Responding to adult learner student needs in the COVID-19 pandemic: Modifying online graduate courses in education to seize teachable moments

This chapter focuses on how faculty teaching online graduate courses needed to modify teaching practices and make adjustments and accommodations in response to student needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the online platform did not need to change, student stressors significantly increased. This was particularly true in the Educational Leadership Department at New Jersey City University (NJCU), located in the most diverse city in the United States and in the epicenter of the pandemic. Most students were impacted directly by the pandemic with many becoming ill and losing loved ones. As a graduate program focusing on developing leadership skills, our student body is comprised of working professionals in the field of education. In addition to having to manage personal stressors, students who are educators and administrators in the K-12 and community college setting also had to shift teaching, learning, and supportive services from face-to-face to remote environments in a matter of days or weeks. Examples of how we gained an understanding of our student needs and responded to these needs are provided. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Shortening the learning curve for learners and educators: Solutions in the times of COVID-19

New advancements emerge in times of crisis. Throughout history, there have always been new developments in our political, social, and economic structures and technologies after wars, revolutions, and major natural disasters. Now, in times of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, it is critical for both educators and learners to adapt to different and new ways of learning, to stay ahead of the latest technologies and applications, and to empower our learners in transitioning to the new age of artificial intelligence. The case study that follows describes how our university in Canada transitioned from on-campus classes to remote synchronous delivery with an online asynchronous component during the COVID-19 period of campus closures. Comparison of this transition is made to other postsecondary contexts to highlight how such critical transitions may be eased in the future. The closure of universities in Canada and the move to online delivery happened abruptly as COVID-19 worsened and forced us to teach from our offices at home in mid-March 2020. I explain the teaching solutions that I found useful in transitioning my students to remote synchronous and online delivery. In addition to describing changes in our teaching and learning, I compare our experiences during this transition to other contexts and postsecondary classes to illustrate how and why preparation and adaptations are important. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Ergonomic Approach to Teaching Online Activity Using Principles of Axiomatic Design

The need to carry out online teaching activities in universities has required the use of solutions that maximize the efficiency of such activities but with the maximum fulfillment of the ergonomic requirements as far as possible. In the last two years, additional demand for the development of online teaching activities has been generated by the pandemic caused by the covid virus 19. Axiomatic design principles were used to identify an equipment solution used in online teaching. In this way, it was outlined a version of the equipment that would allow the teacher to use a way to write texts and make drawings to be transmitted online, in conditions as close as possible to those of onsite teaching activity. In the future, it is intended to take steps to optimize the constructive solution of online teaching equipment.

Virtual Reality for Software Engineering Presentations

Due to the impact of the pandemic situation, applying online learning methods become an immediate response to tackle the difficulties in teaching and learning, including software engineering courses. Online video meeting platforms (e.g., MS Teams, Webex) are popularly adopted as a medium between instructors and students to conduct online learning classes and they have been modified to provide functions supporting remote teaching and learning activities such as the breakout rooms for conducting group activities. However, maintaining student engagement is still a challenging problem in online learning. Especially, drawing students' attention and enhancing their experience during in-class activities (e.g., project presentations, group discussions) is critical to achieving of activities' objective. Virtual Reality (VR) has been considered to be a potential answer to this online teaching and learning enhancement. This study evaluates the benefit of adopting VR in software engineering class presentation activities. The evaluation result from 3 courses shows that VR improves the online learning and presentation experience by offering visual attractions and presence to students. © 2022 IEEE.

Exploring Critical Factors Influencing the Usage of Video Conferencing Apps for Virtual Learning System

The COVID-19 outbreak harmed populations, was deleterious to those of the social groups most at risk, and affected all facets of the community. Because of the widespread effects of COVID-19, schools and other educational institutions had to close. Technology, here, helped to advance education by enabling virtual connections between students and teachers through online classrooms, webinars, digital tests and other means. To promote synchronous learning sessions, video conferencing apps are used in the majority of online learning activities. Many Academicians weren't used to utilizing video conferencing apps, but they were forced to use them anyhow despite their level of preparation. In this study, the authors have tried to establish a theoretical model to determine the level of awareness among Academicians and Faculty members regarding critical factors & dimensions influencing the usage of video conferencing apps for online sessions. This study further tries to identify factors that determine the usage of video conferencing apps with UTAUT Model. The study lays the foundation for future research on examining how the use of technology plays a significant role in cognitive engagement and learning process.

