision tree classifier outperformed the naïve bayes in the prediction of student satisfaction, additionally, the existence of the sense of community while learning electronically among other reasons had the most contribution to the satisfaction. Copyright © 2023 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Academic Stress in Online Higher Education

With the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, higher education institutions have faced a number of challenges, one of which is the transition to online education. University students have experienced varying levels of stress as the largest group affected by this transition. The perceived level of academic stress experienced by university students in this new system has become significant for the improvement in online learning at the tertiary level. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the level of academic stress among university students including the components of pressures to perform, perceptions of workload, academic self-perceptions, and time restraints during online learning. In order to measure the level of academic stress among university students, a quantitative research design was adopted through gathering statistical data from 147 undergraduate students studying online in different departments in Turkey utilizing "The Perception of Academic Stress Scale" including the components of pressures to perform, perceptions of workload, academic self-perceptions, and time restraints during online learning. The results of this quantitatively designed study revealed that the perceived level of academic stress among university students was found as neutral in general;regarding the components of "Pressures to Perform" as high, of "Perceptions of Workload", "Academic Self-Perceptions" and "Time Restraints" as neutral. Some statistically significant differences were also detected in the perceived level of academic stress in relation to the variables of gender, age (Gen X vs Gen Y), year of study, satisfaction with the learning and home environments.

The Role of Perceived Usefulness and Confirmation in Influencing Student's Satisfaction on Online Distance Learning

Today's learning opportunities are immense in scale and bolstered by the support of technological advancements. Many universities in Malaysia have contributed to the trend of advancements in education and technology. It was recommended that online distance learning (ODL) and online teaching processes should be used at all levels of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the use of these technological advancements has encountered challenges, which were recognized during the initial application of ODL. Both students and academics faced many obstacles as first-time users of online education. This study explores students' expectations of ODL based on Expectation-confirmation theory (ECT). A survey was conducted with 579 university students to test the hypotheses of this study. The results of this questionnaire were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) AMOS mediation analysis. The results showed partial mediating effects between perceived usefulness, confirmation, and satisfaction with online distance learning. Furthermore, it was found that perceived usefulness has a significant influence on student satisfaction with and confirmation of ODL. To ensure that students of higher learning institutions are satisfied with ODL, it is vital for universities and colleges to make these students believe that the application of ODL is useful and can create significant value for them © 2023, Asian Journal of University Education.All Rights Reserved.

Measuring College Students' Satisfaction with the Teaching Effectiveness of Online English Courses Based on the IPA Model

The English learning ability and academic performance of pre-service teachers affect the future professional development of preschool and primary education teachers. The English course has been transferred to online due to COVID-19. Whether the practicability of e-learning is consistent with students' expectations primarily affect teaching effectiveness. A paired-sample t-test on the importance and satisfaction of online English learning effectiveness of pre-service teachers from freshmen to juniors at a private university revealed no significant difference in the overall importance and satisfaction. Then the coordinated system is constructed according to the Importance -Performance Analysis (IPA) to identify the critical indicators for improving the teaching effect of online courses. The results imply that network stability and teachers' timely responses to students' questions should be concentrated. In addition, students are pretty satisfied with the e-learning platform, teaching quality and management, which should be further maintained. The suggestions for improving the effectiveness of online English teaching in private universities are proposed accordingly. © 2023 IEEE.

Perspectives, stakeholders, and competences Editorial

Purpose: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) was closed temporarily. During this historical lockdown, the face-to-face mode classroom was temporarily got replaced by a virtual classroom. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of nationwide lockdown on the benefits of the virtual classroom for the teaching-learning process for teachers and students due to change in the teaching-learning process in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A total of 893 responses have been used for this study. We have collected data through a structured questionnaire on a Likert scale from 305 teachers and 588 students of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) from all India levels. Descriptive and frequency statistics, t-test was used in SPSS software to analyze the data collected through the primary source. Findings: The mean difference between expected benefits from the virtual classroom and actual benefits from the classroom is positive for students as well as faculty members. That indicates the overall mean of expected benefits is higher than the overall mean of actual benefits, and that difference value is 0.250055, with a Sig.(2-tailed) value of 0.036 which is less than 0.05 for teachers and 0.3872827, with a Sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.000 which is less than 0.05 for students. That indicates the significant difference between means of actual benefits and expected. The mean value of the expected benefit is higher than the mean value of actual benefits for 11 pairs and 08 pairs in the case of teachers and students respectively. Discussion: Technical barriers are the reasons for not being able to attend the expected benefits from virtual classrooms in full capacity by students as well as by faculty members. Poor digital skills of teachers and students, lack of electricity facilities, less availability and accessibility of internet, connection issues, inadequate facilities, training, funding, and unacceptability of technology, etc. were the barriers to online education at the time of closure of colleges due to COVID-19 pandemic Onyema et al. (2020). Students can also have a casual attitude, less attendance, feeling of isolation and less interaction can lead to mental distress, spending more time in front of a computer could be hazardous for health too Surkhali and Garbuja (2020). Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) faculty members, as well as students, were not able to perceive actual benefits in full in comparison to expected benefits due to the presence of challenges in the virtual classroom as moderators. The higher education authorities, colleges/institutes/universities need to fix the above issues to enhance the quality of the teaching-learning process. The higher education authorities, institutes/colleges/universities must work together to resolve the issues and challenges of virtual classrooms to improve their effectiveness of the virtual classroom. Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) may provide technical support, and training to the faculty members as well as students for a better experience in the virtual classroom. Students who are lacking technical infrastructures such as computers/laptops and internet connectivity may be provided by Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) with financial and technical support to these students.

