An integration of expectation confirmation model and information systems success model to explore the factors affecting the continuous intention to utilise virtual classrooms.

Virtual classrooms have recently gained significant consideration in educational institutes and universities due to their potential to encourage and support students' learning activities. Although recent research has focused extensively on online learning, virtual classrooms and the factors affecting their continuous use have garnered little attention, especially in Arab Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia. Thus, this study integrates the expectation confirmation model and the information systems success model to assess the factors affecting students' continuous intention to utilise virtual classrooms in higher education. We examined the effects of information quality, service quality, system quality, confirmation, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction on the continuous intention to utilise virtual classrooms. Data were collected from 441 students and analysed using structural equation modelling "SEM". SEM is a powerful multivariate approach used increasingly in empirical investigation for evaluating and testing casual relationships. The results revealed that the proposed model demonstrated high explanatory power in explaining students' continuous intention to utilise virtual classrooms (R2 = 0. 86). Additionally, information quality had a significant effect on confirmation and an insignificant effect on perceived usefulness. System quality affected perceived usefulness and confirmation. Contrary to our expectations, service quality had a significant negative effect on perceived usefulness and confirmation. Additionally, perceived usefulness and confirmation affected students' satisfaction with using virtual classrooms, and satisfaction affected students' continuous intention to utilise virtual classrooms. This study contributes to the literature by offering a holistic integrated model that increases the understanding of the factors influencing students' continuous intention to utilise virtual classrooms, hence aiding in increasing their utilisation. Furthermore, it provides practical implications for enhancing students' continuous intention to utilise virtual classrooms. Virtual classroom developers must focus on improving the system quality of virtual classrooms. According to our results, higher system quality led the students to perceive virtual classrooms as useful and confirmed their favourable experiences with virtual classrooms. Additionally, providing students with high information quality in virtual classrooms would enhance their confirmation experiences, leading to the continuous intention to utilise virtual classrooms.

The impact of advance organizers in virtual classrooms on the development of integrated science process skills.

Unlike virtual classrooms that have received extensive research attention in both academic and practical contexts because of their ability to improve students' outcomes, the use of advance organizers are still in need for more research to prove their efficacy in fulfilling expected learning outcomes in these virtual classrooms. Hence, the present study aims to identify the impact of using such organizers in virtual classrooms on the development of students' integrated science process skills. The present study was applied to 64 students who were studying for their Master's degree in the vocational education techniques in the "Research Project" course. Participants were randomly divided into two equal experimental groups with 32 students in each. An assessment card of five main domains was used to evaluate students' skills in research procedural definition, identification and control of the research variables, questions and/or hypotheses, procedures and experimentation besides research interpretation of the results. Data analysis showed that the use of advance organizers in virtual classes was of great effect on the development of participants' integrated science process skills because skills of students in the first experimental group were better mastered than the skills of their peers in the second experimental group in accordance with the subskills in the five domains.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with the Satisfaction Level of Peruvian Dental Students with Virtual Classes During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Bicentric Study.

Background: The pandemic caused by Covid-19 impacted all areas of social, economic and educational activity. When there is a high risk of spreading highly infectious diseases, education is usually the first service to be suspended. The objective was to evaluate the sociodemographic factors associated with the satisfaction level of Peruvian dental students with virtual classes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, analytical study evaluated 237 dental students from the capital city and one Peruvian province using a validated 13-item questionnaire to measure the level of satisfaction with virtual classes. Pearson's chi-square test and a logit model were used to evaluate the associated factors such as age group, sex, marital status, monthly family income, area of residence, place of origin, occupation and computer use, considering a significance level of p<0.05. Results: Of all students, 50.6%, 40.1% and 9.3% presented a good, average and poor level of satisfaction, respectively, with the virtual classes received. In addition, those with a monthly family income of less than 500 US dollars were 3.15 times more likely to have poor satisfaction compared to those with a monthly family income of more than 1000 US dollars (AOR = 3.15; 95% CI: 1.23-8.05). The rest of the variables evaluated were not considered influential factors in the levels of satisfaction with the virtual classes received. Conclusión: Of all students, 50.6% and 9.3% reported good and poor satisfaction with virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. Monthly family income of less than 500 US dollars was an influential factor. In addition, the variables age group, sex, marital status, area of residence, place of origin, occupation and computer use were not found to be influential factors.