Professional Development of Academics for the Implementation of Online Learning in African Open and Distance Teaching Institutions

La formation en ligne a été reconnue comme le moyen ayant le plus grand potentiel pour améliorer les systemes éducatifs des pays africains si elle est bien mise en œuvre. Cependant, les progres escomptés ne sont pas encore réalisés en raison de l'échec croissant des initiatives de formation en ligne. Cette étude a examiné la maniere dont les universitaires ont été préparés a l'enseignement et a l'apprentissage en ligne dans les établissements de formation ouverte a distance (FOAD) d'Afrique du Sud et du Nigeria, oh se trouvent deux des plus grands établissements de FOAD d'Afrique. Vingt participants des deux institutions ont été sélectionnés pour participer a l'étude. Des entretiens qualitatifs semi-directifs ont été réalisés pour collecter les données, et une analyse thématique a été utilisée pour analyser les données. En cohérence avec les recherches précédentes, les résultats de cette étude ont montré que les établissements d'enseignement supérieur en Afrique n'ont pas adéquatement planifié et géré leurs projets de mise en œuvre de la formation en ligne. Le manque de compréhension de la formation en ligne et des compétences numériques appropriées sont les principales raisons des échecs signalés concernant les projets de formation en ligne mis en place dans ces contextes. Par conséquent, cette étude a positionné le développement professionnel des universitaires comme faisant partie intégrante de l'innovation en matiere d'e- learning dans l'enseignement supérieur. Les resultats de cette étude peuvent trouver echo dans d'autres types d'établissements d'enseignement, et les leçons tirées peuvent étre interessantes et utiles pour d'autres instances dans des situations similaires. Le développement d'interventions de formation fondées sur les besoins et moments opportuns est recommandé.Alternate abstract:E-learning has been recognized as the vehicle with the highest potential to improve education systems in African countries if implemented well. However, the sought after improvements are yet to be realized owing to the increasing failure of e-learning initiatives. This study investigated how academics were prepared for online teaching and learning at open and distance education (ODE) institutions in South Africa and Nigeria, where two of Africa's largest ODE institutions are located. Twenty participants from both institutions were selected to participate in the study. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, and a thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Consistent with previous research, the findings of this study showed higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa did not properly plan and manage their elearning implementation projects. A lack of proper understanding of online learning and appropriate digital skills were the main reasons for reported failures of e-learning initiatives in these contexts. Consequently, this study positioned the professional development of academics as integral to e-learning innovation in higher education. The results of this study may resonate with other types of educational institutions, and the lessons documented may be valuable and helpful to other cases in similar situations. The development of needs-based and timely training interventions is recommended.

Students' experiences and acceptance of emergency online learning due to COVID-19

At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions around the world were compelled to bring forth suitable alternatives to secure continuity in the process of education. To gather data that would indicate the quality and efficiency of online teaching in higher education in south and south-eastern Serbia initiated at the outbreak of the pandemic and the state of emergency declared in March 2020, we conducted a research study to provide the necessary information from students attending undergraduate academic studies. The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase consisted of quantitative research conducted on a sample of 211 students. The data collected were processed by resorting to factor analysis to determine specific factors as a starting point for designing questions for the second research phase. The second phase was implemented by conducting semi-structured interviews on a sample of 61 students. The main intention was to determine key characteristics of the teaching process realised in the context of an emergency transition to the form of teaching which had not been prepared or resorted to beforehand. We identified certain specifics in this regard, as a starting point for improving existing practice.Implications for practice or policy:* It is necessary to secure a suitable level of institutional support, to maintain the quality of higher education in unforeseen social circumstances.* It is necessary to adequately prepare for and support teachers and students in online teaching at both institutional and national level.* To avoid adverse effects on individual students in the circumstances of online teaching, it is necessary to meet students´ educational, social and emotional needs.

Resilience in Higher Education in Times of Crisis

Resilience refers to the capacity to bounce back and reorganize during times of exposure to crisis. We explored how higher-education institutions might enhance their employees capacity to confront hardships, through a Mixed-Methods qualitative-quantitative study design, that examined the experiences of members during first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings revealed vulnerabilities, challenges and opportunities. Four themes emerged: basic needs, trust and confidence, community atmosphere and respect and appreciation. The colleges support was based on trial and error and responsible leadership was perceived as missing. However, the community offered a sense of strength and a cornerstone of resilience.

