MIMIC model of teachers and students attitudes towards online learning during Covid-19: A gender perspective

Academic institutions around the globe have shifted to online learning because of the unpredictable spread of COVID-19. The present study aimed to compare teachers' and students' attitudes towards online learning during the pandemic and to examine the effects of gender differences on their attitudes. In study 1, we adapted the Test of eLearning Related Attitudes for Pakistani students in three steps: expert review, piloting, and validation. The individual and collective expert review was performed to adapt the teacher version into the student version using the Technique for Research of Information by the Animation of a Group of Experts (TRIAGE). We tested three sets of measurement invariance models for participants' status and gender in study 2. Data were collected from 289 university teachers (men = 158, women = 131) and 444 undergraduate students (boys = 156, girls = 287). The results demonstrated that both groups had highly positive yet different attitudes towards online learning. Teachers were more satisfied than students. Model fit was poor, and the overall factor structure, factor loadings, and intercepts varied across groups. Intergroup gender invariance illustrated heterogeneity in attitudes towards online learning favoring men teachers and boy students. Study strengths and implications for the promotion of a positive experience of online learning are discussed.

"Like a piece of wood": The potential of multimodal translingual storytelling for restoration and peace

Faced with linguicism, racism, and xenophobia aggravated by COVID-19 and political tensions in recent years, multilingual international students, especially those of Asian descent, are in urgent need of engaging in healing practices for meaningful identity expression, restoration, and peace. Translingualism is a justice-oriented literacy practice that disrupts the boundaries of named languages and allows communicators to draw upon all resources in their linguistic repertoires. Storytelling, as a powerful research method and a pedagogical tool, offers a unique opportunity to encourage multilingual students' translingual meaning making for healing. This qualitative case study examined how multimodal translingual storytelling functioned as a form of restoration and peace for a first-semester Chinese student pursuing her graduate degree in English at a private university in the United States. The findings indicate that when offered opportunities to reflect on her cultural and linguistic identities, the participant was likely to detach deficit self-perceptions as an "English language learner" and embrace her differences as a strength, which benefited her first-semester language and academic experiences. This study calls for pedagogical strategies and curriculum design that open up humanizing spaces for culturally and racially minoritized multilingual students by acknowledging, valuing, and inviting their whole linguistic repertories through multimodal, translingual storytelling.

Performance Analysis of Learner Behavior Through Online Learning Using Learning Management System

This paper discusses the performance analysis of learner behavior through online learning using Learning Management System (LMS). The analysis is performed based on the survey of lecturers and students activities. The parameters of survey consist of the problems discussion which arise in the online learning, the level of student absorption of lecture material, the level of student attendance, and the feedback on lecturer performance carried out by students. Problems that arise in the online learning include lecturers are not being able to control as much as 37%, network disturbances are as much as 22%, students having difficulty understanding lecture material are as much as 19% which are indicated by students with D score of 10%, C score of 60%, and B score of 30%. Meanwhile 17% of students use LMS and the remaining 5% have no problems with the online learning. On the other hand, students have difficulty obtaining connection for online learning of 45%, do not have a quota of 28%, and lazy of 17%. Lecturer performance feedback carried out by students based on competency parameters of pedagogic, personality, professionalism, and social shows very good score. © 2023 IEEE.

Examination of Variables Affecting the Perceptions of Academic Performance of Higher Education Students during the Distance Education Process

COVID-19 has had serious consequences in all areas of social life, including education. In this period, distance education appeared as an inevitable solution. Even today, when the pandemic process is over and re-normalization has begun, online teaching environments have become such an indispensable part of education systems that it has been decided that a certain proportion of the courses will be conducted online in universities. For this reason, determining student experiences in online courses is important in planning the future of distance education. Since academic performance is the output of the teaching process, students' academic performance is one of the topics of interest in higher education research. There may be different factors affecting the academic performance of students in the distance education process, which imposes more responsibility on students and requires self-control. This study aimed to examine the relationship of academic performance in the distance education with home infrastructure, student interaction, computer skills, academic satisfaction. This research is based on a large-scale study, "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of higher education students", examining the pandemic's impact on higher education student perceptions in 2020. It has been observed that home infrastructure has a significant impact on the student's academic performance. The infrastructure increases the interaction of the student. When home infrastructure is taken as a control variable, students' computer skills are the highest predictor of their perception of academic performance, followed by their online interactions and, finally, perceived satisfaction. Today, pandemic conditions are still ongoing. In addition, even as the pandemic ends, online education has become an indispensable part of our education system. Therefore, the findings of the research would be beneficial for the ongoing planning process.

