scholarly journals ‘e’-thinking teaching and assessment to uphold academic integrity: lessons learned from emergency distance learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeenath Reza Khan ◽  
Shivadas Sivasubramaniam ◽  
Pranit Anand ◽  
Ajrina Hysaj
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Academic Integrity ◽  
Content Delivery ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Digital Space ◽  
The World ◽  
Delivery Strategies ◽  
Time Faculty ◽  
Made In

AbstractCovid-19 pandemic had an impact on many day-to-day activities but one of the biggest collateral impacts was felt by the education sector. The nature and the complexity of higher education is such that no matter how prepared we are as faculty, how planned our teaching and assessments, faculty are all too aware of the adjustments that have to be made to course plans, assessments designed, content delivery strategies and so on once classes begin. Faculties find themselves changing, modifying and deviating from original plans to ensure accessibility and inclusiveness, this may be due to a variety of reasons such as student abilities, behaviour, disturbances and even outside factors that may be political, environmental, social etc. Majority of the time, faculty are prepared for the change that needs to be incorporated and are quick to adjust. However, no one expected the disruption to education that was caused by COVID19 pandemic. The world came to a standstill while schools and universities scrambled to push learning to the digital space. It was important to try to ensure continuity of learning for students, but the issue of integrity came to the forefront by summertime. Faculties were suddenly expected to restructure their lessons, delivery, teaching and assessing digitally, at the same time ensuring and upholding integrity of the concepts taught and assessed. This has neither been easy or straightforward because the situation was unprecedented with little or no prior documentation or guidelines to help. Recognising this gap, this paper is an attempt at providing exploratory findings from authors’ experiences in their respective institutions over the ensuing months. The paper attempts to record the changes made by the faculty and colleagues to lessons and assessments with particular focus on how technology has been used to help restructure classes, deliver lessons and assess students which have aided in minimizing the likelihood of students cheating. The paper further narrates the reflective changes that were made in response to experience, student/external examiners feedback etc.

USE OF BLENDED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION – SOME EXPERIENCES

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Singh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Face To Face Learning ◽  
Made In

This article reports on the use of blended learning in higher education. Blended learning has become popular in higher education in recent years. It is a move beyond traditional lecturing to incorporate face-to-face learning with e-learning, thereby creating a blend of learning experiences. The problem is that learning in higher education is complex and learning situations differ across contexts. Whilst there is face-to-face contact at some institutions, others offer distance learning or correspondence learning. In each context, the mode of learning may differ. The challenge is to cater for various learning opportunities through a series of learning interactions and to incorporate a blended approach. The aim of this study was to examine various ways of defining blended learning in different contexts. This was done through an examination of experiences of the use of blended learning in different higher education contexts. The study presents a case of blended learning in a postgraduate course. The experiences from all these cases are summarised and conclusions and recommendations are made in the context of blended learning in higher education in South Africa.

A Multi-Criteria Decision Making Approach for Evaluation of MOOCs Platforms

2016 ◽  
pp. 510-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Pratap Singh ◽  
Preetvanti Singh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
The World ◽  
Massive Online Open Courses ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Open Courses ◽  
Education Courses

Technology and globalization have increased accessibility to higher education. In recent years, the concept of online or distance learning has expanded to a growing number of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), i.e. enrolling in free higher education courses open for any Internet user. MOOCs are recent trends in distance learning promoted by several prestigious universities. This Chapter describes what MOOC is with review of the history, its characteristics, advantages, and different platforms for developing of MOOCs. The authors also discuss the multi-criteria nature of MOOCs and identify the parameters important for selecting a MOOC platform. It is hoped that MOOC will enhance accessibility, student engagement, and experiences for lifelong learning which will empower and inspire educators around the world and promote success in learning.

The Context, Design, and Impact of System-Wide Assessments to Enhance Effectiveness in the Higher Colleges of Technology of the United Arab Emirates

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Marshall “Mark” Drummond ◽  
Matthew A. Robby
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Colleges Of Technology ◽  
The World ◽  
Effective Assessment

This paper examines the use of System-wide Assessments, an innovative initiative to enhance the accountability, quality, and effectiveness within the Higher Colleges of Technology of the United Arab Emirates. The authors review the historic and contemporary influences on college/university assessments and the key forces or factors which have shaped development and need of Outcome Assessments. The paper summarizes the literature on the best practices for assessment and promoting changes. The paper describes the objectives, structures, and processes involved with random use of System-wide Assessments among the 17 Federal colleges. A survey of 80 Deans and Chairs reports the perceptions and ratings of the process and impact of System-wide assessments. The lessons learned are described and inform recommendations for key components of an effective assessment system to promote accountability and improvement in higher education. Findings have significance for leaders of institutions of higher learning throughout the Middle East and the world.

scholarly journals The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of urgent surgery: a perspective from the USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhiman Cheeyandira
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Surgical Care ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
World Health ◽  
Urgent Surgery ◽  
The World ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Made In

