Learning how to learn in the virtual world: student experiences during the covid-19 pandemic

Based on a mixed, exploratory, and descriptive study, this article aims, on the one hand, to identify the didactic strategies and technological resources used in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and of emergency remote teaching (ERT);and, on the other hand, to reveal the strategies and didactics that favored the act of learning during the remote courses. As an instrument of inquiry, a semi-structured survey was conducted with open and closed questions, in which a group of university students reported their experiences. The findings show positive and negative assessments of the learning experience in the ERT. In addition, there is evidence of coincidence and dissonance between what teachers used in their teaching and what students identified as favorable for their learning. From the students' perspective, considering the favorable aspects for learning is fundamental for the design and implementation of teaching and learning strategies, not only in virtual environments. In this way, the data provided allow us to review future teaching proposals, in a changing context where virtual education is intertwined with face-to-face experiences.

‘If lecturers are at home, they can't tell their kids to shut up': university student engagement with blended learning during Covid-19: a mixed methods study

Covid-19 had an unprecedented impact on daily living and resulted in many restrictions across all areas of life. Consequently, educational establishments in the UK adapted teaching delivery by moving to online or blended learning during the main ‘stay at home' phase and many remained online as ongoing restrictions were announced. Many changes made during this period such as a move to online learning are likely to remain, in some capacity, as we emerge from the pandemic. The aim of this study was to explore student engagement with online and blended learning in a Higher Education (HE) institution using a mixed methods approach. One hundred and eighty-two HE sport students completed an online survey and a total of twenty one HE students took part in a series of online focus groups to gain a unique insight into how the move to online learning affected engagement from the student perspective. The findings indicated that although most students engaged with the online materials, many had a perceived negative experience. Students in general would not recommend online delivery to others and an overwhelming majority felt disadvantaged in terms of motivation and lack of community by moving to online learning. There was some positive feedback around the use of some technological tools to facilitate answering questions as well as use of online lectures for delivering content driven sessions. Our results clearly demonstrate that that a one size fits all approach is not appropriate when it comes to online learning. © 2023 UCU.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the CS Student Learning Experience How the Pandemic has Shaped the Educational Landscape

Students have experienced incredible shifts in their learning environments, brought about by the response of universities to the ever-changing public health mandates driven by waves and stages of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Initially, these shifts in learning (mode of course delivery, course availability, etc.) were considered emergency responses. However, as the pandemic pressed on, students have had to repeatedly adapt to the continuously evolving educational landscape. This working group builds upon foundations and structure created by a 2021 ITiCSE Working Group exploring the effects of COVID-19 on teaching and learning from a faculty perspective. That working group identified the incorporation of some pandemic-induced changes into future teaching practices. This working group examines the existing literature and insights gained from responses to a multi-national survey to explore the new student experience emerging from the continuously evolving teaching practices catalyzed by the global pandemic. Traditionally, computing is a subject full of experiential learning opportunities, rich with in-person labs and exercises. We investigate how the changes within the COVID-Affected academic landscape have altered that student experience. The current group of computing students will have had experiences under both typical (i.e. pre-pandemic) and COVID-Affected teaching practices. It is, therefore, timely that we understand how each has impacted how they perceive their learning environment and educational experience. In turn, identifying those practices that have most benefited the student learning experience will help computing faculty improve their educational methods going forward. © 2022 ACM.

Female Saudi College students' e-learning experience amidst COVID-19 pandemic: An investigation and analysis.

Emergency remote teaching in the immediate wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has created a challenging situation for both students and teachers. The purpose of this research is to identify the perceptions and challenges that university students faced during online classes in a women only university in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected by circulating Google forms among students from different colleges, and a total of 542 students submitted their responses. Apart from gathering the personal information of participants, the survey also collected information on aspects such as educational, financial, internet connectivity and volunteering/donations. Chi-squared test was used to determine whether there was a significant difference in opinion between different groups of students on various questions. Stress was identified as the most prevalent issue among students. Students were found to be stressed regardless of their college of study or age. In comparison to others, younger students and students from financially disadvantaged families faced more difficulties. In terms of remote practical class satisfaction, health/medical stream students were the most dissatisfied group. They also faced more difficulties than students from other colleges. The analysis results show that problems such as stress, poor internet connectivity, the need for technical support, a lack of proper interaction with faculty, a lack of proper academic advising, a lack of proper study space at home etc. must be addressed in order to improve the effectiveness of online classes. This paper also includes recommendations for resolving the various issues that students face.