Connectivity, community, and sense of belonging

This chapter illustrates how the change to a virtual setting challenged students' social connectedness and sense of belonging. It demonstrates how students found a way to build social connectedness in a virtual setting that reinforced their sense of community. The chapter discusses how Students of Color experienced the COVID-19 interruption. It offers insights into whether thriving in college is even possible for students when their means of creating community have been disrupted. At the University of Utah, the detachment was experienced by students in their interactions with faculty and their relationships with their friends, peers, and classmates. The closing of campus and the shift to online learning also limited students' social connectedness with friends, classmates, and peers. Students also relied on new communities to gain motivation and achieve academically. University employees were also a part of students' relational communities. Some students created a strong emotional connection with staff members, such as advisors and student affairs professionals. The pandemic and the resulting educational changes added another layer of complexity to the academic experiences of Students of Color. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Writing Well/Writing to Be Well: Rethinking the Purposes of Postsecondary Writing Instruction

In this article, we identify student well-being as a primary goal of postsecondary writing instruction. Reconceiving the purpose of writing instruction in this way rests on valuing the experience of writing and its impact on the writer's sense of self. We draw on posthumanist theory and empirical research to illuminate this impact as the foundation of a pedagogy that promotes students' well-being and also supports their development as writers and as human beings.

Impact of Teachers' Support Strategies on Students' Engagement of Online College English Class Experiences

During the covid-19 pandemic, students' online learning quality is imbued with teachers' support strategies while students' learning engagement is another great indicator underlies their learning experiences. Through a questionnaire survey of 500 freshmen who have had their college English class online in 2022 fall, an investigation using exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, stepwise regression analysis and parallel mediator model reveals the impact of teachers' support strategies (the six dimensions of challenge, authentic context, curiosity, autonomy, recognition and feedback) on the learners' online college English learning engagement (the four dimensions of cognitive engagement, behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, social engagement), thus particular concern is also given to the correlation with students' online learning experiences. It was found that even under diversified and comprehensive guiding strategies from teachers, university students' online college English learning engagement is at the medium level, among which the cognitive engagement should be devoted more. The experimental data also shows that teachers' support strategies have significant influence on learners' engagement, especially teachers' feedback and challenge setting will stimulate students to involve more in their study. In addition, both teachers' support strategies and students' learning engagement involves significant reflection of learning experiences accordingly. Based on this learning concept, related proposals see different degrees of prominence reflected in online instructional design, teachers' and students' feedback literacy, and technology-enabled innovative teaching practice are put forward, in order to effectively play the role of teacher scaffolding, learning experiences enrichment and students' engagement enhancement of online English learning. © 2023 IEEE.

Chinese Normal Students' Satisfaction of Emergency Remote Learning in Higher Education during COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite the widespread use of emergency remote learning (ERL) during the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education, little is known about the determinants of Chinese normal student satisfaction with ERL. This study uses a questionnaire survey method to examine how Chinese normal students' satisfaction with ERL during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that Chinese normal students prefer face-to-face teaching to online teaching to some extent. According to the findings, it is important to emphasize students' pre-class preparation, adjust course assessment methods, change teachers' teaching strategies, create a positive teaching environment, boost students' learning confidence, and help them deal with their anxiety during ERL to improve the online course experience for Chinese students at normal universities. © 2023 ACM.

Factors Affecting Adaptability of International Students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic

It is crucial to investigate adaptability in the context of COVID-19, as evidence suggests that difficulties posed by adaptability can be exacerbated during times of crisis. International students encounter additional pressures during this period, which might impair their capacity to stay and prosper in a new place. In light of this context, the purpose of this study is to examine the factors that contribute to the adaptability of international university students in Malaysia, namely the academic system, acculturation, and social support. A cross-sectional research design was used, and the research instruments were adapted from a number of previous studies. A total of one hundred thirty online questionnaires were filled out by international students in Malaysia. The research hypotheses were evaluated using SPSS Version 27.0. All predictors were found to have a statistically significant and positive effect on the adaptability of international students. This research aims to shed light on educational management strategies for addressing the adaptability challenges faced by most international students within COVID-19 by illuminating the key drivers that influence adaptability. © Journal of Curriculum and Teaching..All rights reserved

Engaging university students in online learning: a regional comparative study from the perspective of social presence theory

This study investigates the factors influencing university students' online learning engagement from three distinct aspects, namely, behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement. A comparison is drawn from university students in Asia who embraced online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted on 495 university students in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Malaysia during the surge of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which was considered more infectious but less deadly than previous variants. A consistent positive relationship between Satisfaction and Academic Performance is found in all the regions. Malaysia presents a unique situation as compared to Mainland China and Hong Kong whereby no association was found between Social Context and Online communication towards Student Engagement. The novelty of this study is attributed to the integration of Social Presence Theory in Student Engagement through the nature of online learning as a coping strategy to halt the spread of COVID-19 during the Omicron variant surge. © 2023, Beijing Normal University.

