scholarly journals Ecuadorian and Uruguayan teachers' perceptions and experiences of teaching online during COVID

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ximena D. Burgin ◽  
Sheila Coli Coli ◽  
Mayra C. Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Available Technology ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
K 12

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic is a unique event that forced K-12 schools to rethink the delivery of instruction to protect the well-being of school system stakeholders. Teachers, school administrators and parents had to adapt to and embrace new ways of teaching and learning by utilizing available technology. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges encountered by in-service teachers when moving from face-to-face to online teaching.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilized a qualitative phenomenological research methodology to examine Ecuadorian and Uruguayan teachers' perceptions and experiences transitioning from face-to-face to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. This comparative study used convenience sampling to include 12 K-12 teachers from Ecuador and Uruguay.FindingsThe results of this study produced two themes that evidenced the demands placed on educators. The first theme was job demands, relating to teachers' perceptions about workload, preparation time and curriculum issues. The second theme related to available support provided by the school administrators and technology issues faced by teachers and students. Even though the teachers demonstrated adaptability for educating students during the pandemic, the experiences from both countries should be considered by teacher training programs and in post-graduate professional development.Originality/valueThis article examined how COVID-19 affected teachers in Uruguay and Ecuador. Data analysis documented the challenges encountered by teachers transitioning to online learning during the pandemic. The findings inform a larger audience about the needs of teachers working online.

Social distancing meet social media: digital tools for connecting students, teachers, and citizens in an emergency

2020 ◽  
Vol 121 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 341-352
Author(s):  
Christine Greenhow ◽  
Amy Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
K 12

Purpose In a public health crisis where social distancing, or physical distancing while in public spaces, is the new normal, social media offer respite from being alone. Recent statistics show spikes in social media usage worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic. More than just easing loneliness, such freely available digital tools offer affordances for education in an emergency. Design/methodology/approach This paper summarizes insights from literature reviews of over a decade of research and recent case studies on the benefits of teaching with social media in K-12 education. Findings The authors highlight three affordances of social media for fostering active learning, community building and civic participation and describe how social media can be used in conjunction with conventional learning management systems. Furthermore, the authors argue that the unprecedented health crisis that is faced today requires the participation of responsible citizens of all ages; K-12 public education is on the front lines of preparing informed and active citizens and the integration of social media as part of remote education plans can help. Practical implications The paper includes instructional guidelines for K-12 teachers and instructional designers in various settings who seek to integrate social media as part of their strategy for teaching students at a distance and facilitating their civic participation. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need for evidence-based and pragmatic approaches to K-12 online teaching and learning using technologies already widely in use (i.e. social media).

Supporting making online: the role of artifact, teacher and peer interactions in crafting electronic textiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 121 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 381-390
Author(s):  
Gayithri Jayathirtha ◽  
Deborah Fields ◽  
Yasmin B. Kafai ◽  
Joseph Chipps
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Electronic Textiles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Science High School

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report changes when a classroom-based makerspace moved from face-to-face to an online setting. Design/methodology/approach To better understand changes in teaching maker activities, as they move from face-to-face to online contexts, the authors analyzed video and interview data from six weeks of an introductory computer science high school classroom (38 youth) that was implementing an electronic textiles unit, shifting to asynchronous online teaching and learning during the March 2020 state-wide school closure because of the pandemic. The authors analyzed field notes and videos of face-to-face and online interactions between the teacher and his students in learning to craft and code their electronic textiles projects. Findings The analysis revealed changes in the role of physical and code artifacts, in improvising teaching, and channels for communication between the teacher and students. Research limitations/implications This study discusses the implications for future pedagogical design and research efforts, as the authors continue to engage youth and work toward designing equitable learning opportunities with maker activities online. Originality/value In maker activities such as electronic textiles, youth design, sew and program circuits to make personalized three-dimensional, textile artifacts. However, nearly all research on supporting and teaching making has been conducted in face-to-face settings.

scholarly journals Teacher’s Challenges towards Online Learning in Pandemic Era

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Elsa Rosalina ◽  
Nasrullah Nasrullah ◽  
Eka Puteri Elyani
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Climate ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Teacher Challenges

