Online learning in proton radiation therapy: the future in the post-Covid-19 pandemic era?

Objective: The Covid-19 pandemic placed unprecedented strain on medical education and led to a vast increase in online learning. Subsequently, the XXXX International Proton School moved from face-to-face to online. Delegate feedback and current literature were studied to determine benefits, challenges, and potential solutions, for online proton therapy education. Methods: The course was converted to a six-week online course with twice weekly two-hour sessions. Feedback was studied pre, during, and post course regarding demographics, learning objectives, proton therapy knowledge, ease of engagement, technical difficulties, and course format. Statistical analyses were performed for proton therapy knowledge pre and post course. Results: An increase in delegate attendance was seen with increased international and multidisciplinary diversity. Learner objectives included treatment planning, clinical applications, physics, and centre development. Average learner reported scores of confidence in proton therapy knowledge improved significantly from 3, some knowledge, to 4, adequate knowledge after the course (p<0.0001). There were minimal reported difficulties using the online platform, good reported learner engagement, and shorter twice weekly sessions were reported conducive for learning. Recordings for asynchronous learning addressed time zone difficulties. Conclusions: The obligatory switch to online platforms has catalysed a paradigm shift towards online learning with delegates reporting educational benefit. We propose solutions to challenges of international online education, and a pedagogical model for online proton therapy education. Advances in knowledge: Online education is an effective method to teach proton therapy to international audiences. The future of proton education includes a hybrid of online and practical face-to-face learning depending on the level of cognitive skill required.

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Online Education in Human Parasitology during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Wuhan: Our Experiences, Challenges, and Perspectives

Zoonoses ◽

10.15212/zoonoses-2021-0012 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jiahui Lei ◽

Fei Guan ◽

Honggang Zhu ◽

Wenqi Liu

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Online Education ◽

Future Development ◽

Online Teaching ◽

Medical Schools ◽

Face To Face ◽

The Future ◽

Emergency Measure

Traditional face-to-face teaching in medical schools has been suspended during the global COVID-19 pandemic, and remote online learning has consequently been implemented as an emergency measure. This study aims to share our experiences in exploring online teaching of human parasitology and to discuss the possible advantages, challenges and perspectives that we observed during Wuhan’s lockdown due to the pandemic. The application of online education is likely to be an indispensable component of post-COVID-19 interactive online parasitology courses. Our experience might provide an example for the future development of interactive online medical courses.

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Impact of COVID-19 on health profession education in Singapore: Adoption of innovative strategies and contingencies across the educational continuum

The Asia Pacific Scholar ◽

10.29060/taps.2021-6-3/ra2346 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 14-23

Author(s):

Claude Jeffrey Renaud ◽

Zhi Xiong Chen ◽

Heng-Wai Yuen ◽

Lay Ling Tan ◽

Terry Ling Te Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

National Level ◽

Learning Technologies ◽

Asynchronous Learning ◽

Good Communication ◽

Innovative Strategies ◽

Face To Face ◽

Summative Assessments ◽

Hands On ◽

Learning Platforms

Introduction: The Coronavirus-19 pandemic has had profound effects on health professions education (HPE) posing serious challenges to the continued provision and implementation of undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education (CME). Across these HPE domains, the major disruptions included the exclusion of undergraduate learners from clinical learning environments, restricted intra-, inter-institutional and overseas movement of medical professionals, termination of face-to-face learner-educator interactions, deployment of postgraduate learners into non-scope service settings, and CME postponement. Methods: In this review we report on how in Singapore various adaptive measures were instituted across the 3 HPE domains at institutional and national level to maintain adequate resources at the frontline to meet service exigencies, promote healthcare professionals’ wellbeing and safety as well as mitigate the spread of the pandemic. Results: We identified several strategies and contingencies developed to address these challenges. These involved the use of online learning platforms, distributed and asynchronous learning, an undergraduate Pathway Programme, and use of innovative hands-on technology like simulation. Robust, well pre-planned pandemic preparedness, effective communication, as well as provision of psychological support resources ensured maintenance of service and academic continuity, trust and resilience within HPE. However, several challenges remain, namely the timing and manner of conducting formative and summative assessments, cybersecurity, and the indispensable hands-on, in-person experiential learning for surgical training. Conclusion: Strong leadership with vision and planning, good communication, prioritising learners’ and educators’ wellbeing and safety, and harnessing existing and emerging online learning technologies are crucial elements for effective contingencies for HPE disruption during pandemics.

