Subjective Outcome Evaluation of Instructional Videos in Leadership Education.

The aims of this study were to examine the psychometric properties of two subjective outcome evaluation tools measuring students' perceptions of 24 instructional videos and to understand the profiles of students' perceptions of the videos. Online teaching and learning played an important role when school lockdown measures were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. To facilitate online teaching in a college-level leadership education subject, we developed and piloted 24 instructional videos, including 15 animated videos and 9 case-based videos, in the 2021/22 academic year. To understand students' perceptions of the videos, we developed two subjective outcome evaluation scales (one for the animated videos and another for the case-based videos) to assess the subjective perceptions of 1308 students. Results showed that the developed tools possessed good psychometric properties, including factorial, convergent and discriminant validity. The findings of this study also revealed the students had positive attitudes towards the developed videos, including positive perceptions of the videos' design and the benefits gained from watching them. The present study suggests teachers can meaningfully use the 24 instructional videos in the context of leadership education in higher education.

Digital competence for emergency remote teaching in higher education: understanding the present and anticipating the future.

Higher education has increasingly adopted online and blended models of teaching. Guided by institutional policy and digital competence frameworks, the integration of digital tools and competences is perceived as essential. The pivot to emergency remote teaching (ERT) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of digital technologies and the need to deploy and support digital competences. Researchers captured a range of remote teaching practices in higher education across this period that highlight the adaptability of teachers despite a lack of preparation for such an event. This study reviewed empirical studies of ERT from the past 2 years to derive a conceptual frame for ERT digital competence, which was then applied as a lens to analyse teaching or digital competency frameworks from Australian universities. The findings of this paper demonstrate the pre-pandemic teaching and digital competency frameworks captured digital competencies relevant to ERT in varied ways. Practically, the findings provide a starting point for understanding digital competences needed for ERT to ensure future preparedness in responding to a crisis that disrupts educational provision. We also suggest universities can better support the development of teachers' digital competence through practical operationalisations that connect technical and pedagogical knowledge, make digital possibilities across modes of delivery explicit, and acknowledge the need to protect wellbeing of educators.

High rates of observed face mask use at Colorado universities align with students' opinions about masking and support the safety and viability of in-person higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities have focused on creating policies, such as mask mandates, to minimize COVID-19 transmission both on their campuses and in the surrounding community. Adherence to and opinions about these policies remain largely unknown. METHODS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a cross-sectional study, the Mask Adherence and Surveillance at Colleges and Universities Project (MASCUP!), to objectively and inconspicuously measure rates of mask use at institutes of higher education via direct observation. From February 15 through April 11, 2021 the University of Colorado Boulder (CU, n = 2,808 observations) and Colorado State University Fort Collins (CSU, n = 3,225 observations) participated in MASCUP! along with 52 other institutes of higher education (n = 100,353 observations) spanning 21 states and the District of Columbia. Mask use was mandatory at both Colorado universities and student surveys were administered to assess student beliefs and attitudes. RESULTS: We found that 91.7%, 93.4%, and 90.8% of persons observed at indoor locations on campus wore a mask correctly at University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and across the 52 other schools, respectively. Student responses to questions about masking were in line with these observed rates of mask use where 92.9% of respondents at CU and 89.8% at CSU believe that wearing masks can protect the health of others. Both Colorado universities saw their largest surges in COVID-19 cases in the fall of 2020, with markedly lower case counts during the mask observation window in the spring of 2021. CONCLUSION: High levels of mask use at Colorado's two largest campuses aligned with rates observed at other institutes across the country. These high rates of use, coupled with positive student attitudes about mask use, demonstrate that masks were widely accepted and may have contributed to reduced COVID-19 case counts. This study supports an emerging body of literature substantiating masks as an effective, low-cost measure to reduce disease transmission and establishes masking (with proper education and promotion) as a viable tactic to reduce respiratory disease transmission on college campuses.

Statistical methods to estimate the impact of remote teaching on university students' performance.

