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Article
Publication date: 1 December 2021

Chinaza Solomon Ironsi

This study intends to examine these misconceptions in a bid to reaching a valid conclusion. More importantly, this study intends to elicit information from instructors and

Abstract

Purpose

This study intends to examine these misconceptions in a bid to reaching a valid conclusion. More importantly, this study intends to elicit information from instructors and preservice teachers on their experiences, successes and challenges on the sudden switch from flipped classroom to emergency remote online teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a qualitative research design and the main focus of this research design which was is a form of exploratory research design was to understand the reasons opinions and viewpoints of a particular group of people concerning a situation. This paper deems this research design fit for eliciting relevant information from instructors and preservice teachers on their opinions and perceptions on the sudden shift from flipped classrooms to emergency remote online teaching during the previous semester. Data collection for this study was carried out through the use of focus group discussions where participants were asked questions based on the objective of the study.

Findings

The present findings confirm that the mode of instruction delivery was not online teaching rather emergency remote online teaching. Another conclusion that was drawn was with regards to training, use of resources and issues of measurement and evaluation. The study summarized that there was little or no training for the teaching staff before the switch to EROT as instructors were only given guidelines on what to do to implement their lesson plans.

Originality/value

Emergency remote online teaching is a newly emerging approach to lesson delivery, especially in an emergency situation. This study elaborates more on this new dimension of teaching and future prospects as well.

Details

The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, vol. 39 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4880

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 22 August 2022

Byron A. Brown

Emergency remote teaching is not the same as a systematic, carefully thought out, and designed online learning system. Emergency remote teaching is best perceived as merely a…

Abstract

Emergency remote teaching is not the same as a systematic, carefully thought out, and designed online learning system. Emergency remote teaching is best perceived as merely a first step towards migrating into a fully fledged, and carefully designed, virtual or online mode of study. Notwithstanding, this chapter provides a theoretical explanation that justifies the relevance and importance of emergency remote teaching in higher education practice, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic and related discontinuities. It asserts that emergency related teaching is justified by the urgent need to maintain continuity of teaching and learning and to avoid knowledge and skills decay. A systematic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of emergency remote teaching involves measuring variables across four dimensions; that is, context, input, process, and outcomes. Weighting these dimensions is necessary to ensure that context, input, and process are prioritised above outcomes because the essence of the teaching model, when implemented, is to get it in place swiftly in order for teaching and learning to continue. The effectiveness of emergency remote teaching is best assessed on the basis of its speedy set-up and implementation to maintain continuity of teaching, not on student outcomes. The chapter investigated the approach that a sample of colleges and universities have followed to evaluate their model of emergency remote teaching and contrast it with theory. The approach found in practice was not aligned to best practice. Based on the evidence, the chapter proposes an evaluation framework that institutions can adopt specifically for evaluating emergency remote teaching practice.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Higher Education in a Post-Covid World: New Approaches and Technologies for Teaching and Learning
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-193-1

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 7 December 2021

Ayşegül Liman Kaban and Sinan Aşçı

Applying digital literacy skills in face-to-face or online classrooms started ringing the changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in recent months. Stating the obvious, well-planned…

Abstract

Applying digital literacy skills in face-to-face or online classrooms started ringing the changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in recent months. Stating the obvious, well-planned distant learning experiences are different from courses offered online in response to a crisis or disaster. Every institution around the world has worked on preserving instruction throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent to which educators being aware of their own and their students’ digital literacy skills perceived how and what kind of information and communication technologies are used under such an emergency remote teaching and learning. The preparedness level of learners in using online information and communication technologies is a naturally regulated phenomenon because they are born to live a life of technology. Yet, educators have applied experience, and practical knowledge in face-to-face classroom settings remains a mere curiosity to remote teaching. This study was conducted to investigate educators’ level of preparedness to use online information and communication technologies for their emergency remote teachings and their experiences from the field by focusing on moderating variables – asserted by Means, Bakia, and Murphy (2014) – like modality, instructor role online, online communication synchrony, source of feedback, and role of online assessments. Based on self-report scaled and open-ended questions in the same questionnaire, the participants were recruited online via convenience and accidental sampling, and the data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 22.0 and thematic analysis. Within this study, how educators experience remote teaching during the global pandemic and what they prefer to carry out for the same effectiveness of the courses are discussed based on their digital literacy skills and digital readiness.

