Online learning during Covid-19 pandemic: issues and challenges

The Covid-19 pandemic appears to have led us towards a new change in education systems around the world. Digital learning is the modus operandi of professionals looking to improve their skills in an increasingly automated world. Online learning has found a place in the curriculum of schools and universities to ensure academic continuity. Access to online learning is highly dependent on the subject and the tools the students are familiar with. This research report looks at different aspects of the challenges in the form of an online learning questionnaire. The study shows that most of the younger generations are very familiar with the use of online platforms, but use them as part of their daily academic activities, but are faced with many attitude problems that drive them to behave differently, which can be further elaborated in the findings of this study. Copyright © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Judo as a tool to reinforce value-based education in the South African Primary Schools physical education and school sport programmes

Background: Modern lives are characterized by technological comforts, safety concerns and complicated lifestyles, which all conspire to limit children's movement activities and that resulted in the waning of values in most societies. Physical Education and schools sport (PESS) programmes should have an integrated approach towards the holistic development (cognitive;psychomotor;physical;social;affective domains) of all children to instill qualities and values. Aim: The aim was to determine if judo is an appropriate educational tool in a South African schooling context to promote the values inherent in the curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) Curriculum. Setting: Due to the Covid-19 epidemic lockdown, all interviews were conducted online, with participants and the researcher participating from their home settings. Methods: With this descriptive design and qualitative approach, a purposive sample of South African primary schools that incorporate judo as an extramural activity were identified and invited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sport administrators (n=6), school judo coaches (n=7), and a focus group discussion was conducted with professional school judo coaches (n=4). Narrative data obtained were analysed through line-to-line, axial and cross-thematic comparative coding. Results: Themes, guided by the conceptual framework of social justice, were triangulated and categorised. These themes include community, responsibility, inclusion and equality, physical development, leadership, cognitive development, enhanced participation, active, healthy lifestyle choices, and fairness. Conclusion: Coaches and school sport administrators, recognize the potential and actual contributions of judo at various levels, including the development of moral values, physical attributes, cognitive and psychomotor skills, and a philosophy of teamwork and togetherness. © JPES.

Application of Sound of Kobyz in Online Therapy and Health Improvement

Due to the tense modern rhythm of life, environmental, economic and social problems, there is an alarming trend toward an overall increase in mental illness and psychological disorders (Gusakova in Musical-therapeutic potential of elementary music-making and individual improvisation activity. I International Scientific and Practical Conference "Music and Health”. Collection of reports and s M.: National Association of Music Therapists, p. 31, 2009). Therefore, the search for new non-drug methods of psychological correction and health improvement of the population is the most urgent modern task. Recently, methods of music therapy have become more and more widespread. The author of the method has released a therapeutic disk "Gylkobyzdyn shipasy”, which includes seven compositions reproduced by the author. The novelty of this research lies in the study of psychological, physiological and ethnocultural aspects of the use of the ancient Kazakh musical instrument Kobyz for health purposes. "Kobyztherapy” is a universal, progressive method of online recovery in areas such as psychology, sociology, health care and the social sphere, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Teaching an undergraduate elective on the Great Recession (and the COVID-19 recession too)

The authors describe an undergraduate economics elective focused on the Great Recession and the recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. They have taught the course with great success at both liberal arts colleges and research universities and at all levels of the curriculum ranging from a first-year seminar to an upper-level elective. They present a roadmap for instructors interested in offering the class. Although intermediate macroeconomics is assumed as a prerequisite, the authors discuss how they have adapted the class for students with different backgrounds. The course is divided into seven units: the housing bubble and asset pricing, housing policy and history, propagation and panic, monetary policy, fiscal policy, aftermath and international perspectives, and the macroeconomics of COVID-19. Sample assignments and readings are both provided. © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Theming electracy: An interview with Gregory L. Ulmer