Abstract Corona virus pandemic has affected all the 50 states in the USA. States such as NY, CA and WA being the most affected. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, as of 28 March 2020, the total number of cases in the USA is over 103 300 and number of deaths to 1668. In the coming weeks, COVID-19 rates are expected to begin skyrocketing and hit a peak in late April/May/June given lessons learned from China, Italy and others. COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) as confirmed cases approach 575 444 patients with 26 654 deaths across over 160 countries, as of 28 March 2020. There is a lot of impact on management of the urgent and emergent cases. This article highlights the changes that are being made in delivering urgent and emergent surgical care during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Mergers, Consolidations and Alliances in Higher Education: International Experiences and Lessons learned for Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoang Minh Son ◽  
Vu Van Yem ◽  
Nguyen Thi Huong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
System Size ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Mass Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Vietnamese Higher Education ◽  
The World

The transition from mass higher education to universal access globally marked by the creation of a series of higher education institutions (HEIs) has pushed countries to undergo reforms, rearrangement of higher education system. The wave of merger, consolidation, or alliance between HEIs may stem from the need of the schools themselves who gave proposal or from the administrative orders of the administrative authorities to fulfill the policy objectives. Countries in the world have continued the process of reforming and reorganizing the higher education system and have achieved certain successes and inevitably some mistakes. These are valuable lessons for the following countries. This paper is aimed at showing the experience of nations and some lessons learned. It is composed of four parts. The first part gives an overview of the current global higher eduction reform, the definition of concepts used herein and distinguishes some types of mergers, consolidations and alliances in terms of the number and the status of founding institutions. The second part analyzes the results of the process such as changes in system size, student size, performance, impacts on stakeholders after the merger. The third part summarizes the current status of Vietnamese higher education with outstanding issues which required the reorganization and the reform of the system for the purpose of enhancing efficiency and regional and global competitiveness. In the final section, the paper provides some recommendations for Vietnamese higher education, which were drawn from the successes and failures of the process of reforming higher education systems around the world.

scholarly journals How satisfied are the English Major Students with their Foundation English Courses: An Appraisal

2021 ◽  
pp. 30-42
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Education Industry ◽  
The World ◽  
English Major ◽  
Made In

The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the level of satisfaction of the English Major students with their Foundation English course. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to students currently pursuing the course, as well as students who had completed the course. The motive was to compare the results of the two sets of responses to see if both sets of students felt the same regarding the foundation English curriculum. The questionnaire was self-administered, through Google forms. The study threw light on the responsibilities of educational institutions in understanding that higher education is a service industry. It also highlighted the need for educational institutions to realize that they need to satisfy the needs and the expectations of students, parents, and employers. These three are the main stakeholders in the education industry today. Syllabus framers too have to accept that changes are imminent and make more than cosmetic changes to accommodate changes in the world outside. Students should be roped into the curriculum framing committees as they know what they need and what is not being delivered to them. Giving importance to the aspirations of students is unavoidable. It is hoped that this study would throw light on the expectations of students so that necessary changes may be made in the curriculum and thereby bring about the desired learning outcomes.

scholarly journals Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Distance Education Programs in Vietnam: Rationale and Future Directions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Huu Cuong ◽  
Le My Phong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The World ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Open And Distance Learning