Details

New Student Literacies amid COVID-19: International Case Studies
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-466-3

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 8 December 2020

Ida Fatimawati Adi Badiozaman, Hugh John Leong and Wallace Wong

As an institution that has invested in e-learning infrastructure and technology for e-learning delivery, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak conducted The Digital Educator…

2030

Abstract

Purpose

As an institution that has invested in e-learning infrastructure and technology for e-learning delivery, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak conducted The Digital Educator Series as a means of embracing this educational disruption. In particular, this paper reports on the first three courses held under the Digital Educator Series that aims to equip teachers with practical and effective online teaching to school teachers in Sarawak. While the training is still in effect, preliminary results are shared, and implications for practice and recommendations for further research are considered.

Design/methodology/approach

Approximately 136 questionnaires containing close-and open-ended items were distributed to the teacher participants of the Digital Educator Series. Close-ended items were designed to gather general information about their perceptions of online teaching and learning. Items were constructed to gather insights on familiarity with online teaching and learning, perceived usefulness of platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Google Classrooms. The open-ended items were designed to gather information on areas of improvement for the courses and professional development needs of teachers for online teaching.

Findings

The findings revealed very mixed responses in terms of teachers' familiarity with online teaching and learning. Nonetheless, it was encouraging that the majority of teachers felt positively about the impact and usefulness of the courses in the Digital Educator Series and have expressed that would like to learn more about online teaching pedagogy. Teachers reported the greatest familiarity with Google Classroom and were very positive about the applicability the Google Classroom Course (91.2%) in their own teaching practice. Conversely, all of the participants reported they were unfamiliar with Microsoft Teams. Accordingly, the teachers did not perceive its applicability to be as high as the Google Classroom. The qualitative findings further corroborated this and expressed the need for specific professional development programmes that include pedagogical and technological support. Overall, the teachers are strongly focussed in their professional development in order to improve their online teaching,

Research limitations/implications

Like other research, this too has its limitations. The sample size in this study was restricted to those who attended the Digital Educator Series training. Hence the results of this study, whilst have been enriching, and to a certain extent are supported by the current literature, the accuracy of the description may be unique to this particular group of individuals, within this particular setting. Additionally, the study only relied on self-reports from both the questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews. This study accepts that self-reports have shortcomings. Not all experiences of the courses would have been readily accessible through the teachers' conscious reflections. This makes it difficult to construct a complete picture of the experience, challenges and identify all salient factors within a particular workshop or training.

Practical implications

Although the adoption of teaching and learning to online platforms is undoubtedly the way to maintain continuity of learning for students, it has also unveiled glaring inequities in Sarawak. Therefore, continuous and personalised professional development needs to be provided, focussing on pedagogical and technological support. There is a need to embrace these changes as a long-term response that will develop and improve over the next few years. That response should include better infrastructure, policies for quality improvement, accessibility standards and strategic plans for continuous access in the future. This includes advocating for platforms that can fit into the core technology environment and for teachers to adopt an innovative mindset.

Originality/value

In light of the complex and multifaceted challenge of transitioning to online learning in Sarawak Malaysia, it was evident that the need for innovative solutions to optimize educational endeavours has become accelerated. To ensure that students are well-supported and widening participation and access to education, it is imperative that the education disruption be embraced. This starts with addressing teachers' digital literacy through a professional development programme of online reaching.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2022

Dikla Barak, Merav Aizenberg and Gila Cohen Zilka

The purpose of the study is to examine whether the remote teaching experience of instructors in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic has improved after one year.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to examine whether the remote teaching experience of instructors in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic has improved after one year.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved 75 instructors teaching at an institution of higher education in Israel, who answered twice (once in 2020 and again in 2021) a quantitative questionnaire that examined their remote teaching experience.