A SURVEY OF TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES ON THE RECEPTION ABILITY OF YOUNGER STUDENTS AFTER EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING DURING COVID-19

Poučevanje na daljavo v izrednih razmerah pandemije COVID-19 je prineslo veliko novega in neznanega. Veliko raziskav je bilo posvećenih vplivu šolanja na daljavo na učne rezultate otrok, tudi na področju materinščine, še posebej opismenjevanju in pismenosti. Ta raziskava pa preiskuje področje poučevanja književnosti, natančneje učinek spremenjenega načina dela na recepcijsko zmožnost mlajših učencev. V preiskovalni študiji kvantitativne narave je sodelovalo 196 učiteljev. Njihovi odgovori kažejo, da med učenci prvega vzgojno-izobraževalnega obdobja prihaja do srednjih in večjih razlik na področju recepcijske zmožnosti v primerjavi z učenci, ki so se šolali pred pandemijo.Alternate :Emergency remote teaching presented many new and unknown situations. Many studies have examined the impact of distance education on children's learning outcomes, including in the area of first language, particularly in reading and writing skills, and reading literacy. This research examines the area of literature teaching, more specifically the effects of the change in teaching on younger students' reception ability. One hundred and ninety-six teachers participated in the quantitative, explorative study. Responses indicate that there are moderate and major differences in the receptive skills of elementary students in the first through third grades, compared to students taught prior to the pandemic.

Video conferencing (VC) software selection using fuzzy TOPSIS

The coronavirus-19 pandemic had bought drastic changes to the teaching and learning environments. With learning setups shifting entirely to the online medium, the higher education institutions were faced with the dilemma of selecting the video-conferencing software along with technical infrastructure setup, users training issues. The selection decisions were frequently done randomly with little IT expertise to guide. Even soon, the hybrid mode (physical teaching combined with online mode) would be the teaching mediums offered by the higher education institutions as for now they have some familiarity in terms of usage and technical setup of the software. Several advantages, as well as disadvantages of online teaching have been realized and experienced during the said times. Further, the institutions faced the dilemma of not selecting the most viable video conferencing solution as per their requirements. Therefore, the author attempts to provide a comprehensive guide for selecting the most apt video-conferencing software for the higher education institution based on their requirements and further attempts to rank the available options using Fuzzy-TOPSIS method. © 2023 Scrivener Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.

A nexus analysis of the online teaching context in Romanian schools

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced education institutions to adapt by using online tools to continue teaching when distancing was required. While the pandemic has had a negative effect on education, online learning has proven to be better than learning alone. This new paradigm shift in the way teaching can be delivered has paved the way for online classes to be taken in consideration outside of the pandemic. For countries which have a poor infrastructure in some regions, that makes it hard for all children to arrive to school daily, especially during harsh winters, online teaching could be used to offer continuous learning to all students. It can also continue to be used in some cases where classes cannot be attended due to illnesses. It is relevant to further study the impact of online learning within different schools from different regions, and to recognize the shaping factors for online teaching. The present study was based on a survey, in which 522 teachers from different categories of schools participated. Differences between the teaching processes during the pandemic have been studied based on the school's funding (public or private), the region the school is based in, and the level of education that teachers provide. Results have highlighted differences based on all the studied categories.

Emergency Remote Teaching Versus Planned Remote Teaching: Narrowing the Gap With Targeted Professional Development

Objectives: This study reviews faculty members' comfort level with remote teaching in the Fall 2020 semester to evaluate the effectiveness of the professional development workshops. Method: Using survey research, we examined professional development activities and subsequent comfort level and ease of adjustment with remote teaching in Fall 2020. Results: Following the training, faculty reported high planned usage of various online teaching tools and great comfort with using them. The data reveals some differences between part-time and full-time faculty members. Conclusions: The experience gained in the emergency semester, combined with the targeted professional development workshops offered eased the stress of planned remote teaching in the following semester. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: For institutions planning to incorporate educational technology in the future, the implementation and evaluation of the targeted workshops may serve as a replicable model. It may also help institutions be better prepared for emergency remote teaching in the future. © 2022 Laureate Education. All rights reserved.

Addressing the challenges of online and blended STEM learning with grounded design

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning became a major alternative to college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses in postsecondary education. Faculty members, although subject matter experts, often lack pedagogical knowledge and training on how to effectively teach new generations of students online, or incorporate appropriate technologies. Faculty teaching online courses needed a new guiding framework to balance domain goals and emerging technologies. We present grounded design for STEM courses to align domain goals and instructional methods and technologies while reflecting instructors' pedagogical beliefs and addressing cultural and pragmatic issues. It is critical to provide students with aligned STEM learning experience and engagement via defensible theories and research-evidenced pedagogy in online and blended courses while technological, cultural, and pragmatic considerations are also addressed. We suggest grounded design as the conceptual and design framework for designing online and blended courses and discuss the assumptions, approaches, and examples. We provide practical guidelines to apply grounded design to online and blended learning environments and suggest future research. This article can assist both novice and seasoned STEM faculty to connect theory and research to teaching practices and optimise their online and blended courses.Implications for practice* University STEM instructors can use grounded design framework for online, blended, and technology-enhanced teaching.* Instructors should begin the course design by aligning the domain goals with optimal psychological and pedagogical foundations.* When choosing technology to support online learning, instructors should align it with learning goals and needs of students, and consider cultural and pragmatic foundations.