The COVID-19 pandemic manifested around the World since February 2020, leading to disruptive effects on many aspects of people social life. The suspension of face-to-face teaching activities in schools and universities was the first containment measure adopted by the Governments to deal with the spread of the virus. Remote teaching has been the emergency solution implemented by schools and universities to limit the damages of schools and universities closure to students' learning. In this contribution we intend to suggest to policy makers and researchers how to assess the impact of emergency policies on remote learning in academia by analysing students' careers. In particular, we exploit the quasi-experimental setting arising from the sudden implementation of remote teaching in the second semester of academic year 2019/2020: we compare the performance of the cohort 2019/2020, which represents the treatment group, with the performance of the cohort 2018/2019, which represents the control group. We distinguish the impact of remote teaching at two levels: degree program and single courses within a degree program. We suggest to use Difference-In-Differences approach in the former case and multilevel modeling in the latter one. The proposal is illustrated analysing administrative data referred to freshmen of cohorts 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 for a sample of degree programs of the University of Florence (Italy).

Education for Sustainable Development: Challenges for Postgraduate Programmes.

As the world faces progressive and interconnected global crises and conflicts, the educational expectations set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are in jeopardy. With the COVID-19 pandemic in its third year, the war in Ukraine has exacerbated the food, energy, humanitarian, and refugee crises, all against the backdrop of an unfolding climate emergency. The aim of this research is to analyse the challenges faced by postgraduate programmes in training human talent for sustainable development on the basis of Grounded Theory. To do so, we have used a dialogical intervention through the complementary experiences of authorities of higher-education institutions that live day by day for a fair, quality, and sustainable education. With a naturalistic qualitative method, where the hermeneutic analysis procedure is structured in five phases, and with data from key informants from 9 countries, 20 interviews are obtained with key informants in Latin American and Spanish universities during 2021, according to inclusion criteria such as: belonging to a higher-education institution, with a doctorate degree, with more than 10 years of experience in management, and training in postgraduate programmes. The data are processed through ATLAS.ti9, which allows for the analysis of the key informants' discourses. The findings show that the university institutions that currently offer postgraduate programmes are considering improving the quality of education; the first challenge is to redesign the curricula according to the demands of the current and future world, incorporating technological resources and knowledge of the environment; inter- and transdisciplinary curricula that form enterprising postgraduates with a solid ethical life project; critical, complex, and systemic thinking.

Learning during (or despite) COVID-19: business students' perceptions of online learning

Purpose: In March 2020, higher education institutions (HEIs) were obliged to complete the semester online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the semesters that followed, HEIs reopened and closed again because of new waves of the pandemic. While flexibility was lauded, previous literature cited student problems such as lack of motivation and social contact. This study aims to explore students' perceptions of learning during four exceptional semesters. Design/methodology/approach: Five surveys were conducted via the program LimeSurvey during the online courses at one business school in Switzerland: April 2020, June 2020, December 2020, June 2021 and December 2021. The participation varied between 56% (April and June 2020), 52% (December 2020), 47.5% (June 2021) and 42.4% (December 2021). Findings: The results of this longitudinal study were analyzed to examine the consequences of "forced” online learning. The analysis reveals that although the students appreciate the usefulness of the learning experience, their motivation decreased. The historic crisis has underlined sudden technological changes in the learning programs that have had multiple (adverse) effects on students' learning. Originality/value: Based on the results, this study concludes that students have mixed perceptions regarding the learning environments (traditional, hybrid or blended) moving forward. Whatever the choice, HEIs must carefully plan the most effective teaching/learning environment to ensure that students remain engaged. This study reveals the links and interconnections in this complex online setting called "learning” based on four semesters of urgent remote learning and one semester of hybrid face-to-face courses. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Can Personality Traits Predict Students' Satisfaction with Blended Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The present study aimed to assess the impact of personality traits on student satisfaction with blended learning which many higher education institutions have adopted since the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Personality traits were assessed using the International Personality Item Pool and student satisfaction was recorded on a 7-point Likert scale. Data analysis of 72 undergraduate students revealed that low extraversion and high neuroticism predicted higher levels of student satisfaction. Implications are discussed considering the current pandemic with a view of increasing student satisfaction and in-turn improving National Student Survey results that impact on Teaching Excellence Framework scores and league tables. © 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Acceptance of e-learning applications by accounting students in an online learning environment at residential universities