Findings

The hypotheses about greater use of digital tools and about more positive attitudes of instructors toward remote teaching and learning at the second measurement than at the first one were confirmed. This hypothesis about lower levels of technical difficulties in remote teaching at the second measurement was not confirmed, but the level of reported difficulty was already low at the first measurement.

Practical implications

It is recommended that academic institutions continue the trend of deploying innovation in teaching with confidence in the ability of instructors to adapt to change. At the same time, instructors should be provided with mental and technical support.

Originality/value

Few studies have examined the change in attitudes of instructors toward remote teaching over time. In the present study, we used a repeated measures design, which made it possible to monitor the instructors’ adaptation to remote teaching. Adaptation to the new teaching method can contribute to innovation in teaching in academic institutions and to improvement in its quality.

Article
Publication date: 19 May 2021

Bokolo Anthony Jnr and Selwyn Noel

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has already had a significant disruptive impact on the society, posing challenges to the provision of education across the world. Due to…

2810

Abstract

Purpose

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has already had a significant disruptive impact on the society, posing challenges to the provision of education across the world. Due to this crises governments over the world have temporarily closed educational institutions to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Accordingly, educational institutions are deploying innovative emergency remote teaching (ERT) and virtual learning (VL) approaches for students to study at home. Digital technologies are being employed as a positive response to COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study draws on existing literature and theories of online learning and change management to provide evidence on the state of art of ERT and VL.

Design/methodology/approach

This current study employs a systemic review of 53 sources to provide descriptive analysis leveraging on secondary sources from the literature and document reports on theories of online learning and change management, COVID-19, pandemic, emergency remote teaching and virtual learning.

Findings

Findings from this study present the theories of online learning and change management and significance and challenges of adopting ERT and VL during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, our findings present application platforms that are being deployed for the adoption of ERT and VL during and after COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, the findings explore potential strategies as recommendations to be employed to improve current and future adoption of ERT and VL in educational institutions.

Originality/value

This study draws on existing literature and adds to existing body of knowledge by exploring the adoption of emergency remote teaching and virtual learning during and after COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides a timely guide on the potential of emergency remote teaching and virtual learning in higher education as a response to COVID-19 crises now and into the future. This study discusses the theories of online learning and change management and also offers recommendations to educationalists and policymakers in educational institutions on addressing the crisis.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 35 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 January 2023

Gabriela Scur, Dario H. Alliprandini, Eliane F. Chinaglia and Roberto Baginski Batista Santos

The paper investigates the learning practices carried out by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the transition from strictly face-to-face to remote teaching in response to…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper investigates the learning practices carried out by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the transition from strictly face-to-face to remote teaching in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It also analyses how these practices could be used as a baseline to support new perspectives on learning in the technological education field.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a single-case study of a Brazilian technological university.

Findings

This study’s findings indicate that institutional planning and providing support to faculty and students were essential measures for a successful transition from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching. Planning includes careful selection by the HEI of the tools that make a virtual learning environment and the strategies used to replace face-to-face teaching with emergency remote teaching. Our study points out the lessons learned during the pandemic. It presents guidelines for HEIs on how to prepare for a return to face-to-face teaching, embodying some learning dimensions such as synchronous or asynchronous, active or passive, individual or collective, and mediated or not mediated by information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Originality/value

The paper provides reflections on the four dimensions to support decisions to leverage learning in each educational institution. This paper's main contribution is that the concept of teaching and learning must be comprehensive and inclusive according to the particular HEI context.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 May 2021

Blessy Prabha Valsaraj, Bhakti More, Seena Biju, Valsaraj Payini and Vinod Pallath

During COVID 19 pandemic emergency remote teaching (ERT) in higher education emerged and faculty members had to go through a transformation in teaching-learning without…

2247

Abstract

Purpose

During COVID 19 pandemic emergency remote teaching (ERT) in higher education emerged and faculty members had to go through a transformation in teaching-learning without preparedness. The purpose of the study is to understand the instructional delivery experiences of faculty members, explore the challenges and how they overcame these challenges during the transition from traditional classroom teaching to ERT.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research approach using phenomenology is adapted for the study. The study is conducted in selected renowned government and private universities offering professional education in India, Malaysia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Data analysis is using NVivo, data management software, based on Ricouer’s theory of interpretation.