This interview seeks to provide a thorough and discerning overview of the various theories, concepts and issues guiding the work of Gregory L. Ulmer. The central aim of Ulmer's multifaceted project, which he terms electracy, is to theorize a skill-set intended to operate with networked technologies, in the same manner as literacy is an ability related to alphabetic writing. In Ulmer's words, electracy 'is to digital media what literacy is to print'. While literacy enables the mind to develop complex lines of reasoning, he suggests that electracy augments it by seeking to enhance the affective capacity of the body. In a more general sense, Ulmer conceptualizes electracy as the era, or, as he also puts it, an apparatus, dominated by digital technologies. To theorize various aspects of this apparatus, Ulmer compares and contrasts it with the other apparatuses (that of literacy and orality). The interview also situates Ulmer's insights within our current cultural context of a post-COVID world and examines the various social implications such insights entail. Moving from Greek antiquity, through Kafka and even Mickey Mouse, Ulmer provides an unnerving and motivating method for better understanding and interrogating the problems that we all face, particularly with regard to education. He also sheds light on other contemporary issues such as digital misinformation and the waning trust in traditional institutions. In addition to offering a 'crash course' on Ulmerian theory, the interview interrogates the ways in which electracy can help us develop new angles for digital pedagogy, but also for living and being, after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Student and teacher experiences of online synchronous learning

Purpose: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about rapid changes in higher education (HE) pedagogies, with universities adding online options to their core face to face offering. The use of technology to facilitate learning has been a mainstay in traditional distance education settings. The paper aims to understand student and teacher experience of synchronous online learning in HE to develop practice and assist those newly coming to online teaching. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a ‘rapid review' of articles related to this topic over the last 21 years. Thematic analysis of the 61 studies identified for inclusion were;Use of technology, planned pedagogy, comparison of synchronous and asynchronous learning, relationships online, teacher and student attitudes, COVID-19 reflections. Findings: This study's findings show many studies examined the transition from classroom to online learning, rather than the experience of being online. Building a community of learning, with interaction between all parties, was central to success in the development of an approach to online synchronous teaching. Research limitations/implications: Few of the early papers included here expressly explored student and teacher experiences of synchronous learning. Instead, they broadly discussed blended learning, or compared functionality and effectiveness of online teaching, with traditional in person or offline/asynchronous alternatives. An additional drawback was that educators were frequently involved in studies which investigated the experiences of their own students. Originality/value: This study is one of the few to focus on the experience of staff and students in the online synchronous environment. The results show there is scope to achieve improvement in online learning, through research focussed on how students, lecturers and institutional administrators adapt to the new normal. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The Fall of Perseverance and Rise of Indomitable Spirit within Taekwon-Do during COVID-19

Background. Taekwon-Do, a South Korean martial art and combat sport teaches hundreds of physical skills through a stratified curriculum. The highest learning objectives of Taekwon-Do are, however, its five tenets (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-con-trol, and indomitable spirit). Unlike the physical aspects of Taekwon-Do practice, there are no direct assessment tools that can determine if a student has acquired and utilized the tenets. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic may provide a unique opportunity to assess the acquisition of some of the tenets of Taekwon-Do. Problem and Aim. This study aims to provide an indirect method of assessing students' adoption of some of Taekwon-Do's tenets by understanding how these ideals may enable Taekwon-Do practitioners to overcome physical and emotional challenges in their daily lives. Methods. The research methodology utilizes an autoethnographic research design that correlates the author's application of the tenets of Taekwon-Do to his mental and spiritual health successes after suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic and life-altering physical injuries. Results. COVID-19, like the author's injuries, provides an indirect and qualitative assessment opportunity for two tenets of Taek-wondo (perseverance and indomitable spirit). Conclusion. While indirect assessment is a viable and established pedagogical means of assessment, quantitative measurement tools may be more persuasive to prove the effectiveness of the tenets of Taekwon-Do.

