Educational video in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic

The implementation of video as an educational resource has become widespread in recent years, driven by highly accessible platforms such as YouTube. The objective of our research is to study the use that is being given, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to audiovisual resources in higher education and to demonstrate the satisfaction with their use by teachers and students. Also, show the existence of variables that improve said satisfaction or that have a significant impact on a greater use of educational videos informally. For this, a descriptive-inferential study based on an online survey with a total sample of 684 responses from the University of Porto is provided. The results are discussed with the most recent literature on the subject. A regular use of the video by half of the sample and a significant use of informal videos by the students is concluded, obtaining, in both groups, a positive satisfaction with their use. The variables that influence satisfaction in the implementation of videos in the formal education stand out: technological competence, economic level and disciplinary area. In addition, those that condition the use of informal videos among students: gender, economic level and disciplinary area.

Sense of Belonging and Student Commitment in the Context of Higher Distance Learning with Virtual Mediation

Both technological advances and the context of the pandemic have positioned virtual mediation as a strong alternative for the transit and projection of higher education institutions and their adaptability to new demands, contexts, and changes.The implementation of remote virtual mediation as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the sense of belonging and student commitment in higher education with face-to-face modality. However, the question arises as to how the behavior of these variables is consolidated in higher education institutions in which remote virtual mediation has always been their methodological hallmark. Seeking to establish the profile of the students of the National Open and Distance University (UNAD) in these contexts and to analyze the interaction of the variables of student commitment and sense of belonging, in this order of ideas and in a random manner, the investigators took a sample of 312 students from the aforementioned university. In this way, the study was developed from a positivist paradigm, with a descriptive-inferential level of depth, with a prospective, cross-sectional and non-experimental record. In addition, the authors used 2 instruments for data collection.The first one was focused on the measurement of the degree and the orientation of the student commitment, while the second one identified determinant factors in the sense of belonging. Finally, the investigators concluded that there is a tangible difference between the profile of the distance education student and that of face-to-face education. Likewise, it is recommended to delve into research focused on the processes of a sense of belonging and student commitment, even more so in distance Higher Education, which has not been sufficiently explored.

Facets of Social Innovation in Higher Education

Emphasis on social engagement and innovation for the higher education sector is a priority, despite the various challenges that have arisen as result of Covid-19, for third level providers. It is a conversation that continues to evolve of how the higher education providers can prepare students for global citizenship and societal innovation. There are specific concerns regarding best practice and the contribution of higher education to teaching, research and ultimately public policy. Universities are embedded in teaching and research whereby the onus is to engage collaboratively with outside organisations to develop competences and create products for greater use by society. This chapter aims to explore how the higher education institutions can contribute to transforming teaching and research so that the student, and ultimately each academic community member, experiences the full value of contributing to a successful society, reflecting on sustainable partnerships, engagement, whilst reflecting the whole idea of societal innovation. Its ambition is to define spheres of influence for enhancing social innovation in higher education. © 2022, The Author(s).

The use of the smartphone for the management of collaborative work in argentine higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic

The situation of mandatory social isolation due to the global COVID-19 pandemic has affected all walks of life, and education has not been the exception. Not only have universities adapted to the new landscape by offering virtual teaching instances, but students have developed collaborative study practices using Smartphones and other digital devices. This article presents the results of a qualitative research that included in-depth interviews with 45 Argentine university students, to investigate the changes that the quarantine has generated in their ways of studying. The findings indicate that students develop complex collaborative study strategies, alternating between texts, audios, and other materials and applications that allow them to study and compensate for the physical absence of their classmates through collaborative work mediated by screens. © 2021 The authors. All right reserved.