The teaching and learning process has a big revolution since Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID19) has spread out to the world. Education is one of the sectors that have a mostly big impact on its condition. COVID 19 changes everything in the education system. The teaching and learning process which do face to face must be changed to an online system. Thus, in this research, the researchers want to identify the teacher’s challenges for doing online teaching and learning. The researchers also describe the strength and weaknesses of online learning based on teachers’ perceptions. This research used a qualitative approach because the researchers describe teacher challenges toward online learning and the easiness and the difficulties of online learning in the pandemic era. The participants of this research were 14 English teachers from a different level of education in South Kalimantan. The instruments used in this study consisted of 12 open-ended questionnaires made online using Google form. The result of the questionnaire that has filled out by the participants recorded in the researcher’s email, then based on this result the researchers describe the findings and related it to the relevant theory. The findings of this research are most of the teachers agree that the challenges to applying online learning are in facilitation such as internet connection, quota, the places of home living, and the process of online learning itself such as the teacher’s less in technology for designing interesting online learning activities, less communicative, lack of interaction, and fostering an effective online learning climate and for the strength and the weakness of online learning activities most of the teachers agree that the strength of online learning is flexible in time and place, thus the teaching and learning can conduct everywhere and anytime, for the weakness the teacher agree that online learning can’t conduct maximal pedagogy process in learning activities.  Keywords: teacher, challenges, online learning, pandemic era

The K-12 Teacher's Perspective on Teaching and Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Dixie Friend Abernathy ◽  
Amy Wooten Thornburg
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
School Year ◽  
Time Period ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Teacher's Perspective ◽  
Overall Effectiveness

In the spring of 2020, during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the nation's schools closed. Students were told to shelter in place at their homes and classroom teachers were charged with the challenge of educating over 50,000,000 K-12 students through online and virtual modalities. As this transition began in its early stages and then lingered for the remainder of the school year, attention and even scrutiny soon descended upon the actual preparation of teachers in executing such a transition, and the realistic success of doing so. Teachers began the new and unexpected process of teaching their students from home, and students, along with family support, began the practice of learning remotely. During this same time period, researchers were approved to conduct research focused exclusively on this educational phenomenon. One of the themes of this research was the K-12 teachers' perceptions on the teacher readiness and the overall effectiveness of this sudden switch to K-12 online teaching and learning.

Positive leadership: animating purpose, presence, passion and play for flourishing in schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabre Cherkowski ◽  
Benjamin Kutsyuruba ◽  
Keith Walker
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Leadership ◽  
Vice Principals ◽  
K 12

PurposeThe purpose of this multiyear research study is to examine leadership in K-12 schools using a positive organizational perspective to understand how to foster, support and encourage flourishing in schools. In this article, the authors describe the lived experiences of a small group of principals and vice-principals in K-12 schools describing how they have experienced flourishing in their work.Design/methodology/approachThe research was carried out using a qualitative, phenomenological approach to examine the lived, concrete and situated experiences of a small sample of school administrators (N = 9) in two school districts in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Data were collected through individual interviews that were designed to be appreciative in nature. These lasted between 60 and 90 min, were recorded and transcribed. The interview data were deductively and inductively analyzed and arranged into themes that demonstrate the key components of positive leadership for flourishing in schools, derived from these participants' experiences.FindingsBuilding on and extending their findings that school administrators feel a sense of flourishing when they focus on their work from the values of purpose, passion and play, the authors found that a fourth value, presence, was important for these participants to experience well-being at work. Principals’ sense of well-being was strongly related to the notion of balance in their work and life, which helped them address potential stress and ill-being. Findings suggest that a strengths-based, positive approach to school leadership offers an alternative perspective for supporting and encouraging well-being at work.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of this research include the small sample size and the appreciative focus with which the data were collected that meant that participants were providing their experiences from a positive perspective. This article offers a complementary perspective for researching well-being in schools, from a positive, strengths-based approach to examining the work of administrators.Practical implicationsThe authors offer insights into the work of school leaders from an appreciative, strengths-based perspective on understandings and practices that may be useful to principals and vice-principals who wish to enhance their workplace well-being. The authors suggest that administrators can learn to craft their work in ways that highlight existing well-being conditions toward amplifying and sustaining well-being. Working from four animating values for flourishing seemed to promote well-being for this small sample of administrators within the existing challenges and complexities of their work.Originality/valueThis article offers examples of lived experiences of principal and vice-principal well-being that highlight what happens when school leaders attend to their work from a positive, appreciative, strength-based perspective. This research perspective is an additional source of knowledge about well-being in schools complementing the existing research on well-being from a stress management and reduction perspective.