Virtual Guest Speakers in Textile and Apparel Courses: Student Experiences and Expectations

This paper focuses on the findings related to the second part of a continuing study of student impressions of the industry guest speaker experience in college fashion courses: student perceptions of virtual guest speakers. Data from 130 participants who were enrolled in the researchers' textile and apparel classes at two United States universities were analyzed. Findings suggested that although there are disadvantages to the use of virtual industry guest visits, many students find them useful and enlightening. While respondents overall preferred in-person visits, student concern with technological issues seems to have lessened during the forced move to online coursework during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have come to realize that the online medium, especially through the "chat” functionality found in videoconferencing platforms, can be an effective way to ask questions. Suggestions are made for instructors considering the use of the virtual medium for industry speaker visits. © 2022 ITAA.

The intermingled meanings of PhoneMe: Exploring transmodal, place-based poetry in an online social network

This research paper explores how preservice teachers engaged with the transmodal place-based poetry on PhoneMe, an educational social media platform for sharing poetry and vocal performances about place. This work is situated in literature on digital place-based education and theoretical scholarship exploring transmodality and the shifting entanglement of meanings and modes. In this paper, we share findings from a research survey conducted with teacher candidates in a core teacher education literacy course that had transitioned online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss how participants engaged with the transmodal poetry in the survey and how their perceived poetic meaning and poetic connections changed with each additional modality. We share the pedagogical implications of our findings as well as ideas gleaned from the data for integrating the PhoneMe platform and pedagogy in secondary school classrooms. In the discussion, we explore how engagement with transmodal place-based digital poetry can be a unique way to draw together place-based education, digital literacies, social media literacies, and poetry pedagogy in a way that is visceral, relational, and highly relevant to contemporary lives and classrooms both on and offline. © 2022 International Literacy Association.

Lessons learned from clinical course design in the pandemic: Pedagogical implications from a qualitative analysis.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to examine clinical pedagogy based on experiences of changes and adaptations to clinical courses that occurred in nursing education during the pandemic. Beyond learning how to manage nursing education during a pandemic or other crisis, we uncover the lessons to be learned for overall improvement of nursing education. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive analysis using semi-structured interview data with baccalaureate nursing students. METHODS: Data were collected in the spring of 2021 using semi-structured interview with 15 participants. Transcribed text was analysed using thematic content analysis. The COREQ checklist was used to guide our reporting. RESULTS: Three themes were identified related to course design in clinical courses for nursing students: the role and limitations of simulation, competency evaluations and career implications. Students expressed some concern over not 'finishing hours', loss of in-person clinical experiences and their reduced exposure to different clinical settings. CONCLUSION: To prepare work-ready nurses, educators need to keep in mind the trends, issues and demands of future healthcare systems. Simulation may have been a temporary measure to achieve clinical competence during the pandemic but needs to be of high-quality and cannot meet all the expected learning outcomes of clinical courses. Exposure to different patients, families and communities will ensure that the future nursing workforce has experience, socialization, competence, and desire to work in various clinical settings. Competency evaluation similarly needs to be robust and objective and consider the role and perception of hours completed. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. Participants were nursing students.

Film as a pedagogical tool for geography during the pandemic induced virtual classes.

Film has always been an important medium to disseminate social issues through imageries and imaginaries. The present paper examines the importance of film in understanding contextual, geographical concept-metaphors through virtual classes that can unearth the potential of the teaching-learning process in the COVID-19 induced lockdown situation. Qualitative techniques are used here to analyze landscapes, communication and actions to reveal the importance of a film from Bollywood, the world's largest film producing hub, in the context of teaching geographical concepts via online digital-mode classes in the ongoing pandemic scenario. Besides, Bollywood film has a wider and strong subliminal effect on the human mind. In this connection, the present work shows how a teachers' team use geographic media literacy as a pedagogical tool to enhance their students' cognition in online classes. It further shows that film acts as a geographic teaching tool for making students aware of the subjective understanding of Geography through a sub-branch wise explanation of cinematic components. It is observed that, even in the absence of classroom activity, if the lecture/study materials are interlinked with film, it would render a good understanding of the required geographical know-how. This article thus introduces a new scope for devising a better and more resilient online teaching process that promises to enrich geographical studies' digital pedagogy.