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Faculty’s and Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning During COVID-19

Frontiers in Education ◽

10.3389/feduc.2021.638470 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Author(s):

Zakaryia Almahasees ◽

Khaled Mohsen ◽

Mohammad Omar Amin

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Online Education ◽

Data Privacy ◽

Privacy And Security ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

Face To Face ◽

Learning Challenges ◽

Face To Face Learning ◽

Method Of Instruction ◽

Self Learning

COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted teaching in a vriety of institutions. It has tested the readiness of academic institutions to deal with such abrupt crisis. Online learning has become the main method of instruction during the pandemic in Jordan. After 4 months of online education, two online surveys were distributed to investigate faculty’s and Students’ perception of the learning process that took place over that period of time with no face to face education. In this regard, the study aimed to identify both faculty’s and students’ perceptions of online learning, utilizing two surveys one distributed to 50 faculty members and another 280 students were selected randomly to explore the effectiveness, challenges, and advantages of online education in Jordan. The analysis showed that the common online platforms in Jordan were Zoom, Microsoft Teams offering online interactive classes, and WhatsApp in communication with students outside the class. The study found that both faculty and students agreed that online education is useful during the current pandemic. At the same time, its efficacy is less effective than face-to-face learning and teaching. Faculty and students indicated that online learning challenges lie in adapting to online education, especially for deaf and hard of hearing students, lack of interaction and motivation, technical and Internet issues, data privacy, and security. They also agreed on the advantages of online learning. The benefits were mainly self-learning, low costs, convenience, and flexibility. Even though online learning works as a temporary alternative due to COVID-19, it could not substitute face-to-face learning. The study recommends that blended learning would help in providing a rigorous learning environment.

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Using 21st Century Technology In Online Business Education

Journal of Business & Economics Research (JBER) ◽

10.19030/jber.v5i12.2620 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 5 (12) ◽

Author(s):

Susan Silverstone

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Online Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Approaches To Learning ◽

Virtual Classroom ◽

Online Discussions ◽

Font Size ◽

The Future ◽

National University

The challenges for education in the 21st century are fundamentally the same as they were in each of the past centuries – holding on to what is of value while discovering and developing what adds value to both teaching and learning. While the future is difficult to predict, the seeds of the future can be seen in the behaviors of the present. Obviously technology will play an even greater role in future education no matter how much and how quickly technology changes. Of greater importance than technology is the thinking needed for knowing how to use technology for advancing education for both students and instructors. Identifying the shifts in behavior that people are experiencing today provides clues on the practices that will be common tomorrow. Basic changes in education include the following: (1) moving from an instructor-centered paradigm focused on teaching to a learner-centered model focused on learning; (2) shifting from an emphasis on textbooks as a preferred source of knowledge to the use of technology as the primary tool for acquiring information and ideas; (3) advancing from knowledge to know-how exemplified in the differences expected from the cognitive, behaviorist and constructivist approaches to learning; and (4) sharing responsibility for learning through increased interaction and continuous communication between and among all individuals engaged in becoming educated persons. Technology, though it may be the key tool for facilitating these changes, has its limitations as well as its advantages, as any instructor knows when comparing face-to-face classroom lecturing with virtual asynchronous online discussions. Today’s students are techno-savvy and may be considered the “Wi-Fi Generation.” In the School of Business at National University, the second largest not-for-profit university in California, a blended approach to learning has been adopted in the accelerated one-month format used for its online education program. This paper explores the effects of some new technological options which were recently provided to marketing students in order to make their online learning experience more exciting and meaningful. National University’s online classes are offered on the eCollege platform. Students interact with each other asynchronously through discussion boards and synchronously in weekly chat sessions. Chat sessions had been offered in a text-based format, but the School of Business has invested in iLinc software which provides Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capability. In iLinc, students can see and hear each other as well as the instructor in real time. The system allows application sharing, group web-browsing, the display of PowerPoint® slideshows, voting, and independent group work. Using this technology, the instructor acts as both a discussion moderator and a live lecturer. The traditional text-based chats are no longer used due to the high student acceptance and delight with the iLinc system. Outside of the virtual classroom, the marketing students were tasked to analyze and comment on the content of selected television shows. National University’s students are adult learners who grew up passively watching television from an early age. These assignments were designed to get them to think beyond the surface entertainment to the underlying marketing and business messages given in these shows. For example, a graduate advertising class was assigned to comment on the reality show, The Apprentice, while an undergraduate class critiqued the Super Bowl advertisements. In both classes the students were told to look at these programs critically and share their comments with the class. The use of these current mass media presentations, (which afforded live action cases that demonstrated the immediate consequences of managerial actions), was shown to be very powerful. Overall, the students appear to thoroughly enjoy this addition of topical and “live” learning tools to their online learning experience. While not tested empirically as yet, these new classroom tools seem to increase student comprehension and retention of the course material.