Survey data on bullying involvement among school-going adolescents in India.

The data was collected from 169 school-going adolescents of grades sixth to twelfth from two cities in South India. The data set contains information of the frequency and type of bullying involvement (perpetration and victimization; physical, verbal, and social) among the participants in traditional and virtual classrooms. The data set can be used by all stakeholders to identify the frequency and types of bullying involvement among Indian adolescents. Further, relevant policies and programs can be developed that is tailored to the Indian adolescent population and the specific sociodemographic groups that are most vulnerable. Researchers can also replicate the study in various parts of India to compare bullying involvement among school-going adolescents across different parts of the nation.

The Efficacy of Virtual Positive Behavior Support in a Special School for Students with ASD.

In response to the demand for adopting a social justice system to manage students' challenging behaviors, many countries are implementing positive behavior support (PBS) programs at the school level. However, the use of PBS in Saudi Arabian schools is still a goal rather than reality. It is strongly evident that school-wide PBS can be applicable to different educational contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a virtual school-wide positive behavior support program for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia. Teaching and reinforcement procedures were implemented to help the students replace interfering classroom behaviors with alternative, appropriate behaviors. Observations were conducted to collect data on the students' classroom behaviors. The results of the study showed that there was an immediate and major improvement in the students' behaviors upon the introduction of the program. The results support the conclusion that school-wide positive behavior support can be successfully applied to different educational settings and suggest several implications for special and general education schools.

Design, Discover, and Decipher: Student-Developed Escape Rooms in the Virtual Ecology Classroom.

There has always been a need for engaging assessments in online learning environments, though the COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized this need. Instructors across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines have begun to implement escape room activities as effective and engaging learning tools in their classrooms. For our virtual introductory ecology course in spring 2021, we developed a student-designed escape room assessment which aligned with several course goals and covered a broad range of ecology concepts. The learning objectives of this assignment asked students to (i) create a themed "room" filled with ecology-based riddles and puzzles that represented a novel virtual escape room for their peers based on an important ecological topic, (ii) summarize and synthesize primary literature into clues and locks to educate their peers about an ecological topic, and (iii) use critical thinking and discussion of ecological topics with peers to solve their peers' escape rooms. We found that while students generated distinct escape room activities and focused on various ecological topics, student scores on this assessment, as well as student feedback, indicated that the escape rooms were conducive to learning, novel, and accessible in the virtual learning environment. We suggest that student-designed escape room assessments are an effective way for students to learn course material in a fun, engaging, and creative manner, and our spring 2021 implementation suggests that this activity may be an effective assessment for online settings.

A bio-environmental perspective on Emirati female college students' experiences in virtual learning communities of inquiry.

During the coronavirus pandemic, educational institutions were forced to shift to virtual learning. Drawing on the Community of Inquiry framework and bioecological perspective, this research explores the virtual learning experiences of female college students at one higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates using an interpretive phenomenological paradigm. A convergent parallel mixed method design was implemented with participants (N = 350) who completed a questionnaire about the challenges of virtual learning followed by semi-structured interviews (N = 10). Observations, journals, and peer-reviewed literature was also used to explore the influence of cognitive, social, and teaching presence on students' perceptions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The researcher found students had a high perception of the three influences of Community of Inquiry framework and were aware of its importance. Furthermore, there were clear relationships between cognitive and teaching presence and cognitive and social presence. The importance of online teaching and learning strategies supports the interactivity of these presences.