Fostering uncertainty tolerance in anatomy education: Lessons learned from how humanities, arts and social science (HASS) educators develop learners' uncertainty tolerance.

Uncertainty tolerance, individuals' perceptions/responses to uncertain stimuli, is increasingly recognized as critical to effective healthcare practice. While the Covid-19 pandemic generated collective uncertainty, healthcare-related uncertainty is omnipresent. Correspondingly, there is increasing focus on uncertainty tolerance as a health professional graduate "competency," and a concomitant interest in identifying pedagogy fostering learners' uncertainty tolerance. Despite these calls, practical guidelines for educators are lacking. There is some initial evidence that anatomy education can foster medical students' uncertainty tolerance (e.g., anatomical variation and dissection novelty), however, there remains a knowledge gap regarding robust curriculum-wide uncertainty tolerance teaching strategies. Drawing upon humanities, arts and social sciences (HASS) educators' established uncertainty tolerance pedagogies, this study sought to learn from HASS academics' experiences with, and teaching practices related to, uncertainty pedagogy using a qualitative, exploratory study design. Framework analysis was undertaken using an abductive approach, wherein researchers oscillate between inductive and deductive coding (comparing to the uncertainty tolerance conceptual model). During this analysis, the authors analyzed ~386 min of data from purposively sampled HASS academics' (n = 14) discussions to address the following research questions: (1) What teaching practices do HASS academics' perceive as impacting learners' uncertainty tolerance, and (2) How do HASS academics execute these teaching practices? The results extend current understanding of the moderating effects of education on uncertainty tolerance and supports prior findings that the anatomy learning environment is ripe for supporting learner uncertainty tolerance development. This study adds to growing literature on the powerful moderating effect education has on uncertainty tolerance and proposes translation of HASS uncertainty tolerance teaching practices to enhance anatomy education.

Dyad pedagogy in practical anatomy: A description of the implementation and student perceptions of an adaptive approach to cadaveric teaching.

Prior to the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, anatomy practical sessions at Trinity College Dublin involved eight to 10 students per donor station, rotating between digital learning, anatomical models/osteology, and dissection activities for three hours weekly. To maintain cadaveric participation in the anatomy laboratory while adhering to distancing guidelines, a transition to dyad pedagogy was implemented. This mode of delivery allowed two students per donor station to spend one hour per week in the anatomy laboratory with all digital learning elements transferred to the virtual learning platform Blackboard as pre- and post-practical session learning activities. Dyad pedagogy has been explored in clinical settings and simulation procedural-based training but is yet to be fully verified in anatomy education. To determine the effectiveness of hybrid practical sessions and reduced donor to student ratios, the opinions of first year medical students were examined using an online questionnaire with a 51% response rate. Although students recognized the merits of more time in the anatomy laboratory, including opportunities for self-directed study and exposure to anatomical variation, they felt that having two students per station enabled sufficient hands-on time with the donor body and fostered learning opportunities that would not be possible with larger groups. Strong preferences for quality time with the donor body supported by online resources suggests this modality should be a key consideration in course design for anatomy curricula and emphasizes the importance of gauging students' preferences to optimize satisfaction and learning output when pivoting to blended learning strategies in anatomy education.

A cross-case study: the personal and professional challenges experienced by nurse educators at three Midwestern colleges and universities during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the educational system in the United States, especially nursing. Nurse educators are essential to educating the next generation of nurses, but they are in short supply while the need for nurses is growing. There is limited research on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on nurse educators' wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to explore the personal and professional challenges of being an academic nurse educator during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of this transition on their lives and academic nursing in the future. The research questions were (1) How do nurse educators describe the pedagogical challenges encountered when changing the format of nursing education as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) How do nurse educators describe the effects of the pedagogical challenges (when changing the format of nursing education) encountered and institutional constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic on their personal wellbeing? (3) How do nurse educators believe their personal and professional challenges, through experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, may impact academic nursing education going forward? The theoretical lens used to guide the study was Hardy and Conway's Role Theory and Schoening's Nurse Educator Transition (NET) model.The study design was a qualitative multiple-case, descriptive study employing a cross-case analysis of five nurse educator's individual interviews and documents employed at three baccalaureate nursing programs. Each nurse educator's case was individually presented and analyzed, then cross-analyzed. From the cross-analysis eight themes and five sub-themes where developed. The eight themes identified were (1) the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in pedagogical changes by the nurse educator to meet the course and student learning objectives;(2) nurse educators experienced tension over ethical issues that resulted in disunity;(3) institutional communication plays an important role in nurse educator satisfaction;(4) nurse educators struggled to balance educator role and home/life responsibilities;(5) nurse educators emotional and physical wellbeing declined due to educator role demands;(6) nurse educators are proud of their own and their student's resiliency;(7) student success became the nurse educator's responsibility and;(8) future academic nursing will change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Education 3.0 underpinned with the heutagogical approach for a smooth shift to distance learning in higher education