Merits and demerits of technical shift of biochemistry classes of medical undergraduates from classroom to online teaching in COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey

[...]the active participation of all students and teachers may be jeopardized. [...]considering the pros and cons of technological advancement, this is a survey to assess the perception of both the students and teachers. [...]this is in concordance with the opinion of the students, where 77.7% of the medical graduates had a strong consensus opinion that virtual classes fail to promote a desire to learn. The responses to various item tested in the questionnaire were assessed for suitability for factor analysis (principle component analysis) using the KMO Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity. [...]the data set was considered suitable for factor analysis. [...]none of the correlation value among the questionnaire items exceeded 0.8, so the option of multiple colinearity

Senior High School Students' Attitude Towards the Implementation of Emergency Remote Teaching amidst the Pandemic

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students are not equal because of some factors, including cognitive and non-cognitive acquisition. Also, the availability of educational tools and connectivity dramatically affected the students and added to the existing academic gap. This study determined the attitude of Senior High School students (SHS) at Western Institute of Technology, Philippines, towards the implementation of emergency remote teaching (online delivery mode) amidst the pandemic. The qualitative analysis was used to gather the attitudes of respondents. The number of respondents and the interview length were determined when the point of saturation was reached. The formulated researcher-made questionnaire in the quantitative analysis was based on the results of the qualitative analysis. The total collected responses were 329 via Google form. The summary of thematic analysis recorded five (5) statements of apprehensions and five statements (5) of openness. The results of the central tendency showed that the majority of the students, regardless of gender, grade level, and strand had higher confidence about the listed apprehension than the listed openness. Statistical analyses showed that students' responses in the listed openness regardless of gender, grade level and strand had no significant difference (p>0.05). Statistical analyses of listed openness were not consistent with the listed apprehension. In conclusion, the implementation of emergency remote teaching (online delivery mode) brought advantages and disadvantages to the students during the pandemic. © 2023, Hacettepe University. All rights reserved.

The effects of the pandemic on music teaching in schools in Quebec (Canada) in the spring and fall of 2020

COVID-19 containment measures brought many changes in our lives and forced teachers all around the world to adopt various new practices. Given its specific education requirements and numerous school boards, the province of Quebec, Canada, was chosen to study the effects of the pandemic on music teaching in schools in the spring and fall of 2020. An electronic survey was distributed, to which 517 elementary and high school music teachers responded. Teachers reported on the transformation of teaching modes from an exclusively in-person practice to an online or bimodal approach. Continuation and interruption of music programs varied greatly from school to school and, for those who were allowed musical activities, different protective health measures were implemented. Teachers working with large ensembles (e.g. band and orchestra) experienced more interruptions in their music programs. Teachers also reported how their planning was affected by the new modes of instruction, but no matter which modes were used, most of them experienced less motivation for teaching during the spring of 2020. In addition, they perceived that it was more motivating for students to receive an education in person. Finally, positive outcomes of the pandemic on education included the development of new skills in the use of digital resources and online teaching, as well as a renewed sense of solidarity between teachers. © The Author(s) 2023.

Capturing the Contribution of Fuzzy and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Analytics: A Review of the Computational Intelligence Approach to Classroom Assessment Sustainability

This is a systematic literature review that discusses the contribution of fuzzy analytic (FA) and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods in classroom assessment. Due to a lack of knowledge and not being exposed to the importance and benefits of using computational intelligence approaches such as FA and MCDM, not many educators apply such methods. The issue of how it operates is also the cause of educators still adopting conventional assessment methods. Classroom assessment involves the orientation of data in the form of divergent, multiple, fuzzy, and terms of relation, so a more efficient approach to assessment is through modern mathematical methods and soft computing techniques as suggested by experts. This practical gap needs to be refined by providing a clear picture to educators about FA and MCDM as alternative assessment methods. Therefore, based on the PRISMA model, this systematic literature review is implemented to expose educators to the contribution of FA and MCDM in classroom assessment and conceptualize how to operate the method more easily and simply. Starting with article searches in several databases such as Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Elsevier using only specified keywords, 21 articles were selected for discussion after going through the steps of Identification, Screening, Eligibility and Included. Based on the findings, some aspects of assessment are very significant to be implemented using FA and MCDM, appropriate, more practical and show a meaningful contribution to classroom assessment. The conceptual model of the operation of FA and MCDM based on a summary of the workflow of selected studies can also help educators get insights and ideas to implement this alternative assessment method. This paper can prove that the computational intelligence approach greatly contributes to classroom assessment and if there are initiatives and facilitation implemented, surely educators can take advantage to strengthen the management and assessment of the classroom. © Iran University of Science and Technology 2022.