K-12 teachers’ perceptions of Web 2.0 applications in the United Arab Emirates?

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdurrahman G. Almekhlafi ◽  
Enas Said Ali Abulibdeh
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web 2.0 Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
K 12

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate 152 pre-service and in-service school teachers’ perceptions toward Web 2.0 applications and their usage in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was used. The data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and independent samplet-tests. The descriptive statistics were used to identify teachers’ perceptions toward Web 2.0 applications and their usage. Thet-test was used to investigate the differences in perceptions between groups due to gender, and experience using computers and the Internet. The results showed that teachers have high perception toward Web 2.0 tools and services, but the extent to which they use Web 2.0 applications is somehow moderate. Moreover, no statistically significant differences in perception toward Web 2.0 were detected due to gender or experience using computers and the internet. Recommendations and suggestions for improving Web 2.0 integration into teaching and learning are proposed.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted the quantitative research approach using a questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire was designed to investigate teachers’ perceptions of using Web 2.0 applications as a method for teaching and learning purposes.FindingsThe results showed high self-perception of teachers toward Web 2.0 and their use for improving students’ performance, which can be attributed to their awareness of Web 2.0 importance and benefit in education. On the other hand, results indicated a low use of most of Web 2.0 tools such as microblogging, audio file sharing, photo sharing and content developing. Again, these findings can be attributed to the lack of professional training on using Web 2.0. In addition, the results did not show significant differences between male and female teachers in using Web 2.0 applications with the exception of two items. Neither did the results show any significant differences between teachers who are beginners in using computers and the internet and teachers who are advanced. This could be because beginner users of computers and the internet have the same motivation as the advances users pertaining to teaching.Originality/valueThere must be an extensive training for teachers on how to use Web 2.0 tools to enhance their teaching. Infrastructure for the internet should be available so that teachers can use Web 2.0 without worrying about the technology infrastructure at their schools. More research studies should be conducted regarding the use of Web 2.0 by teachers and students alike. A qualitative and quantitative method of data collection should be used when investigating different aspects of Web 2.0. A comparison between K-12 teachers and higher education faculty members should be conducted pertaining to the use of Web 2.0 for education. A comparison study between pre-service and in-service teachers should be conducted to investigate Web 2.0 tools for educational and personal purposes.

scholarly journals Challenges of Online Teaching during the pandemic COVID-19: Reports from Moldovan Vocational Education and Training Teachers

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (34) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg Stiopca ◽  
Robert Cobb ◽  
Paula E. Faulkner
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
And Training

Teachers worldwide are experiencing challenges with transitioning from face-to-face to online teaching during the pandemic COVID-19. Policymakers, school administrators, students, parents, and teachers have all been impacted. Moldovan educational policies and infrastructures are being re-visited to identify the best strategies for supporting its teachers during this time. The purpose of this case study was to assess Moldovan Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers' challenges faced teaching online. Data were analyzed by researchers reviewing interview notes to ascertain the main points gathered from teachers occurred during the focus group interview. The focus group with mostly female teachers revealed their desire to gain online teaching training and frustration over a lack of stable Internet connection during lessons. It was concluded that teachers’ needs should be shared with policymakers and school administrators to ensure technology training and reliable technology devices for at home use be provided while schools are closed. Based on conclusions, the following recommendations would be to assess student’s needs to ensure their needs are aligned with teachers’ needs so the best teaching and learning can occur.