Distance and online education are popular training modes in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and open education. Accreditation is one of the approaches that many countries across the world have implemented to assure the quality of higher education, including distance learning programs. This study investigates the rationale and future directions for quality assurance and accreditation of distance education programs in Vietnam. First, the paper presents concepts of distance education, and quality assurance and accreditation of distance education. Second, the research reviews experiences of implementing quality assurance and accreditation for distance education from several countries in the world. Next, the paper analyses the rationale for conducting accreditation of distance education programs in our country. Finally, the study proposes three groups of recommendations for the national quality assurance organization, accreditation agencies and higher education institutions to be able to implement the quality assurance and accreditation of distance education in Vietnam successfully. Keywords Quality assurance; Accreditation; Distance education; Online learning; Higher education References [1] UNESCO, Distance education in Asia and the Pacific: country papers, Volume III (Singapore - Vietnam), 2009. www.unesco.org/education/pdf/53-23c.pdf.[2] UNESCO, Open and distance learning: trends, policy and strategy considerations, 2002. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001284/128463e.pdf.[3] Owusu-Boampong, A. & Holmberg, C., Distance education in European higher education – the potential, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, International Council for Open and Distance Education and Study Portals B.V, 2015.[4] Australian University, Distance learning Australia, 2018. http://www.australianuniversities.com.au/distance-learning/.[5] Darojat, O., Nilson, M. & Kaufman, D., Quality assurance in Asian open and distance learning: policies and implementation, Journal of Learning for Development, Vol. 2, No. 2 (2015) 1. [6] Jung, I. & Latchem, C., Quality assurance and accreditation in distance education and e-learning: models, policies and research, Routledge, London, 2012.[7] Wang, Qi., Quality assurance - best practices for assessing online programs, International Journal on Elearning, Vol. 5, No. 2 (2006) 265. [8] Friedman, J., 10 facts about accreditation in online degree programs, U.S.News & World Report, February 9, 2017. https://www.usnews.com.[9] U.S. Department of Education., Accrediting agencies recognized for distance education and correspondence education, 2018. https://www2.ed.gov. [10] The Australasian Council on Open, Distance and e-learning (ACODE), Benchmarks for technology enhanced learning, ACODE, Canberra, 2014.[11] Bollaert, L., NVAO’s accreditation of online education in a nutshell, 2015. https://www.nvao.net.[12] Henderikx, P. & Ubachs, G., Quality assurance and accreditation of online and distance higher education, 2017. https://www.unic.ac.cy.[13] Stella A. & Gnanam, A., Quality assurance in distance education: The challenges to be addressed, Higher Education, Vol. 47, No. 2 (2004) 143.[14] Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA), Code of practices for open and distance learning, MQA, Kuala Lumpur, 2013.[15] COL, DEMP & UNESCO, Quality assurance toolkit for distance higher education institutions and programmes, COL, Vancouver, 2009.[16] Vietnamnet, Mở đào tạo từ xa sẽ không cần cấp phép, 2017. http://vietnamnet.vn. [17] Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), Quality assurance of online learning: discussion paper, TEQSA, Melbourne, 2017. [18] Nhân dân Điện tử, Phát triển đào tạo từ xa đúng hướng, 2017. http://www.nhandan.com.vn.[19] Nguyễn Hữu Cương, Một số kết quả đạt được của kiểm định chất lượng giáo dục đại học Việt Nam và hướng triển khai trong tương lai, Tạp chí Quản lý giáo dục, Tập 9 Số 8 (2017) 7.[20] Cục QLCL - Bộ GD-ĐT, Danh sách các CSGD đại học; các trường cao đẳng, trung cấp sư phạm, đã hoàn thành báo cáo tự đánh giá, được kiểm định, 2018 (dữ liệu cập nhật đến ngày 31/8/2018).[21] Cục QLCL - Bộ GD-ĐT, Danh sách các chương trình đào tạo được đánh giá/công nhận, 2018 (dữ liệu cập nhật đến ngày 31/8/2018).

scholarly journals EXPLORING AND UNDERSTANDING THE SPREAD OF MOOCS IN AN EMERING ECONOMY : A TEXT MINING ANALYSIS

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 58-65
Author(s):  
El Moussaouiti Imane ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
New Method ◽  
Clear Picture ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Massive Open Online Course ◽  
The World

The Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC is a new method of distance learning especially in the universities, a number of them use this method to contain the different obstacle of leaning in higher education in order to improve the teaching quality among a large number of students. This paper will explore this new method of a distance learning in the word and its impact on an emergent economy as Morocco. The purpuse of this paper is to give a clear picture of the MOOC in the world and in moroccan universities as an emergent economy, by analysing a text mining of the use of MOOC and their classification.

scholarly journals FEATURES OF DISTANCE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE CONVENTION OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol I (81) ◽  
pp. 129-144
Author(s):  
Konon Bagrii ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Education System ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Educational Services ◽  
Technical Equipment ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Critical Situation ◽  
The World

Today, the system of higher education around the world continues to take measures to effectively organize educational activities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. All METHODS OF TEACHING AT HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS Issue I (81), 2021 131 countries of the world had to face unexpected difficulties in connection with the introduction of self-isolation. The higher education system was "on the front lines" with a large number of people. The closure of higher education institutions and the emergency transition to distance learning have led to obvious problems, mainly due to insufficient technical equipment, lack or poor preparation of both teachers and students to work in the new environment. These and other problems pose another challenge to the higher education system in a critical situation. At the same time, along with the obvious challenges and problems, the new format of distance learning provides a wide range of opportunities and prospects for change and improvement of educational systems, for which the critical situation creates forced conditions. The article substantiates the importance of effective distance learning in higher education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and outlines the main problems of the individual in the relationship "teacher-student" in quarantine. The current stage of informatization of society cannot be imagined without the introduction of information and communication technologies in all parts of the education system, educational institutions and government. These technologies are especially relevant in quarantine, as they allow you to implement distance learning. It is also important that distance education expands and renews the role of the teacher, makes him a mentor-consultant who should coordinate the cognitive process, constantly improve the courses he teaches, and increase creativity and skills in accordance with innovations and innovations. During distance education, there is also a positive impact on higher education: increasing their creative and intellectual potential through self-organization, the desire for knowledge, the use of modern information and telecommunications technologies, the ability to make responsible decisions. The analysis of the research devoted to distance educational process, has allowed to reveal its other basic features, in particular: orientation on independent cognitive activity; significant potential opportunities for distance learning to intensify educational and cognitive activities; the possibility of organizing open learning, expanding the audience of consumers of educational services; integration of world educational services; reduction, under certain conditions, of material costs for the organization and implementation of the learning process.

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