Technology acceptance models have been used in the higher education context to understand students' acceptance of various learning technologies. Not only was the use of e-learning technologies heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the shift to predominantly online teaching and learning was abrupt. It has become clear that acceptance of e-learning technology will be crucial for higher education in a post-COVID-19 world. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the acceptance of e-learning applications by accounting students at residential universities in South Africa. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) was adapted for this study to examine the relevance of its constructs in understanding students' intent to use e-learning applications. Accounting students registered at four South African universities completed an electronic questionnaire (n = 1 864). Structural Equation Modelling using the Partial Least Squares method was used to test the hypothesised relationships. The findings indicate that performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and habit have a significant relationship with behavioural intention to use e-learning applications. However, gender, academic performance, and level of study do not have a significant moderating effect on these relationships. The study reported in this paper contributes to technology acceptance research by testing the UTAUT2 model in a cross-institutional context with a larger sample size than used in similar studies. Furthermore, it has practical value for higher education policymakers, institutions, and lecturers in their attempts to adapt to blended and online learning models. © 2022 South African Journal of Accounting Research.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Digital Competence A Case Study of Preservice Teacher Education Students in the Sultanate of Oman

The study looked into how COVID-19 affected the digital competence of a group of preservice teacher education students at a higher education institution in the Sultanate of Oman. The paper examined students' digital profile in five areas namely information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety and problem solving. Data from 32 undergraduate students was collected by utilizing DigComp, a European Commission digital skills self-assessment tool and findings from a survey. The digital competence framework measures the set of skills, knowledge and attitudes that describes what it means to be digitally competent. These skills are important for students to be effective global citizens in the 21st century. The results of the study revealed that the majority of the students scored Level 3 (Intermediate) in their self-assessment competency test score. The majority of the students perceived that their digital competence improved significantly as the result of online learning which was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The rationale of this investigation is that it helps educators understand the students' level of digital competence and the students' perspectives on ICT skills. In turn, it informs us the ways to monitor the students' digital progress and the next steps in developing their digital competency © 2023, International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications.All Rights Reserved.

The influence of socio-cognitive mindfulness and resilience on middle managers' stress and thriving during COVID-19: results from two studies

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of socio-cognitive mindfulness on resilience, stress and thriving among middle managers in higher education at two separate periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Study 1, the authors examined how socio-cognitive mindfulness predicted perceived stress and whether the relationship between mindfulness and perceived stress was mediated by resilience. In Study 2, the authors replicated the first study and further hypothesized that the link between mindfulness and thriving was also mediated by resilience. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted cross-sectional correlational studies to test the hypotheses using data from 163 middle managers in higher education early in the pandemic in Study 1 and 204 middle managers a year later in Study 2. Findings: Study 1 findings showed socio-cognitive mindfulness predicted perceived stress, and that resilience fully mediated this relationship. In Study 2, socio-cognitive mindfulness did not predict perceived stress, but it did predict thriving, and that relationship was fully mediated by resilience. Originality/value: This research is the first to address how socio-cognitive mindfulness directly impacts perceived stress and thriving and its impact through building resilience. To date, few studies have focused on stress in higher education middle managers or addressed the importance of building socio-cognitive mindfulness and resilience to thrive amid ongoing challenges. Implications of the pandemic's influence on the results are also addressed. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Formative Assessment in Context of COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic situation is contributing to the redesign of training models, promoting new scenarios, or readjusting other pedagogical resources already known, which help to deal with the uncertainty and doubts that have arisen. This context raises new requirements and solutions in the approach of the face-to-face, online and mixed model. Adaptation of spaces, compliance with prevention measures, interaction with students, methodologies and especially, an assessment system, which helps to keep track of the subject, so that a more active attitude of the student and their commitment to this process, are of great value. From the reflection on the achievement of objectives, follow-up of the subject, and the auto- and peer-assessment, an experience of formative assessment is presented in two environments, online and face-to-face. Both are supported by a process of self-assessment and peer-assessment, which has allowed students to successfully face the subject of Artistic Expression I, in the Degree in Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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.