Pivoting in a COVID-19 teaching environment: developing interactive teaching approaches and online assessments to improve students’ experiences

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate L. Morgan ◽  
Wei Chen
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Accounting Courses ◽  
Online Assessments ◽  
Short Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the changes made to course delivery, course materials and assessment approaches required in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which forced many changes to occur in a very short time. Design/methodology/approach It is a case study of the changes made to content, teaching methods and assessment in a postgraduate introductory financial accounting course of approximately 350 students across two terms. Findings The key findings are that the sudden change from face-to-face to online teaching to address government regulations, social distancing expectations and students’ needs required immediate changes to how content was delivered, how to interact with students (many of who were studying outside of Australia), and how to adapt to online assessments. Many of the innovations the authors describe will continue to be used in the course going forward both in face-to-face and online formats. That is, the need to change resulted in innovations that can be implemented in a post-pandemic environment. Originality/value The key value of this paper is to provide instructors with insights into the innovations the authors made to address the changed circumstances, which can be incorporated into other accounting courses in the future.

VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR ESL COURSES

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 239-243
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria CHISEGA-NEGRILĂ
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face

Abstract: As the time in which online teaching and learning was still an element of novelty has long been gone, virtual learning environments have to be studied thoroughly so that they will provide students not only with the necessary knowledge, but also with the proper tools to meet their learning objectives. The advancement in information technology and the access to an almost inordinate number of learning and teaching tools should have already been fructified and, as a result, not only teachers, but also learners should have already picked up the fruit of knowledge grown in the vast virtual environment of the Internet. However, as education has recently moved almost entirely online, some questions have arisen. Are the Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) enough to offer ESL students both motivation and knowledge? Will foreign languages benefit from this growing trend or will traditional, face-to-face interaction, prove to have been more efficient? The present article will look into some of these questions and into the benefits of VLEs in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Transforming higher education in Ghana in times of disruption: flexible learning in rural communities with high latency internet connectivity

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Barton Essel ◽  
Dimitrios Vlachopoulos ◽  
Dickson Adom ◽  
Akosua Tachie-Menson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Cell Phone ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Internet Connectivity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Video Teleconferencing ◽  
A Cell

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone. In addition, the study aims to identify the associations between the audio teleconferencing and video teleconferencing in a 12-week postgraduate course. Design/methodology/approach The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted at the Department of Educational Innovations at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from March to June 2020. The purposive sampling technique was used to sample 100 postgraduate students who registered for a course in the department. The data for the study were collected using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and 17-item self-administered eQuestionnaire. Multiple Linear Regression analysis, ANOVA, Independent sample T-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to estimate the differences in course achievements of students who experienced education through audio teleconferencing and those who experienced education through video teleconferencing. Findings In total, 59% of the participating postgraduate students chose to attend the synchronous online lectures via audio teleconferencing (dial-in). The participants gave a high SUS score (SUS > 80.3; Grade A; Excellent) for audio conferencing service. Among the students in the audio teleconferencing cohort, the results evidenced a strong positive linear correlation, (r (57) = 0.79, p < 0.05), between the individual adjective ratings and the SUS scores. There was marginal significance among demography of students in the audio teleconference (AT) cohort with regards to their perception about the dial-in lecture. There was no statistically significant difference, (t (98) = 1.88, p = 0.063), in the achievement test for AT students and video teleconference (VT) students. The instructors and the students were satisfied with the AT. Practical implications Based on the students’ preference, AT offers equal benefit as VT with regards to system satisfaction and perceived quality of online teaching. AT, as teaching modality, should be an option for students who reside in communities with high latency internet connectivity. It is recommended that instructors are trained on how to engage and motivate students via AT. Originality/value Higher education institutions in Ghana are facing decisions about how to continue learning and teaching through flexible pedagogy, while keeping their faculty members and students protected from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these institutions have canceled the brick-and-mortar education and other conventional learning practices and have instructed faculty to adopt online teaching through synchronous video teleconferencing platforms. However, the learning experience is not the same for students who reside in remote or rural communities with low bandwidth. There is very little research in this topic, especially in developing countries like Ghana, and the present study aims to bridge the gap in the literature by exploring the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone, in the context of a 12-week postgraduate course.

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