Student Perspective of Online Pedagogy Post COVID-19. A Missed Opportunity?

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed education and caused unprecedented disruptions. These changes may disappear once the schools resume face-to-face classes in full force. Likewise, a positive change may not be necessarily what we want in education. This may be due to the existence of digital divide among students which cannot be ignored. During the COVID-19 pandemic, OneNote Class Notebook is used as an interactive digital whiteboard and has been evident as one of the best alternatives to the traditional whiteboard in the teaching and learning process. In this study, we aim to analyze students' perceptions of OneNote Class Notebook and the level of their continuous intention to use OneNote Class Notebook as an interactive digital whiteboard to replace the traditional whiteboard when school reopens with face-to-face lessons in the classroom in full force. The findings show that the students perceived that OneNote Class Notebook is indeed a useful tool to be used for calculus learning. But, it cannot be perceived as suitability to continue to be used during post COVID-19 period, when school reopens with physical classes in full force. In this regard, it reminds educators of the importance of rethinking education in the new normal post COVID-19 era from the perspective of curriculum studies. © 2023 IEEE.

Creating a smart classroom on intensive care using assisted reality technology

Introduction: Medical students receive relatively little exposure to intensive care medicine throughout their undergraduate training in comparison to other specialties. The COVID-19 pandemic further hindered students' exposure with entrance to intensive care units (ICU) limited to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and reduce the risk of virus spread. To address this problem, this study explored the use of assisted reality technology to create a smart classroom whereby medical students can experience intensive care medicine with the COVID-19 risks mitigated. There is existing literature describing the use of live streaming ward rounds using wearable technology to teach medical students, however, we believe this is the first time assisted reality technology has been harnessed to develop a teaching curriculum on intensive care.1 Objectives: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of using a wearable headset with assisted reality technology to live stream intensive care teaching to remotely based medical students. Method(s): Three intensive care teaching sessions were live streamed to three groups of medical students using the AMA XpertEye wearable glasses. The teaching session focused on the intensive care bed space and equipment as well as the assessment of a critically unwell intensive care patient. Two educators were required to facilitate the optimum learning environment. One educator wore the assisted reality technology glasses on the ICU whilst the other educator remained with the students to facilitate group discussion. The educators had the means to communicate via inbuilt technology on the glasses. Feedback from students was collected using the evaluation of technology-enhanced learning materials (ETELM).2 Results: The response rate for the ETELM survey was 100%. Students strongly agreed that the session was well organised, relevant and that the navigation of technology-based components was logical and efficient. 'There was a strong instructor presence and personal touch to the session' returned the strongest positive response. 'This session will change my practice' received the most varied response from students, potentially due to their stage in undergraduate training and distance from actual clinical practice. Students strongly disagreed that their learning was affected by technology issues. Educators reported problems with securing a patient appropriate to be involved alongside the busy clinical demands of the ICU. Facilitation by trained educators was crucial to ensure the teaching sessions were high quality. Conclusion(s): The use of smart classrooms on intensive care using assisted reality technology was very well received by medical students and educators. The main limitations included the necessity to balance the delivery of teaching alongside the clinical demands of the unit, however this is arguably the case with most forms of clinical teaching. There is the potential to continue using smart classrooms in the post-pandemic period, as they provide an open and safe platform for students to explore intensive care medicine and to ask questions that they may feel less able to raise in the busy clinical environment.

Internship Alternatives: Solutions for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Internships are an integral component of most undergraduate and graduate public administration programs. These learning opportunities allow students to get practical experience in a workplace setting before graduation and provide them with an opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to the "real world." But what are students, departments, and employers to do when circumstances--including major disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic as well as situations unique to specific students--complicate or even prevent on-site internship experiences? This article outlines a variety of approaches to finding a solution to this problem, weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Virtual learning before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods study of Pharmacy students