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Distance Learning in Greece during Covid-19 Pandemic

Global Research in Higher Education ◽

10.22158/grhe.v4n2p69 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. p69

Author(s):

Apostolou George ◽

Papatsimpas Achilleas ◽

Gounas Athanasios ◽

Gkouna Ourania

Keyword(s):

Distance Learning ◽

Online Education ◽

Educational Process ◽

Statistical Hypothesis ◽

Hypothesis Tests ◽

Face To Face ◽

The Future ◽

E Learning ◽

Face To Face Learning ◽

Restrictive Measures

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reaction of Greeks to this new educational reality due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Since the first restrictive measures were implemented in March 2020in Greece, distance learning has become a dynamic part of people’s daily lives with the prospect of remain in gas such in the future. A total of N=170 students, parents, teachers, civil servants, private sector employees who were involved in the distance learning process either as instructors or as students in the period of Covid-19 pandemic in Greece, were selected with the use of snowball sampling. A questionnaire using demographic and satisfaction related variables was completed by the respondents, namely citizens across Greece, based on a Likert scale questionnaire which is a useful and multidimensional instrument, to assess satisfaction within the time frame from July 7, 2020 to October 20, 2020; the period when there occurred a loosening in the restrictive measures between the two lockdowns in Greece. It was investigated how the demographic factors, specifically gender, age, occupation, and place of residence, influence the attitude of the respondents towards synchronous and asynchronous distance learning as well as their intention to continue using online education services in the future after the lifting of the restrictive measures. Additionally, the customers’ preferences concerning the most enjoyable distance learning experience were examined, so that they will be available to the distance learning program designers. Descriptive statistical analysis and non-parametric statistical hypothesis tests were conducted in SPSS and R. Most of the respondents had not participated in online courses before the Covid-19 outbreak, 46 % did participate in e-learning courses before the Covid-19 lockdown while 54 % did not and 34.1% respondents prefer face-to-face learning, while 15.9% prefer e-learning. Also, 50% respondents prefer a combination of face-to-face learning and e-learning. Hypothesis tests showed that there are statistically significant differences between users’ preferences as well as regarding their demographic characteristics. Undergraduate and postgraduate university students continue to participate in online learning courses and are willing to invest financial resources and time in this new educational process (?2(4)=10.440, p=0.034), unlike high school students who prefer face-to-face learning (p=0.042). The present study will lead to practical implications, such as the formation of e-learning programs which aim for the best user experience and the best learning outcomes. Also, private educational organizations can include the results in the key elements to implementing a strategic marketing mix.

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The Challenges Faced by Pharm.D Students in Online Learning due to Covid-19 Pandemic and its Impact on their Mental Health in the Northern Border Region of Saudi Arabia

10.53350/pjmhs211592819 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (9) ◽

pp. 2819-2822

Author(s):

Anwar A Alshammari ◽

Abdulrahman M Alshammari ◽

Nawaf M. Alotaibi ◽

MD Ali Mujtaba ◽

MD Tauquir Alam

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Learning ◽

Online Education ◽

Pharmacy Education ◽

Border Region ◽

Pharmacy Students ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Face To Face ◽

Northern Border ◽

Teaching Learning

Objective: The purpose of the survey was to gather information from students on their learning preferences prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, barriers to online education during the pandemic, and the mental and psychological effects of COVID-19 on students. Method: Applying Google Forms, a cross-sectional pharmacy student-targeted online questionnaire designed to develop. In order to ensure that only pharmacy students responded, an introductory opening inquiry of the program name used to select out non-pharmacy students. Following that, these few demographic questions are asked to the participant's present institution and program year in which the participants currently in. Results: A total 260 pharmacy students received the survey, out of total 186 replies were received from professional pharmacy students, resulting in a response rate of around 71.5%. Almost half of the students (94%) chose traditional face-to-face training, while 32.8% preferred a combination of online and face-to-face instruction, and only 16.7% liked online instruction alone. The difficulties to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak show that, Issues with in-person communication (23.7%), pandemic-related anxiety and stress (22%), time management (19.9%), experience in online education (16.7%). The majority of respondents (87%) intended to incorporate online knowledge gained during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak into their teaching/learning techniques. During the COVID-19 epidemic, we discovered that practically all students were plagued by symptoms of sadness, anxiety, tension, and poor sleep quality, with the majority suffering from significant depression (31.2 %). Conclusion: This study concludes that most of the students are in favor of incorporation and applications of online learning experiences in teaching/learning practices garnered during pandemic. Furthermore, the majority of students had changed their behavior as a result of coronavirus, while nearly half of those polled experiencing an increase in anxiety and tension. Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, online learning, mental health, Pharm.D students, Pharmacy education, face to face learning.