Insights from online education in the Egyptian higher education

Purpose: The introduction of technology in education has been a strategic objective at both the governmental and educational institutional levels long before Covid-19. However, the acceleration to e-learning caused by the pandemic disrupted the traditional classroom environment overnight forcing the entire sector at all levels, school, undergraduate and postgraduate, to shift to online learning. Regardless of readiness, the action was taken, and online instruction was implemented, improved, adjusted and enhanced during the experience. After 18 months comprising three semesters of online education amongst MBA and DBA students, the researchers decided to survey to investigate and assess the quality of the experience. The study aims to investigate the students' perception of this unique opportunity to provide an assessment of online education in higher education, achievement or failure, and based on the results, provide a roadmap for improvement. The study also addresses the uniqueness of the Egyptian higher education environment and the particularity of its student's context. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a quantitative descriptive survey method to find out how students felt about their online education by giving them a questionnaire and using automated numerical computation to generate data. The total number of the completed survey was 853. However, to include only those responses that were completed attentively, a speed factor was calculated for each respondent. Cases with speed factors higher than three were excluded from the sample, leading to 666 accepted responses. Data collected were analysed using correlation, regression and path analysis. Findings: Favourable satisfaction levels towards online education, and favourable perceptions towards university support, instructor–student communication and course design were found. Less favourable perceptions were found towards peer collaborations and student initiative. Research limitations/implications: While the study proves reliability through the number of candidates participating in the survey, the rigorous measures of eliminations in the sample, the validity value of the questionnaire and the literature recommendation of the model are used here;yet it is important to point out that: further elements in the e-learning can and need to be studied, such as cultural implications, generational differences, government support reality from policies to infrastructure and management philosophy readiness in developing countries amongst other factors. Practical implications: Resources and skills are amongst the factors that were found to affect students' satisfaction with online education, directly and positively. Student initiative was found to have a moderating role in how student, instructor and institution determinants affect students' satisfaction with online education. Originality/value: The uniqueness of this paper is that it seeks to assess the agility of the Egyptian education system during COVID-19 in higher education. It provides evidence to the current status as no study assesses the student perception. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The opportunities afforded by offshore teaching to faculty members: Strengthening confidence in core qualities

Offshore teaching is a common practice in Australian higher education. While challenges in offshore teaching have been well studied, the opportunities that it may provide have been seldom discussed. Considering this, the aim of this study is to address this gap by investigating the opportunities that offshore teaching provided faculty members in the development of their professional values. This study employs the memory-work method self-study based on the reflective notes of Author1 about his teaching experiences in the offshore programme between December 2019 and August 2021, with reference to Korthagen's core reflection model. The reflections revealed that he not only identified but strengthened his confidence in his core qualities through offshore teaching. This strengthened confidence in his core qualities also helped him to negotiate with the new problematic situations created by the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Perceived quality of online learning during COVID-19 in higher education in Singapore: perspectives from students, lecturers, and academic leaders

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the higher education sector in Singapore. Existing tertiary studies seeking to understand the intraperiod response to COVID-19 often focus on single institutions, jurisdictions or stakeholder groups. This study is the first in-depth qualitative multi-stakeholder examination of the higher education environment in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explored the perceptions of the quality of digital pedagogy during COVID-19, how universities have adapted because of the pandemic, and how leaders, teaching staff and students have been affected by the management and educational changes via 13 semi-structured interviews across six Singapore higher education institutions. Through purposive sampling, we explore current stakeholder perceptions, structural education changes, and personal learning and teaching impacts of COVID-19. Applying Braun and Clarke's approach to thematic analysis, we inductively uncovered four major themes: the Singapore government's approach to COVID-19 and its effects on delivery;academic leadership approaches;education technology;and well-being. This article is critical as a key foundation to understand how Singapore is responding with unique geopolitical differences. We discuss the practical implications of our research for current university faculty and students during and beyond the pandemic, and outline opportunities for future research. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Response, readiness and challenges of online teaching amid COVID-19 pandemic: the case of higher education in Bangladesh