Background It is a challenge for pharmacy courses worldwide to combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills to equip students for their future practice. Computer-based simulation offers a way of building a bridge between theory and practice. In recent years, digital simulation has expanded rapidly as a new technique of virtual learning. The digital platform ''Pharmacy Simulator'' proposes computer-based encounters with virtual patients to train clinical and communication skills in a community pharmacy setting. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, while students were digitally resilient and endured the endless challenges of online lectures, many were dealing with Zoom and screen fatigue. Purpose To investigate pharmacy students' acceptance of Pharmacy Simulator before and during a pandemic situation. This focuses on students' self-assessment and confidence in counselling after playing the scenarios on Pharmacy Simulator. Method Two cohorts of Master of Pharmacy students at The University of Western Australia played two scenarios on Pharmacy Simulator in 2019 (anaphylaxis and salbutamol) and 2021 (anaphylaxis and vaccination). A mixed-method analysis was performed with data from (i) qualitative semi-structured interviews carried out in 2019 pertaining to participants' acceptance of Pharmacy Simulator and in 2021 (ii) a questionnaire with 25 items derived from the interviews. The interviews were transcribed verbatim into electronic format with the data management assistance MAXQDA and analyzed inductively using the Framework Method. Questionnaire responses were analyzed in Microsoft Excel using descriptive statistics. Openended questions were evaluated inductively. Findings Data were collected from 20 interviews and 31 answered questionnaires. In 2019, participants reported that Pharmacy Simulator was a fun, engaging, and straightforward learning tool and, therefore, user-friendly. They reported the feedback at the end of the session to be most valuable. The platform was perceived to fill the gap between the theory from lectures and community pharmacy practice. In 2021, participants ''agreed'' (median: 4, on a 5-point Likert scale) with seven statements about Pharmacy Simulator's usability, such as it being a helpful tool for acquiring new knowledge. Participants' confidence in counselling regarding the scenario topics improved. One participant stated, ''It taught me more through trial and error''. Conclusion Pharmacy students reported similar acceptance levels of Pharmacy Simulator before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of simulation during virtual patient encounters seems to facilitate the transfer from theory to practice, independently of learning conditions that were predominantly screen-based.

Impact of Modality on Workload among Engineering Undergraduates during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented disruptions in models for engineering student training. At The Citadel, an undergraduate-focused college in the Southeastern United States, a variety of modalities were implemented following the onset of the pandemic, including emergency online and Hyflex learning. We conducted a longitudinal study to analyze the cognitive load among our undergraduate engineering students throughout changing modalities. Using data from the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) and open-ended reflections on student challenges, we found that total workload (a surrogate for cognitive load) was generally highest during emergency online learning in the second half of Spring 2020 semester, with experiences possibly varying across different demographic and academic groups. Emergency online challenges were often related to time management, personal organization, and responsibility for learning. In contrast, HyFlex challenges were often related to technology and communication challenges. While emergency online learning was a cognitive load disruption, that disruption was often associated with personal and/or academic development. HyFlex learning mediated cognitive load disruption;although, student challenges may have been simple nuisances rather than mediators of developmental change. © 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Have students' perceptions of online education changed with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions?

This research examines student preference toward online and on-ground (i.e., face-to-face) course delivery methods in higher education as a result of the easing of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Over 130 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Computer and Information Systems courses at a university located in the northeastern United States were surveyed from April 2021 to May 2022. The study found that with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Spring 2022, students significantly preferred on-ground over online courses in comparison to their preferences when COVID-19 restrictions were still high in 2021. None of the potential influencing factors contributing to the changed preference, including students' perceptions of online course effectiveness, self-skills supporting online learning (e.g., work independently without supervision, prioritization and time management), and the usefulness of classroom interaction in learning, were found to have significant differences from the time when COVID-19 restrictions were high to the present easing of them. © 2023 Issues in Information Systems. All rights reserved.

The impact of dynamic adaptive teaching model on surgical education.

Objective To investigate the impact of dynamic adaptive teaching model on surgical education. Methods Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we adopted dynamic adaptive teaching model in the Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, which divided the whole curriculum into several individual modules and recombined different modules to accommodate to student's levels and schedules. Meanwhile, adaptive strategy also increased the proportion of online teaching and fully utilized electronic medical resources. The present study included quantitative teaching score (QTS) recorded from January 2020 to June 2020, and used the corresponding data from 2019 as control. The main endpoint was to explore the impact of dynamic adaptive teaching model on overall QTS and its interaction effect with trainer's experience and student category. Results Totally, 20 trainers and 181 trainees were enrolled in the present study. With implementation of dynamic adaptive strategy, the overall QTS decreased dramatically (1.76+/-0.84 vs. 4.91+/-1.15, t=4.85, P=0.005). The impact was consistent irrespective of trainers' experience (high experience trainers: 0.85+/-0.40 vs. 2.12+/-0.44, t=4.98, P=0.004;medium experience trainers: 0.85+/-0.29 vs. 2.06+/-0.53, t=4.51, P=0.006;and low experience trainers: 0.10+/-0.16 vs. 0.44+/-0.22, t=2.62, P=0.047). For resident (including graduate) and undergraduate student teaching, both QTS was lower with dynamic strategy (residents: 0.18+/-0.34 vs. 0.97+/-0.14, t=4.35, P=0.007;undergraduate students 1.57+/-0.55 vs. 3.77+/-1.24, t=3.62, P=0.015), but dynamic strategy was effective for post-doc student subgroup and reached comparable QTS as traditional model (0.00+/-0.00 vs. 0.17+/-0.41, t=1.00, P=0.363). Conclusions Dynamic adaptive teaching strategy could be a useful alternative to traditional teaching model for post-doc students. It could be a novel effective solution for saving teaching resources and providing individualized surgical teaching modality.Copyright © 2023, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. All rights reserved.