The effectiveness of using blended learning teaching and learning strategy to develop students' performance at higher education

PurposeThe research aims to identify the effectiveness of using the blended learning strategy on achievement among students of higher colleges of technology in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), through the answer to the following question: Is there a statistically significant difference at the significance level (a = 0.05) in students' achievements in general studies courses at higher education attributed to the method of teaching (blended learning, traditional).Design/methodology/approachThe research applied a Quasi-experimental. The current research used two groups experimental group and controlled group across two phases: pilot study and experimental study. Phase 1 examined the difference between the pilot group and the nonpilot group at Sharjah colleges across three different courses: Fundamentals of Applied Mathematics, Professional Communication and Reporting and Basic Research Methods during the spring semester 2019 at Sharjah colleges. Phase 2 examined the difference between the experimental group (using blended learning during summer 2019) and the controlled group (learned the same courses during summer 2018) across three different courses and the same three courses.FindingsThere is no statistically significant difference at significance level (a = 0.05) in students' achievements in the Fundamentals of Applied Mathematics (LSM 1000) course between the experimental and controlled groups. There is a statistically significant difference at significance level (a = 0.05) in students' achievements in the Professional Communication and Reporting (LSC 1103) in favor of the experimental group course at higher education attributed to the method of teaching (blended learning, traditional). There is no statistically significant difference at significance level (a = 0.05) in students' achievements in the Basic Research Methods (LSS 1123) between the experimental and controlled groups.Research limitations/implications1. The study is limited to students of Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE. 2. The study is limited to the General Studies Department at Higher Colleges of Technology. 3. The achievement test used in the study is a standardized test developed by the college.Originality/valueThis research considered the first research to discuss the effectiveness of using blended learning where three teaching strategies are combined together (normal face-to-face classes, flipped classroom and online face-to-face classes) in students' achievement at higher education in the UAE.

Identification of Critical Factors Influencing Students' Engagement and Satisfaction of Online Live Learning in Higher Education

In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, online live teaching becomes the main teaching method rather than a choice. Considering the immediate habit change in education, this study aims to identify the critical factors influencing students' engagement and satisfaction with the online live courses using a structural equation model and an online questionnaire survey. Through a comprehensive literature review, four critical factors influencing students' engagement and satisfaction which are instructor behaviors, student characteristics, course organization, the state of health, wellbeing, and sense of community-related (HWC) issues were identified and their relationships as well as measurement indicators for each factor were proposed. Through a survey, 306 valid responses were collected from civil engineering students in China in 2020. The results showed that instructor behaviors and student characteristics have the highest impact on student engagement and perceived learning, respectively. Moreover, the mediating effects of student engagement between instructor behaviors and student characteristics and perceived learning and satisfaction are statistically significant. Furthermore, the state of HWC issues caused by intensive online learning does have a significant negative impact on student satisfaction. Besides, the relative importance of practices affecting student online learning effects was prioritized. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge of online teaching theories and strategies. Moreover, the instructor and the education manager can improve their online live arrangement by referencing the findings of this study. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Influences of Problem-Based Online Learning on the Learning Outcomes of Learners

Influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning has become a major learning mode for most university students in China. For high-quality online teaching, teachers must optimize the teaching mode and strengthen the enthusiasm of students in classroom learning. In this study, a comparative experiment was carried out based on the course Cross-border E-commerce Customer Services for sophomore E-commerce majors at Huanghuai University in Zhumadian City, Henan Province, China. In the experiment, the teaching effect of the problem-based learning (PBL) mode in higher education was verified and gender differences in learning outcomes of learners who accepted PBL were analyzed. Results showed a significant difference at the 0.01 level between pre- and post-test results of the experimental group (t=−11.367, p=0.000), proving the teaching effect of PBL. The academic performances of the experimental class are significantly better compared with those of the control class, indicating that PBL is more beneficial to improve learning outcomes of students than traditional teaching methods. Gender has significant influences on post-test results at the 0.01 level (p=0.002<0.01). The median of final exam scores of male students is obviously higher than that of female students. Research conclusions can provide important references to test the effectiveness of PBL in learning outcomes of a specific subject, construct a PBL mode that can promote deep learning, and facilitate development of university teaching from knowledge teaching to core quality training of students.