As the shift to distance learning was abrupt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, neither university students nor instructors were fully prepared. There was a real demand, therefore, for adopting principles that belong to Education 3.0 in higher education institutions as this pandemic might not be the last. This study aimed at evaluating to what extent the principles of Education 3.0 based on the heutagogical approach could be applied at universities. To achieve this target, a mixed approach was followed by utilizing two instruments;a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. A total of (200) students and (10) instructors from Birzeit University (BZU) were the participants. Data that emerged from the questionnaire were statistically analyzed, whereas the interviewees' responses were qualitatively content-analyzed and grouped into main themes. The findings revealed that some principles of Education 3.0 have not been fully applied yet at BZU, such as supporting the learners' self-determination;the individualization of teaching methods and strategies;blending synchronous online teaching mode with the face-to-face;empowering and coaching students to build personal learning environments with using multiple tools of authentic and real-life evaluations. Accordingly, it was recommended that universities worldwide as well as other higher education institutions should adopt the principles of Education 3.0 to make the shift to distance learning smooth for both students and instructors, especially by using flexible curricula and open learning resources;empowering students to determine their needs, objectives and personal learning environments;individualizing the teaching methods;and avoiding "One-size fits all” strategies. © 2023 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.

Responding to crises: rewilding accounting education for the Anthropocene

PurposeResponding to COVID-19, this conceptual paper uses rewilding to interrupt anthropocentric and human/nature dualist properties of accounting education. Through rewilding accounting education, informed by posthumanist and ecofeminist thought, this paper aims to develop an accounting pedagogy that shapes greater ecocentric narratives. Accounting educators can contribute to addressing crises by evolving new pedagogies that radically transform the education of future accounting professionals.Design/methodology/approachThe authors take a critical stance in analysing the human-centred accounting education model. They explore how this model can be reimagined through rewilding accounting education, resulting in learning interventions that foster an understanding of intrinsic value, complexity of systems and collective disposition with all species and the natural world.FindingsRewilding learning interventions embed an ecocentric approach in accounting curricula design to extend beyond a human focus. Rewilding learning interventions practically explored with application to accounting include learning with and from nature, Indigenous knowledge perspectives, play as a common language and empathy as a dialogical bridge.Social implicationsThe authors present an accounting pedagogy that fosters among accounting students and educators a relational orientation and ecological consciousness that encompasses compassion and openness to others, including non-human species and nature. This will ensure that accounting graduates are better prepared for addressing future crises that stem from our disconnect with nature.Originality/valueThis paper adds to limited research investigating accounting and the Anthropocene. Investigations into the Anthropocene's human-centred discourse in accounting education are vital to respond adequately to crises. This paper extends social and environmental accounting education literature to encompass less anthropocentric discourse and greater relational learning.