A Wellbeing Specialist Case Management Service Providing Support to Students in a University Setting

Development of the Student Wellbeing Connect (SWBC) service was a response to increased student support needs in the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Due to the government-imposed restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, students often faced complex psychosocial and wellbeing issues (Dodd et al., 2021). Two years on from its inception, the case management service has become a core component of La Trobe University's Student Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion services responding to the complex and compounding factors that can impact the wellbeing and success of university students. Varying psychosocial needs can underly a student's presentation to a counselling service;thus, the case management service complements the counsellor's role by providing practical-based interventions. The focus of the service on practical issues has provided an alternative support model for students who do not identify as primarily requiring mental health or counselling support. This has opened service provision to a broader cohort of students. Using a multi-disciplinary, strength-based, and person-centred case management approach, students work collaboratively with Wellbeing Coordinators to identify internal and external supports to address their needs through psychosocial assessments and implementation of goal-focused planning. SWBC acts as a safety net within the university setting if/when psychosocial difficulties are impacting the student's experience, academic performance, and wellbeing. This paper will outline the operational and service provision framework for providing case management to tertiary students. © 2023, Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association. All rights reserved.

Predicting Student's Satisfaction towards Hybrid Learning in Informatics

This paper used regression and moderation approaches to evaluate the student's satisfaction with informatics towards the hybrid learning in their study. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) identified student satisfaction based on hybrid learning difficulty and benefit ($p < 0.001$). Linear Regression (LR) found hybrid learning benefits impacted the student's satis-faction significantly $(p < 0.001$). Student's $t$-test also revealed that Overall Satisfaction (OS) significantly affected hybrid learning's satisfaction ($p < 0.001$). Analysis of Co-variants (ANCOVA) also proved that hybrid learning's benefit ($p < 0.001$) and OS ($p < 0.05$) significantly influenced student satisfaction. The paper also proved that hybrid learning's benefits positively correlate with student satisfaction (0.596). The slopes of 'Yes' and 'No' are substantially different from one another when the probability value of 0.22 $(p > 0.05$). Hence, no moderator (OS) affects the relationship's strength between the benefit and satisfaction of hybrid learning. The paper also revealed that hybrid learning's difficulty has a negative correlation (-.18), and the benefit of hybrid learning is positively associated with student satisfaction (.66). Implementing a hybrid learning mode during Covid-19 periods significantly impacted student satisfaction and the decision taken by the administration was also meaningful. © 2023 IEEE.

Flexible curriculum design for quantitative skills development: Building on the insights gained during COVID-19

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, technology-enhanced learning and its relation to student engagement, and the necessity of good student-staff relationships for creating a successful education environment were evident. The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education to adapt to a challenging technology-led learning environment that demanded, inter alia, high levels of flexibility and human-centredness. Valuable lessons were learned that highlighted new perspectives on curriculum design and delivery in a normalised, technology-driven environment. Against the background of COVID-19-related literature on teaching and learning, the authors reflect on their insights regarding curriculum design and delivery of two quantitative skills modules during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on further curriculum planning. The focus of the article is on the intentional flexibility built into curriculum offerings during 2020-2022. The study reviewed flexibility on three levels, namely student, facilitator (staff) and delivery levels, through a multi-method research methodology. Quantitative data related to the academic performance of 2 949 students enrolled for the two quantitative skills modules from 2020 to 2022. Qualitative data related to themes through thematic analysis of student and facilitator surveys, focusgroup discussions and semi-structured interviews. The improved student academic performance reported by the study could be attributed to, amongst other factors, 1) flexibility of the selected delivery option, 2) positive staff and student experiences and engagement, and 3) intentional inclusion of activities promoting student-staff relationships. The good academic results obtained during the pandemic led to important curriculum decisions for a normalised future for these modules, which will be built on flexibility and human-centredness. Among these decisions is to continue presenting the modules in an online environment, even though traditional face-to-face teaching options are available.