Objective: Online education is a relatively new phenomenon in Bangladesh. Gathering data online during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines the response, readiness and challenges of online education in the Bangladeshi context. Method: Data were collected by applying qualitative approaches such as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with purposively selected students and teachers involved in online education at two public and three private universities. Results: The findings reveal an immediate response from some universities and late or no action from others in continuing education during the pandemic. Since teachers, students or the university administration were unprepared for such a situation, there was a shortage of or creation of initiatives, although a certain degree of success was noticed. Major challenges include the lack of appropriate technology, knowledge of technology use, teachers' inadequate skills in operating the system and motivating students, poor Internet facilities and high Internet costs, and absence of a calm environment at students' homes. Conclusion: Steps such as workshops for teacher development, improvement of technology and facilities, subsidies in Internet use, revisits to higher education and emergency education laws, and assistance from other professionals and institutions are proposed for consideration. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: A number of higher educational institutions (HEIs) worldwide have introduced online education, and have been continuing teaching–learning activities online from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. HEI teachers in developed countries have prior training and experience in conducting online education;however, several pedagogical, technical and management-related challenges have been identified. HEIs in Bangladesh do not have a specific policy regarding continuing education in an emergency. This is the first time that online education has been launched. What this study adds: This study explores how HEIs, particularly teachers, respond to continuing teaching–learning activities. It illustrates teachers' pedagogical, technical and management-related readiness necessary for online education. This study also identifies several challenges in continuing online teaching–learning activities in Bangladesh HEIs. © 2021 Australian Psychological Society.

Exploratory Practice as a Professional Development Strategy for English-Language Teachers in Indonesia

The COVID-19 pandemic forced university-based language teachers to rely on technology for teaching. While the challenges of the rushed move to online teaching have been well documented, less is known about how teachers adapted to online teaching through professional development. This article focuses on the experiences of four English-language teachers in Indonesian higher education, who took part in an exploratory practice study for the integration of technology-enhanced pedagogical practices in teaching. In this article, we explore the pedagogical puzzles they explored with their students, the challenges faced by the teachers and the gains achieved by undertaking exploratory practice for integrating technology into language teaching in 2021. Drawing on data gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, we identified that the application of exploratory practice principles enabled the participant teachers to tackle a variety of pedagogical puzzles related to online teaching and professional development. We also found that they overcame a variety of challenges and used potentially exploitable pedagogic activities to better understand students and their learning needs, which encouraged them to recognize students as partners in teaching. Further investments of resources and support are necessary to ensure that language teachers fully benefit from exploratory practice in terms of professional development during and beyond the pandemic. © The Author(s) 2023.

A review of resilience in higher education: toward the emerging concept of designer resilience

Higher education (HE) students experience rates of depression and anxiety substantially higher than those found in the general population. Many psychological approaches to improving wellbeing and developing student resilience have been adopted by HE administrators and educators, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. This article aims to review literature regarding integration of resilience and wellbeing in HE. A subsequent aim is to scope toward developing foundations for an emerging discipline specific concept–designer resilience. A literature scoping review is applied to chart various conceptual, theoretical and operational applications of resilience and wellbeing in HE. Twenty-seven (27) articles are identified and analysed. The scoping review finds that two general approaches to implementing resilience and wellbeing training exist in HE. First, articles reacting to a decline in student mental health and remedying this decline through general extra-curricular resilience or wellbeing programmes. Second, articles opting for a curricula and discipline-specific approach by establishing why resilience will be needed by future graduates before developing and testing new learning experiences. The presence of cognitive flexibility, storytelling, reframing and reflection lie at the core of the practice of resilience and design and therefore offer preliminary opportunities to develop ‘designer resilience' training. Future research opportunities are identified throughout the article. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

"Let's accept it”: Vietnamese university language teachers' emotion in online synchronous teaching in response to COVID-19

Objective: Teaching is often described as one of the most emotional-laden professions, and teachers experience a wide range of emotions while teaching. In times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis of conversion to online teaching has triggered new emotional experiences of teachers that not many studies have taken into account. Method: Studying emotion from a post-structuralist lens, this study examines the emotional orientations of Vietnamese higher education language teachers and their emotional responses in online teaching environments. Results: The findings show that the pedagogically and technologically distinctive features of online teaching aroused unique challenges and emotions of teachers, both positive and negative. Also, the teachers reported a number of strategies to cope with the new situation. Conclusion: The study highlights the critical need for acknowledgement and support of institutions for the transition to online teaching in the "new normal situation”. © 2021 Australian Psychological Society.