Student perceptions in online higher education toward faculty mentoring

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110229
Author(s):  
Dena J AuCoin ◽  
Lisa A Wright
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Student Persistence ◽  
Mentoring Program ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Faculty Mentoring ◽  
Faculty Mentor ◽  
Online Higher Education

Student persistence is important for students, faculty, and universities and online faculty mentoring supports student persistence to graduation. The online learning environment is increasingly a choice for more undergraduate students, and it continues to grow in popularity as an attractive option for adults. It is crucial to find ways to increase persistence and graduation especially given the increased use of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attrition rates in online learning can be high for a variety of reasons, including persistence and engagement. Faculty mentors in the online environment can strengthen connections and relationships with undergraduate students, and it is important to ask for and evaluate these student perceptions. This mixed methods study surveyed and interviewed undergraduate students in an online university to understand both their experiences with faculty mentoring in the online environment and the potential of a faculty mentor program in a large online university. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of four undergraduate student mentees with their faculty mentor at a large online university using mixed methods research design. In addition, survey data from one department are analyzed to guide future mentoring programs in online learning environments. Findings from the study indicate belief that mentoring and encouragement from faculty would enhance students’ scholarly experience. Students indicated they would like to participate in a faculty mentoring program, and it was clear that students welcome and appreciate the opportunity to further cement a professional relationship between themselves and faculty. This article makes a unique contribution to higher education research, providing a potential model for others seeking guidance in mentoring in online higher education. The data analysis and research indicate that a larger scale mentoring program might be more valuable for students.

Transformation of Teaching Pedagogical Practices in Higher Education in the Situation of Covid-19 (Based on the example of transforming academic practices in the Pedagogical Faculty of the Thracian University)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Rumyana Neminska
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
Teaching Models ◽  
Academic Practices ◽  
Learning Management ◽  
Short Time

When COVID-19 pandemic hit Bulgarian education was in the middle of its reform. Health requirements, the long lockdown, have expelled a huge surge of the need not only for a survival but also for the preservation and transformation of education. Education on all levels including higher academic education took quick steps to reorient to online learning. In a short time, university electronic platforms became the daily place for learning. This online reorientation has led to a number of changes in teaching models, online learning management and more. Practically all methodologies and methodologies that the pedagogical students get acquainted with have been rewritten. It is in this direction that the article traces the challenges facing higher education and examines an empirical study of the attitudes of student educators trained in an online environment.

scholarly journals The perceived satisfaction with emergency remote teaching (ERT) amidst COVID-19: An exploratory case study in higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 116-130
Author(s):  
K. Fuchs ◽  
S. Karrila
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Perceived Satisfaction ◽  
Traditional Classroom Teaching ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors

Introduction. Online learning is a well-established pedagogical paradigm that has been researched and discussed from a number of perspectives. Educators associate a variety of opportunities and challenges with online education, and recently an unprecedented global pandemic, COVID-19, made traditional classroom teaching temporarily impossible. Emergency remote teaching (ERT) is a newly emerging sub-paradigm that possesses characteristics and challenges that differ from traditional online learning.Methodology and research methods. This study quantitatively examined undergraduate students' (n = 219) perspectives on the most important attributes that are associated with ERT. Moreover, the students' satisfaction with ERT was assessed, and the relationships between socio-demographic factors were analysed.Results and scientific novelty. A descriptive analysis revealed that most students preferred a traditional on-site classroom arrangement, while they were satisfied with the alternative ERT having fully virtual delivery. Also, the study highlighted that the students rated being knowledgeable, friendly, and patient as the most important characteristics of their lecturer in these unusual circumstances.Practical significance. The current research informs educators about student perceptions and preferences during these extraordinary circumstances of uncertain duration.

scholarly journals Emergency Remote Teaching during COVID-19: A Comparison of Student Perceptions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Hybrid Learning ◽  
Perceived Performance ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Education Community ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The World

The pandemic has shaken up the higher education landscape around the world, with responses from institutions falling into three categories: retaining in-class teaching with social distancing, adopting hybrid models (blended learning, limiting the number of students on campus), or transitioning to fully online teaching. However, there is a significant difference between emergency remote teaching and a genuine shift to online/hybrid learning, with the key distinguishing term being “emergency.” In response to the global pandemic, the higher education community is now working on the continuous development of action plans in a quest to identify means to manage the crisis more efficiently. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the perceived performance of ERT from the perspective of undergraduate students. For that purpose, samples (n=332) were taken in two different geographical settings, i.e., Thailand and Sweden. Moreover, it is the objective to compare both samples and identify similarities and inadequacies which help stakeholders to manage ERT more efficiently in the future.

scholarly journals Whatever Happened to the Promise of Online Learning?

2019 ◽  
pp. 2-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Garrett
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Cost Containment ◽  
Quality Enhancement ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
Online Higher Education ◽  
The World

This article synthesizes the evolution of, and prospects for, online higher education around the world. Different national online higher education models and stages of development are outlined. Online learning is judged by the extent to which the delivery mode has addressed higher education’s core challenges of wider access, quality enhancement, and cost containment.