Curriculum Interventions and Pedagogical Approaches for Virtual Care Delivery: A Scoping Review

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of virtual care as a modality for home-based care delivery to individuals and cohorts who might not otherwise have access. While a number of positive outcomes have been reported, rapid growth has occurred without critical consideration of clinician education and training. Little is known about the curricular and pedagogical requirements for educating current and future clinicians in virtual care provision. This review was informed by Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage methodological framework for scoping reviews, first published in 2005. Using a clearly articulated search strategy and reporting process, over 4000 pieces of literature were analysed to inform this review. A final 17 papers were included. Common themes emerging in relation to curricula content include the basics of virtual care, cultural awareness, interprofessional collaboration/training, telepresence, encompassing non-verbal, verbal and environmental considerations, and virtual care clinical skills. Standalone modules are recommended for delivering ‘the basics' of virtual care, while the interactive/participative approach is endorsed as an appropriate method of instruction. The reviewed literature reviewed offers a set of core inclusions and pedagogical approaches for a virtual care education program, although these are often mentioned in general terms and are not always well described. Moving beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual care education for current and future clinicians requires a consistent and cohesive approach to curricula and pedagogies. These approaches should be rigorously evaluated as part of a continuous quality improvement process.

The regime of ‘post-truth': COVID-19 and the politics of knowledge

The emergence of ‘post-truth' is often associated with the rise of conspiracy theories and the lack of trust in scientific knowledge. This article attempts to theorise the complex division of labour in this regime of ‘post-truth', with reference to the COVID-19 pandemic/infodemic. First, we argue that the ‘post-truth' condition mirrors what Foucault called the ‘will to truth', and that this challenges the procedures and systems by which truth and knowledge are ordered. Second, through Basil Bernstein's extension of Foucault's work, we argue that the era of post-truth has two features regarding the condition of knowledge: (1) that conflicts in the field of knowledge recontextualisation, that is, the pedagogisation of knowledge, are becoming more intense and visible, and (2) that greater exposure to high-stakes, uncertain scientific knowledge, which grows at exponential rate, increases social anxieties and leads to biopoliticisation of neoliberal responsibilisation.

Difference between Online and On-site Mathematics Courses in Higher Education

As a result of the rapid spread of the Covid-19 virus, the education system has undergone many changes in order to avoid the spread of the disease. Educational institutions have moved from traditional pedagogy of teaching to the process of online learning. The purpose of this research is to estimate there are differences between learning mathematics online and on-site in Higher Education. To determine if there is a difference between learning math online and on-site, we first analyzed the results of students who have completed the same math course. Then we analyzed the results of students who have successfully completed this course. The students' academic results were measured by the final grade of the exams from the mathematics course, which were provided by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UBT University in Kosovo, where the students of this University were part of this study. This research study makes an important contribution to addressing the question of differences between online and on-site mathematics learning and achievement. The findings revealed that there are small differences between online learning outcomes and on-site. The outcomes demonstrated that online learners performed better than on-site learners in the arithmetic course. The results of this study will offer crucial information to higher education institutions looking to provide top-notch online courses that cater to students' and communities' requirements. Copyright © 2022 The Authors.

The Fall of Perseverance and Rise of Indomitable Spirit within Taekwon-Do during COVID-19

Background. Taekwon-Do, a South Korean martial art and combat sport teaches hundreds of physical skills through a stratified curriculum. The highest learning objectives of Taekwon-Do are, however, its five tenets (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit). Unlike the physical aspects of Taekwon-Do practice, there are no direct assessment tools that can determine if a student has acquired and utilized the tenets. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic may provide a unique opportunity to assess the acquisition of some of the tenets of Taekwon-Do. Problem and Aim. This study aims to provide an indirect method of assessing students' adoption of some of Taekwon-Do's tenets by understanding how these ideals may enable Taekwon-Do practitioners to overcome physical and emotional challenges in their daily lives. Methods. The research methodology utilizes an autoethnographic research design that correlates the author's application of the tenets of Taekwon-Do to his mental and spiritual health successes after suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic and life-altering physical injuries. Results. COVID-19, like the author's injuries, provides an indirect and qualitative assessment opportunity for two tenets of Taekwondo (perseverance and indomitable spirit). Conclusion. While indirect assessment is a viable and established pedagogical means of assessment, quantitative measurement tools may be more persuasive to prove the effectiveness of the tenets of Taekwon-Do.