Findings

The findings identify unique challenges and opportunities in faculty experiences during the implementation of ERT and universities require more preparedness in implementing a revised pedagogy. Addressing these unique challenges is, therefore, essential in effective change management and ensuring the effectiveness of instructional delivery.

Research limitations/implications

The study comprises faculty experiences from only selected countries (the United Arab Emirates, Oman, India and Malaysia) and disciplines such as business studies, design and architecture, engineering, hospitality and tourism management, medicine and nursing. The research contributes towards change management and adaptability strategies during emergency transitions.

Practical implications

The study has implications in the field of education, administration, research and society at large. This is an era of change that has witnessed tremendous possibilities of digital technology in enhancing remote teaching and learning at all levels of education worldwide. The study enumerates the factors influencing the paradigm shift in the pedagogy for present and future higher education. The present study also highlights how challenging this transformation was to the lives of professional academics and emphasized how effectively the faculty need to be mentored for the future by the administration. Future research can envisage effective tools and techniques for strengthening professional education at universities. The social context and human experiences in ERT and their impact on the process of learning are also addressed in the study.

Social implications

The study aims to understand the social context and human experiences in the process of ERT and their impact on the process of learning.

Originality/value

The findings of the study would throw light into the factors influencing the paradigm shift in the pedagogy for present and future higher education.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 December 2020

Lauren Eutsler, Pavlo D. Antonenko and Chrystine Mitchell

Immediately following the declaration of the national emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, the purpose of this study was to examine one month of social media, news…

1258

Abstract

Purpose

Immediately following the declaration of the national emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, the purpose of this study was to examine one month of social media, news media, school district websites’ continuity plans and educational affiliate organizations, to unveil K-12 stakeholders’ initial response to K-12 remote teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

Framed by connectivism theory, the authors used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to conduct a systematic content analysis of 43,870 tweets, news media, school district websites’ continuity plans and educational affiliate organizations.

Findings

Initial responses focused on community lockdown procedures, sustaining education, adapting to a remote lifestyle and political tension. The authors revisited included tweets one week later to measure their connectedness, which revealed that educational organizations, which have the largest number of followers, also have the greatest outreach and visibility.

Practical implications

Based on the collective decision-making of education stakeholders, the authors provide three remote teaching recommendations and pedagogical implications for sustainable remote teaching practices.

Originality/value

The authors construct a blueprint from some of the largest school districts, and consequently the COVID-19 hotspots, to broadly examine emergency preparedness and remote instruction plans.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 22 August 2022

Leila Kajee

The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled higher education institutions (HEIs) to rethink, redesign, and respond in real time. The dramatic closure of education institutions in South…

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled higher education institutions (HEIs) to rethink, redesign, and respond in real time. The dramatic closure of education institutions in South Africa, and in other countries worldwide, raised several questions in terms of the adaptability and readiness of the HEI sector to adapt and respond to the changes. The changes called into question issues such as in-person teaching and learning practices, digital resources, academic staff and student readiness for learning in digital environments, and connectivity and access to internet services and facilities. As a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis, the roles of academics and students have changed drastically. This has prompted worldwide scrutiny of teaching and learning in a way never experienced. The implementation of sustainable pedagogical approaches requires broad consultation particularly with key stakeholders such as academics and students. Lack of academic and student engagement can gravely affect the sustainability of any new pedagogical models that are rolled out. The aim of this chapter is to appraise the voices of students and academics working in teacher education during the rapid, unplanned, move to digital teaching and learning. Using an interpretative paradigm and case study design that involved online class observations and personal interviews with professors, lecturers and students, the chapter reports on the distress, discomfort, and frustration that students and staff in emergency remote teaching and learning suffered. The experience resulted from, inter alia, uneven access to digital literacy, mental health support, power generation supply, and digital learning and information communication technologies. Framed within notions of humanising pedagogy, the chapter provides critical reflections on lessons learnt from these voices.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Higher Education in a Post-Covid World: New Approaches and Technologies for Teaching and Learning
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-193-1

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 6000