Undergraduate perceptions of social media proficiency and graduate employability

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Sutherland ◽  
Susie Ho
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Pedagogy ◽  
Graduate Employability ◽  
Higher Education Pedagogy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore undergraduate student attitudes towards the inclusion of social media training within higher education pedagogy, student perceptions of social media proficiency as professional expertise and its impact on graduate employability. Design/methodology/approach In all, 81 undergraduate students studying medicine, law, science and arts volunteered to complete an online survey. Questions examined student attitudes towards the delivery of social media pedagogy at university and the perceived benefits of social media proficiency. Findings Participants stated that social media skills should be taught in optional classes (85 per cent) covering generic competencies (56 per cent). The majority (91 per cent) of respondents reported that social media skills and training were valuable for employability. Research limitations/implications This was a pilot study and was therefore limited by the self-selection of participants, sample size and geographic location. Practical implications This study identifies that undergraduates across a range of disciplines are receptive to developing professionally relevant social media skills within higher education pedagogy and identify a link between social media proficiency and graduate employability. Originality/value Despite the increasing necessity for social media skills in professional environments, few studies have examined the teaching of social media skills as a core competency in higher education. Instead, social media is largely examined in relation to curriculum delivery and student engagement. This study explores attitudes towards the delivery of social media pedagogy at university and the perceived benefits of social media proficiency exclusively from the viewpoint of undergraduate students, to provide an alternative insight rarely explored in the literature.

scholarly journals Switching from Face-to-Face to Online Instruction Midsemester

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora Herold ◽  
Tina Chen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Limited Perspective ◽  
Technology Changes ◽  
Before And After

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted higher education during Spring 2020 by forcing all face-to-face classes to unexpectedly transition to online learning. To better understand how switching to remote learning affected students and the factors that impacted their ability to successfully complete classes, 168 undergraduate students in three different psychology classes (six sections total) were asked in the last week of the semester about their experiences from before and after the switch. Students reported some decreased access to technology, changes in work responsibilities, some amount of physical illness, and the need to care for others who were physically ill. Notably, students consistently reported increased stress and decreased ability to focus. Students varied in how much they prioritized classes after the switch, which predicted their performance in the class, measured by exam grade, overall grade, and completion of attendance before and after the switch. Importantly, survey respondents significantly differed from non-respondents in their class performance, which suggests that results from voluntary surveys may capture a limited perspective and possibly underestimate the detrimental effects of the shift to online instruction. Implications for planning for future online classes in a global pandemic are discussed.

scholarly journals Efetividade das Estratégias de Ensino no Desenvolvimento das Competências de Estudantes do Curso de Administração

REVISTA PLURI ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 293
Author(s):  
Katia Maria Rocha de Lima
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The World ◽  
E Learning ◽  
On Line ◽  
Different Levels

O objetivo desta investigação é estruturar um modelo que avalie a efetividade das estratégias de ensino (tradicional, online e hibrido) utilizadas para o desenvolvimento das competências dos estudantes de graduação em administração, observando o perfil do estudante e o estilo de aprendizagem. A aprendizagem online, baseada no e-learning, tem desempenhado um papel fundamental no ensino e aprendizagem, que se torna cada vez mais popular não apenas em diferentes níveis escolares, mas também em várias instituições de educação superior em todo o mundo (Nedungadi & Raman, 2012). Nesse contexto, a educação a distância emerge como uma oportunidade que pode ampliar as possibilidades de aprendizagem do estudante, implementando ensino totalmente a distância ou no modelo híbrido.Palavras-Chave: Modelos de aprendizagem, e-learning, tradicional, on-line, híbrido.Abstract:The objective of this research is to structure a model that evaluates the effectiveness of teaching strategies (traditional, online and hybrid) used for the development of Administration course undergraduate students’ skills, observing student’s profile and his/her learning style. Online learning, based on e-learning, has played a key role in teaching and learning, which is becoming increasingly popular not only at different levels of education but also in several higher education institutions around the world (Nedungadi & Raman, 2012). In this context, distance education emerges as an opportunity that can broaden students’ learning possibilities, implementing distance education or the hybrid model.

Representation in 21st Century Online Higher Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 165-183
Author(s):  
Maggie Broderick
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Potential Benefit ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Online Higher Education ◽  
Public Versus Private ◽  
The University

This chapter examines representation of women and minorities in 21st century higher education with regard to how the online learning culture serves diverse students. Over the past two decades, faculty and student representation by women and minorities has increased, while online learning has also grown exponentially, becoming almost ubiquitous in its reach and scope. Even with differences across institutions (public versus private, size of the university, and populations served), the online learning environment has a seemingly agreed-upon set of rules, standards, and practices. Arguably, online learning has a distinct culture, which can thus be viewed through the lens of Vygotskyian sociocultural theory. While online learning may have some perceived downsides, a potential benefit is that the nature of the technology and the agreed-upon culture of 21st century online learning across institutions may serve to mask and inhibit implicit bias and thus level the playing field for women and minority students and faculty in higher education.

In their own words, from their own perspective: adult students’ experiences in online higher education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Rotar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Online Higher Education ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Online Distance ◽  
The Uk

The rapid development of online distance programmes has increased the popularity of higher education among adult students. However, despite the suggested benefits of online higher education (OHE), it has been well documented that adults may experience various challenges and barriers when adapting to it. Prior research on adult students’ experiences has tended to be influenced by psychological theories and predominantly represented by survey-based studies focused on individual factors or groups of factors that affect adults’ learning. As a result, inadequate attention is given to adult students’ voices within the online learning context. This article reports the results of the study that examined qualitatively different ways of experiencing online learning by adult students. A detailed picture of these variations was drawn from interviews with adult students from two online postgraduate programmes in the UK and Russia. The chosen phenomenographic research design assists in uncovering qualitative variations in adult students’ accounts and leading to a development of a hierarchically structured model. The analysis demonstrated three ways of experiencing online learning: as an investment, as a process that brings structure, and as a process that enables and empowers. The context in which online learning is conceptualised is proposed to explain the identified variations.

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