The perceived impact of webinars during the COVID.19 pandemic: A survey of ophthalmology trainees from India.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the perceived utility and the impact of web-based teaching programs being conducted following the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: An online survey was sent to trainee ophthalmologists across India through various social media platforms. The responses were tabulated and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 768 valid responses were recorded. Majority of respondents (52.2%) felt that the ideal duration for webinars was 1 hour or less. Factors that helped trainees in choosing a webinar were the topic (95.1%), the timing (53.6%), and the speaker list (42.4%). Residents indicated a preference for webinars to attend aimed at postgraduate residency training, more specifically clinical problem-solving. Further questions were answered using a 1-10 Likert scale (1: least useful and 10: extremely useful). The median score when asked for overall usefulness of the webinars in general was 8 (interquartile range/IQR: 2). The median response when asked about utility of webinars in enhancing theoretical knowledge was 8 (IQR: 2) and the median for utility of webinar-based teaching programs in enhancing practical knowledge/surgical learning was also 8 (IQR: 2). The median score when asked about the utility of the webinar programs in acquiring skills for writing research papers/thesis was 7 (IQR: 3). Connectivity issues, audio/voice issues, and the long duration of webinars were some of the problems faced while attending webinars. CONCLUSIONS: Ophthalmology trainees in India found online teaching programs and webinars to be useful in enhancing their theoretical knowledge and practical skills/surgical learning. Administrators and educational institutes should tailor online teaching programs as per the needs and preferences of the residents.

How Do University Students' Perceptions of the Instructor's Role Influence Their Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction in Cloud-Based Virtual Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

This study examined the relationships between the role of the instructor and university students' learning outcomes in cloud-based classrooms during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. The results of an online survey of 7,210 university students in mainland China revealed that the students' perceived learning outcomes and learning satisfaction were positively related to instructor innovation and negatively related to instructor performance. Instructional support was positively related to the students' perceived learning outcomes but not directly related to their learning satisfaction. The students' academic self-efficacy mediated the influence of instructional support and instructor innovation on their perceived learning outcomes and learning satisfaction. The results contribute to knowledge of the role instructors play in facilitating students' learning outcomes in higher education and suggest ways to improve the learning environment and learning outcomes, especially in cloud-based virtual classrooms.

Twelve tips for using synchronous virtual classroom technologies in medical education.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented transformations in medical education, with a shift from face-to-face learning activities to digital education. Virtual classroom technologies have played a pivotal role in supporting synchronous teaching activities; however, it can be extremely challenging for many educators to use virtual classrooms tools effectively. This article presents twelve tips based on best practices in educational design, learning theories, current research in online learning, and the authors' personal experiences of designing online activities within medical education. The twelve tips aim to help medical educators use virtual classroom solutions more effectively to promote learner engagement and learning.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) prevention: Virtual classroom education for hand hygiene.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has spread rapidly in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Considering the recent outbreak of COVID-19, some precautionary measures have been announced, including campus class suspensions. Nursing campus courses have also been suspended, and there may be a learning gap between hand hygiene theory and clinical training for nursing students. A virtual classroom education approach may help address the learning gap by providing ongoing theoretical strengthening of hand hygiene during clinical nursing training. This editorial proposes a 3-step virtual classroom education approach to support nursing educators in online theoretical hand hygiene enhancement.

Programa de estudios para la capacitación de profesores en la plataforma Moodle / Study Program for Teacher's Training in Moodle Platform

Introducción: Se presenta una propuesta de capacitación para contribuir a que los docentes generen y actualicen sus propios cursos en la plataforma virtual de la Facultad de Odontología de La Habana. Objetivo: Diseñar un programa de estudios para el uso de la plataforma virtual Moodle. Métodos: Se realizó un diagnóstico de necesidades de aprendizaje aplicado a una muestra de profesores y se revisó la metodología del curso Entornos Virtuales de Enseñanza Aprendizaje, dirigido por la Universidad Virtual de Salud de Cuba. Resultados: La organización interna del curso se estructuró en tres temas, con carácter semipresencial y duración de 48 horas. Conclusiones: El programa está dirigido a la familiarización de los participantes con el Aula Virtual y con las generalidades de la construcción, montaje y ejecución de las diferentes modalidades de cursos que ofrece la Universidad Virtual de Salud de Cuba(AU)

Introduction: A training proposal is presented for teachers to generate and update their own virtual courses in the Dentistry Faculty of Havana. Objective: To design a study program in the use of the Moodle virtual platform. Methods: A diagnosis of learning needs applied to a sample of professors was made, and the methodology of the Virtual Learning Teaching Environments course, directed by the Virtual Health University of Cuba, was analyzed. Results: The internal organization of the course was structured in three subjects, with a blended nature and duration of 48 hours. Conclusions: The program is aimed at familiarizing participants with the Virtual Classroom and with the generalities of the construction, assembly and execution of courses in the different modalities offered by the Virtual Health University of Cuba, using Moodle platform(AU)