Gaining an Insight into Learner Satisfaction in MOOCs: An Investigation through Blog Mining

MOOCs can be considered as a powerful alternative in extraordinary situations where people cannot reach formal education. In recent years, the widespread use of the internet worldwide and especially the CoVID-19 has increased the need of people for MOOCs. However, in order to increase the effectiveness of MOOCs, and to provide a better learning environment, the need to evaluate MOOCs has arisen. One of the indicators of quality in online learning is student satisfaction. Accordingly, this research aims to reveal learner satisfaction in MOOCs. The most important indicator for measuring this satisfaction in MOOCs is user comments. In this study, 39101 comments of the participants in 960 MOOCs were examined by using text mining techniques within the framework of satisfaction.

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.

Using a Palliative Extubation Simulation-Based Learning Model to Teach Key Palliative Medicine Topics and Skills Across Graduate and Undergraduate Medical Education (Sch472)

Outcomes: 1. Self-report the ability to use a palliative extubation simulation curriculum to teach key palliative care topics to learners across various levels. 2. Self-report the ability to mitigate communication and procedural errors associated with suboptimal palliative extubations to provide maximum comfort for patients and families at end of life. Background(s): The COVID-19 pandemic revealed gaps in the provision of end-of-life (EOL) care. In particular, the high number of mechanically ventilated patients at the EOL highlighted the need to standardize evidence-based palliative extubation (PE) amidst significant practice variation. Suboptimal PE practices can worsen symptoms, inappropriately hasten death, and add undue stress on patients, families, and healthcare staff. Effective training models are needed to standardize evidence-based PE. Simulation-based learning (SBL) has been shown to effectively improve medical knowledge, procedural proficiency, and interprofessional communication, all of which are necessary to successfully perform a PE. Unfortunately, the use of SBL in palliative care (PC) education is sparse. Method(s): An innovative educational activity using high-fidelity simulation and SBL models was created to teach key PC topics and skills within the context of a simulated PE procedure. The curriculum consists of a 1-hour didactic followed by 2 hours of simulation, divided into 4 sections. The simulation is designed to teach complex symptom management, communication strategies, and leadership skills. Each section concludes with a debrief to provide feedback and teaching points. This curriculum was piloted over multiple years among palliative medicine fellows. It will expand to include medical students this academic year with the plan to be further incorporated into medical resident education in the future. The following validated questionnaires will be used to study the efficacy of this SBL model: Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale, Simulation Design Scale, and Educational Practices Questionnaire. Participants will complete the questionnaires following the simulation. Conclusion(s): Multiple specialties have adopted SBL as an effective modality to enhance training. The use of SBL in palliative medicine education is relatively sparse. An innovative PE-simulation educational activity may provide an optimal way to teach key PC concepts across graduate and undergraduate medical education.Copyright © 2023

Distance Learning of Financial Accounting: Mature Undergraduate Students' Perceptions

This research sought to explore self-reported satisfaction levels of mature students enrolled in the virtual financial accounting course of the first online-only bachelor's degree in Portugal. While doing so, it attempted to generate understanding of which factors may affect undergraduate mature students' engagement—herein measured in terms of overall satisfaction—with online learning, particularly, of financial accounting. Thereby, this research addresses several research gaps. First, unlike most recent empirical research, it provides evidence from a post-pandemic period, in 2022. Second, responding to calls for further education research in different contexts, Portugal poses a highly relevant, unexplored research setting since it was only in 2019 that the Portuguese government approved a legal regime to frame distance education at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Third, this research focuses on the overlooked, and yet growing, population of adult mature students. The research evidence emerges from 32 valid responses to a structured electronic questionnaire circulated to students at the end of a financial accounting module (in July 2022). Satisfaction rates from students' own perspectives were derived in terms of (i) overall satisfaction, (ii) learning outcomes, (iii) e-learning process, and (iv) pedagogical practices adopted. The assessment of satisfaction levels was determined through Likert-type items with responses ranging from a minimum score of 1 to the highest score of 5. Data gathered were subject to quantitative analysis: descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, statistical tests, principal component analysis, and linear regression. High levels of satisfaction with distance education were uncovered. We found that pedagogical practices constitute the dimension that contributed the least (though, still importantly) to overall satisfaction as compared with learning outcomes and e-learning process. The results of this research offer the potential to contribute to the implementation of training offerings of online courses at other Portuguese HEIs as well as abroad.