EFL Students' Perception of Emergency Remote Learning: Associations with Teachers' Behavior, Teaching Content, Learning Process and Learning Achievements

The COVID-19 pandemic requires EFL teachers to take charge of emergency remote teaching shortly. Understanding students' perception of the online teaching and learning could help instructors optimize the virtual EFL lecture planning. This study aimed to probe how learners would reflect towards the EFL online teaching and learning in terms of teachers' behavior, teaching content, learning process, and learning outcomes. An online questionnaire was framed and issued to 1108 year 1 and year 2 non-English majors in a university located in the southern part of China. Data were collected and coded via thematic analysis. Conclusions indicated that a) a sense of belonging to the online learning community played a key role for the students to perform positively;b) virtual EFL learning and teaching could be even more successful when the differences between face-to-face interaction and e-classroom interaction were taken into consideration;c) curiosity-arousing learning activities were conducive to learners' further autonomous online learning;d) motivational teaching design could enhance study when students enjoy the online learning achievements. © 2022 ACM.

COVID-19, Students and the New Educational Landscape

Students have experienced incredible shifts in the in their learning environments, brought about by the response of universities to the ever-changing public health mandates driven by waves and stages of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Initially, these shifts in learning (mode of course delivery, course availability, etc.) were considered emergency responses. However, as the pandemic presses on, students have had to repeatedly adapt to the continuously evolving educational landscape as this global health crisis forced an "unprecedented global shift within higher education in the ways that we communicate with and educate students". This working group builds upon foundations and structure created by a 2021 ITICSE Working Group exploring the effects of COVID-19 on teaching and learning from a faculty perspective. That Working Group identified the incorporation of some pandemic-induced changes into future teaching practices. In this Working Group, we explore existing literature regarding the student experience in response to the evolving teaching practices catalyzed by COVID-19). Traditionally, computing is a subject full of experiential learning opportunities, rich with in-person labs and exercises. We explore how the changes within the COVID-affected academic landscape have altered that student experience. The current group of computing students will have had experiences under both typical (i.e. pre-pandemic) and COVID-affected teaching practices. It is, therefore, timely that we understand how each has impacted how they perceive their learning environment and educational experience. In turn, identifying those practices that have most benefited the student learning experience will help computing faculty improve their practices going forward. © 2022 Owner/Author.

The radiography students' perspective of the impact of COVID-19 on education and training internationally: a across sectional survey of the UK Devolved Nations (UKDN) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

INTRODUCTION: The overnight change in hospital practice and service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic raises the question whether undergraduate radiography students received an adequate clinical experience. Many students had their clinical placements cancelled, deferred or replaced with simulated learning. As a way of dealing with the pandemic some hospitals were dedicated to COVID-19 patients only resulting in many elective procedures being cancelled. Many patients also chose to stay away from the hospital out of fear of infection or the desire to reduce the burden on staff. This resulted in a limited range of examinations and clinical experience for those students who were able to complete their clinical placement. AIM: This study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the education and training of radiography students internationally in the United Kingdom Devolved Nations (UKDN) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to determine any possible impact on their future careers. METHOD: Ethical permission was sought and granted from the Research Ethics Committees (ID: 21-04-12-02 and ID:21/0032). An online survey was developed using Google Forms and link was shared with students via email. RESULTS: 262 students participated in the study [UAE (n = 60, 23%) and UKDN (n = 202, 77%)]. 72% stated that their clinical skills have improved and 82% were confident in the choice of radiography as a career. Participants from UAE displayed a higher tendency towards anxiety (p = 0.009). Students who were on clinical placements during the COVID-19 pandemic and worked with COVID-19 positive patients displayed less ongoing concern relating to COVID-19 (p = 0.004). 78% of the participants did not require wellbeing advice or request any type of wellbeing support from the higher education institutions (HEIs). Nevertheless, the study found that wellbeing of students was found to be negatively affected during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Completing clinical placement during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the continuation of education as students were allowed to improve their skills, confidence and resilience in coping with uncertainties and challenges. Undergraduate students should not be excluded from the clinical department during subsequent waves of COVID-19 or future pandemics to ensure continued workforce planning is possible. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: HEIs should find solutions to compensate students for the loss of practical experience and skills due to the decreased number of patients in some areas of radiography practice. Providing academic and career counselling can assist students achieve their professional objectives and decrease the risk of attrition and problems upon qualification.

Undergraduate's Perspective on Being an Effective Online Student During Lockdown due to COVID-19 Pandemic: An Educational Data Mining Study

The mandatory implementation of online education due to the COVID-19 outbreak has drawn research about this modality - analyzing students' perspectives about course designs, the instructors' performance, and the institution's services. In contrast, little is known about what an undergraduate should do to perform well academically, a factor that can even impact the retention of students who face this modality for the first time, according to self-determination theory and student-centered learning. This work was guided by the question: What are the effective strategies for excellent school performance in online education according to the undergraduates themselves? We performed qualitative data analysis of thirty-four letters written by second-year engineering students, with one semester of experience in online education at a private university in Mexico using an educational data mining methodology. The qualitative analysis used text and sentiment analysis tools. The texts contained academic and wellness recommendations for other learners who would start their education in this modality. The research showed that, in addition to the actions generally valid for academic success in face-to-face courses, participants advised the relevance of taking notes, leveraging digital tools, and defining a specific study space at home when learning in the online modality. In terms of wellness, participants recommended looking at the positive side of things, having a good diet, sleeping well, and resting from the computer. Higher education is a complex system in which different stakeholders participate;however, beyond excellent content, professors, technologies, and learning platforms, students consolidate learning through their actions.