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Student Perceptions of Online Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic

EduLine: Journal of Education and Learning Innovation ◽

10.35877/454ri.eduline607 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Jesi Jecsen Pongkendek ◽

Dewi Satria Ahmar ◽

Haris Munandar ◽

Muhammad Fath Azzajjad

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Student Perceptions ◽

Random Sampling ◽

Face To Face ◽

Question Item ◽

The Future ◽

Learning Platforms ◽

Face To Face Learning ◽

Made In

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lectures must be conducted online. This research is a survey research to find out the perception of students in participating in online learning. Survey of Musamus University students in 6 faculties with a total of 262 respondents. Respondents were selected by proportionate stratified random sampling. The instrument used is a questionnaire made in google form with a total of 21 questions. Data analysis was carried out by calculating the percentage of each answer for each question item. Through this research, the results obtained are (1) Students realize online learning is a learning solution during the Covid-19 pandemic; (2) Students are happy with participating in online learning; (3) Students are enthusiastic to complete assignments; (4) Students realize that through the assignment of lecturers their knowledge is increasing; (5) Students find online learning beneficial for them; (6) Students have mastered the use of online learning platforms; (7) Students hope that online learning will no longer be carried out in the future. Students also prefer face-to-face learning compared to blended learning and online learning, but some students have realized that the blended learning model is an alternative in learning that can be applied in the future

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The evolution of online education for sports coaches: A tennis perspective

ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review ◽

10.52383/itfcoaching.v24i68.178 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (68) ◽

pp. 31-33

Author(s):

Richard Sackey-Addo ◽

Javier Pérez Camarero

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Distance Learning ◽

Online Education ◽

Coach Education ◽

The Future ◽

Learning Platforms ◽

Sports Coaches ◽

Education Courses

This article looks at how modern coach education has progressed with the development of more resources and online learning platforms dedicated to informal and distance-learning based courses for coaches and what the effects of this means for the future of coach education courses for coaches and tutors.

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COVID-19 Pandemic and Possible Futures of Adult Online Learning in Higher Education : Six Trends That Could Shape the Future

Médiations et médiatisations ◽

10.52358/mm.vi8.266 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 72-85

Author(s):

Nicolas Gagnon

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Online Learning ◽

Adult Education ◽

Online Education ◽

Time Span ◽

Emerging Trends ◽

The Future ◽

Adult Online Learning ◽

The Impact ◽

Insight Into

The COVID-19 pandemic has had and will have, profound effects on adult education (Boeren, Roumell & Roessger, 2020; Kapplinger & Lichte, 2020) and online learning practices. The impact was unprecedented and led to the largest and quickest transformation of pedagogic practice ever seen in contemporary universities (Brammer & Clark, 2020). Although it is too soon for a full assessment, the first step is to gain insight into an understanding of the macro trends taking shape inside and outside the walls of institutions and then explore how these trends may affect the future. Against this background, a question arises: How is the COVID-19 pandemic shaping the future of adult online learning in higher education? Drawing on adult education and higher education scholarly and practitioner literature published over the last year, the purpose of this paper is threefold: (i) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, to identify and analyze emerging trends that could shape the future of adult online education in higher education, (ii) to analyze these trends over a longer time span in the literature, and (iii) to explore the possible futures of adult education and online learning in higher education.

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Effective Use Of Group Projects In Online Learning

Contemporary Issues in Education Research (CIER) ◽

10.19030/cier.v9i3.9707 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 121-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Robert Ekblaw

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Online Education ◽

Group Dynamics ◽

Cognitive Learning ◽

Practical Experience ◽

Face To Face ◽

Group Projects ◽

Face To Face Instruction ◽

Effective Use ◽

Creative Construction

Group projects have long been used in face-to-face instruction to improve cognitive learning among its students. Group projects not only provide practical experience and allow students to practice the concepts they have learned, but also teach the students creative construction and group dynamics. As important as group projects have proven in conventional learning, they are rarely used in online education courses. This paper examines the foundations of effectively using group projects, and then demonstrates how to integrate them into online learning courses.

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