A Comparative Analysis of Student Satisfaction and Motivation, Academic Performance and Subjective Well-Being Before and During Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic affected Saudi students' subjective well-being in higher education. The paper aims to explore the relationship between the subjective well-being of female students, academic performance, and motivation before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The current study employs a survey for a sample of 200 female students from different academic majors and levels at a public Saudi university in Riyadh. We apply a comparative analysis using the SPSS 25 version. The results showed that there is a statistically significant difference between the satisfaction of students before and during Covid-19 pandemic. The Covid-19 has a considerable impact on students' academic performance and motivation. © 2023 Mabrouk et al.

COVID-19 and Its Effects on the Management of the Basic Quality Conditions in Universities of Peru, 2022

The purpose of this study was to determine the influences of variables, crisis management, distance education, the organizational image, and student satisfaction on the basic quality conditions in Peruvian universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative, nonexperimental explanatory approach with stratified random sampling was used. A questionnaire was applied to 513 students from public and private universities in southern Peru who received distance education during the months of September to November 2022. For the analysis of the results, a structural equation model (SEM). A hierarchical linear regression was carried out to test the hypotheses according to the dimensions studied on the student satisfaction scale. The study findings showed that distance education and student satisfaction had positive impacts on the basic quality conditions, while crisis management and the organizational image had a positive relationship but a smaller effect on the quality of the conditions. We concluded that the applied model allows the causal relationships between variables to be explored and that the results will allow university authorities to generate policies that improve their organizational image and crisis management processes and, at the same time, allow them to better plan their crisis management strategies to achieve better satisfaction within the framework of a sustainable university.

Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on E-Learner Satisfaction at the Tertiary Level

E-learning has recently gained considerable interest among stakeholders, including educators, students, and policymakers. During the pandemic, organized online learning is critical to an effective e-learning system because it helps both teaching and learning. Thus, the current study intends to explore the factors contributing to e-learners' satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire survey was conducted to gather data from 650 university students selected through convenience sampling. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The factors essential to boosting e-learner satisfaction were identified using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Frequency distribution and percentages were used to identify the demographic characteristics of respondents, and a reliability test was conducted to test the internal consistency of the data. This study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to trace the relationship between the six independent variables and e-learner satisfaction. Regression results revealed that psychological factors, educational materials and design, access to technological devices, instructor attributes, and perceptions and expectations significantly influence e-learner satisfaction. However, students' engagement had no significant influence on the same. Because, most respondents had a clear preference for physical learning. The findings of this study will help educationists and policymakers take necessary steps in enhancing learners' satisfaction and improving their academic performance.

Gamification as Online Teaching Strategy During COVID-19: A Mini-Review.

The ongoing pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has enforced a shutdown of educative institutions of all levels, including high school and university students, and has forced educators and institutions to adapt teaching strategies in a hasty way. This work reviews the use of gamification-based teaching during the pandemic lockdown through a search in Scopus, PsycINFO, ERIC, and Semantic Scholar databases. A total of 11 papers from Chemistry, Business, Computer Science, Biology, and Medical areas have been identified and included in the present work. All of them analyzed the use of gamification strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed student's learning and motivation outcomes. In general, students reported that gamification was innovative, engaging, and an efficient strategy to deliver curricula material; moreover, it was perceived as a fun activity. Some students reported that gamified videoconferences aided to connect with their classmates during isolation time providing effective social support. However, some students reported a bad physical or psychological condition, as consequence of the confinement, and did not get involved in the activity. Some weaknesses of the reviewed studies are the small sample size and its homogeneity, which makes it difficult to generalize their results to other scenarios and academic areas. Furthermore, although there is a feeling of learning during the activity, this result is mainly based on subjective perceptions, and any of the studies demonstrated that superior learning was achieved in comparison with traditional teaching strategies. Nevertheless, gamification can be implemented together with traditional lectures and can be a valuable instrument during post-COVID times.

Online education and student engagement in higher education institutes during COVID-19: an SEM-based study

The present study has been conducted to investigate the impact of online education on student engagement and student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Higher Education Institutes (HEI). The study identified the antecedents of student engagement and investigated the impact of student engagement on student learning and satisfaction. The study has been conducted utilising learning from TAM, UTAUT and Moore model of Interaction. A quantitative study has been conducted using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique. The results of the study indicated that perceived usefulness, student to student interaction, faculty to student interaction and student to course interaction significantly raise the student engagement. The student engagement in turn significantly leads to the perceived student learning and satisfaction. The results of study bear the important implications for both the HEI and theoretical perspective. Copyright © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.