EFFECTIVE BLENDED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION DURING COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic situation has impacted the entire education system, especially universities, and brought a new phase in education, "blended learning." The objective of the research was to study the relationship of eight independent factors: e-learning environment, elearning facilitation, e-learning materials, e-learning technical support, instructors' personal attention, interaction with instructors, interaction with peer students, and laboratory learning environment, in the provision of effective blended learning in higher education during COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, an extended relationship of gender and level of course with the effective blended learning was studied. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with the students of higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a self-administered questionnaire aimed to learn the students' perception of blended learning. All levels of undergraduate and postgraduate students took part in the study with a sample size of 1229. Ultimately, this study used a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach to find the positive relationship between the effective blended learning and the eight independent variables and two mediating variables in the higher education sector. The study results portrayed a positive relationship between the eight independent variables and blended learning effectiveness in higher education institutions. The findings revealed that there is a difference in the students' perception of gender, level of the course, and the effectiveness of blended learning in the HEIs. The research offers guidance to governing bodies, administrators, and teachers of HEIs in decision-making and improves their actions to provide the best teaching and learning through blended learning. HEIs need to focus on the study results to enhance blended learning effectiveness based on e-learning environment, e-learning facilitation, e-learning materials, e-learning technical support, instructors' personal attention, interaction with instructors, interaction with peer students, and laboratory learning environment. Also, since there is a significant difference between the gender, level of the course, and blended learning, providing blended learning based on gender and level of the course needs to be concentrated on by the higher education institutions.

Emergency Digital Teaching during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Students’ Perspectives

This paper presents a qualitative study of the experience of students of the shift from face-to-face learning to online learning during the COVID-19 lockdown in Norway. Detailed inputs were collected from 200 university students enrolled in a bachelor’s degree in information technology in Norway through an online survey. Their responses were categorized into three main themes: the teacher’s role, the life of a student, and digital learning. We found that, surprisingly, the students felt that the shift to digital learning had positive effects on their lives, such as the availability of more time for study, study flexibility through recorded lectures which could be reviewed repeatedly and anytime, and more time to pose questions. However, some students also pointed out negative effects such as more distractions, lack of structure, and a perceived invasion of privacy when required to turn on their cameras. The students valued the use of high-quality technical equipment as well as student engagement during online lectures, but also freedom of choice to participate.

German University Students' Perspective on Remote Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Quantitative Survey Study With Implications for Future Educational Interventions.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced German universities to adjust their established operations quickly during the first nationwide lockdown in spring 2020. Lecturers and students were confronted with a sudden transition to remote teaching and learning. The present study examined students' preparedness for and perspective on this new situation. In March and April 2020, we surveyed n = 584 students about the status quo of their perceived digital literacy and corresponding formal learning opportunities they had experienced in the past. Additionally, the students reported the direction of changes in key study characteristics they expected from this new situation. Moreover, they reported the extent to which they believe they will be able to master this new study situation successfully. Two categories of independent variables were considered: context-related variables and person-related variables. Our results show that students did not have many learning opportunities to promote their digital literacy, suggesting that they were not appropriately prepared for this new situation. Results for digital literacy vary by competence area. However, there is a positive correlation between past formal learning opportunities and corresponding digital competences. Master students reported more learning opportunities and higher digital literacy only in one competence area compared to bachelor students. Regarding the expected change of key study characteristics, some characteristics were expected to worsen and fewer to improve. A multiple regression analysis explained 54% of the estimated probability of successful remote learning. Students' age, state anxiety, positive state affect, general self-efficacy, the availability of an own workplace, past learning opportunities in digital content creation, and the estimated preparedness of lecturers for remote teaching were significant explaining factors. Our results provide valuable insights into the perspective of students on studying during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We discuss important factors that should be addressed by educational measures in the future.

Through the eyes of the student: A narrative study of the traditional undergraduate student experience during COVID-19

In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 hit the world and influenced all parts of life, including higher education. This significantly affected the undergraduate student population experiencing on-campus life with in-person courses. This narrative study explored the lives of five undergraduate students in northeast colleges to better understand their unique experiences as they persevered through the pandemic.This study provides a better understanding of undergraduate student struggles and their determination to be successful. After numerous cycles of analysis and coding, this study revealed a need for institutions to devote effort and resources into improved preparedness for online course delivery and technical ability and an increase in remote academic and health support services for students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)