scholarly journals Benefits and Challenges of Online Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Rundu Campus of the University of Namibia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 53-64
Author(s):  
Emilia N Mbongo ◽  
Anna N Hako ◽  
Takaedza Munangatire
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Crucial Information ◽  
The University

This paper presents the benefits and challenges of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by educators at the Rundu Campus of the University of Namibia. Researchers used a structured interview guide to collect data from 14 conveniently selected lecturers from a population of 65. Findings of the study indicate that the benefits of using online teaching and learning include flexibility, ability to teach large classes; increased interaction and engagement between lecturers and students; and increased learning opportunities for lecturers. The study further found that some of the significant challenges lecturers experienced with online teaching and learning include lack of information and technology skills, internet connectivity and availability; poor student attendance; and loneliness. The study provided crucial information on lecturers' progress within the framework of online teaching and learning mode. The paper recommends that lecturers receive formal training on online teaching and learning tools to minimise the limitations. The study also suggests increased psychosocial support for lecturers to curb feelings of isolation and loneness during this time.

scholarly journals Exploring the e-teaching and learning experiences of lecturers amidst COVID-19 at one of the University of Namibia satellite campuses

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 92-110
Author(s):  
Anna Niitembu Hako ◽  
Elina Ileimo Tobias ◽  
Kleopas Erastus
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
The University

The study explored the e-teaching and learning experiences of lecturers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic at one of the University of Namibia satellite campuses. The study sample was 76 selected using the purposive sampling method from the population of 98. The study used a convergent parallel research design within a mixed methods research approach. A survey questionnaire and telephone interview were used to collect data. Data collected from open-ended questions and telephone interviews were analysed and categorised into themes while quantitative data were tabulated and analysed mainly by descriptive statistics with the use of Microsoft Excel. The study revealed that participants found using Moodle and other e-learning tools efficient as they save time and reduce the chances of spreading the virus since no gatherings were required. The study further revealed that participants had an opportunity to learn new skills despite not having prior experience in online teaching and learning as well as online course design. However, regular power outages and server incapacity to accommodate multiple devices caused many lecturers and students to miss virtual lessons. The study provided crucial information on the progress of lecturers and students' within the e-teaching and learning mode framework and recommended the campus server upgrading and the formal training of both lecturers and students on online teaching and learning tools to optimise learning.

Education Faculty Lived Experiences of Student Interaction and Engagement in Online Courses

2021 ◽  
pp. 60-83
Author(s):  
Nikleia Eteokleous ◽  
Rita Panaoura
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
Faculty Experiences ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning

In this chapter, the two authors co-construct meaning of their individual lived experiences as education faculty engaging in online teaching and learning. It highlights each faculty unique experiences facilitating graduate student learning in an online environment. Co-construction of meaning centers on pedagogical approaches, program design and focus, reflection of faculty-self experiences, employment of digital learning tools, and utilization of best practices of each faculty experience with teaching and learning in an online environment. This narrative is co-constructed following a collaborative autoethnographic approach by two faculty, whereby the central descriptions of each faculty member is situated in one's lived experiences and rich story of facilitating and instructing courses in an online learning environment. The faculty experiences are mainly derived from teaching graduate courses offered by a department of education. The research method in presenting two self-reflective narratives in online teaching and learning extends to doing “collaborative autoethnography.”

scholarly journals Quarantined, Sequestered, Closed: Theorising Academic Bodies Under Covid-19 Lockdown

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-811
Author(s):  
Lesley Gourlay
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Black Death ◽  
Spatial Practices ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Working Practices ◽  
The University ◽  
Uk Higher Education

Abstract The term ‘quarantine’ is derived from the Italian quarantena, from quaranta, referring to the forty days of isolation traditionally imposed during the era of the Black Death in Europe. This paper examines this and related contemporary terms, in order to consider the complex and contradictory nature of enforced sites of isolation, with reference to the historical literature. The centrality of spatial practices in the current pandemic is emphasised, with a focus on the normally unobserved, micro practices of individuals under ‘lockdown’. The paper reports on an interview study conducted at a large UK Higher Education institution during the Covid-19 ‘lockdown’, and analyses the accounts of six academics, focusing particularly on their embodied and sociomaterial practices, with reference to the etymological analysis. The paper considers the extent to which their reported experiences reflect the various meanings of the term sequestrato, going on to propose that their working practices, particularly focused on screens and video calls, are characterised by a need to ‘perform the university’. I speculate on how the ontological nature of the university itself has been fundamentally altered by the closure of the campus and lockdown, proposing that the site of the university is now radically dispersed across these sequestered bodies. I conclude by calling into the question the accuracy of the term ‘online teaching and learning’, instead suggesting that in a fundamental sense, none of these practices is in fact ‘online’ or digital.

scholarly journals Participation, inclusion, and success in emergency remote online teaching and learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 132-136
Author(s):  
Sandra Healy
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Computer Usage ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Patterns ◽  
The University ◽  
Interactional Patterns

Covid-19 affected educational institutions worldwide, and many moved online engaging in Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL). It had a particular impact in Japan due to the low levels of computer usage in Japanese educational institutions and a reliance on traditional methods. This study uses semi-structured interviews with five participants to explore their perceptions of the move to online learning in a Japanese university context. Four factors emerged as significant: participants’ experiences prior to entering university; the importance of Social Networking Systems (SNS) in the process of becoming part of the university academic community; changes in spoken interactional patterns; and changes in learning patterns. It was found that the disruption due to ERTL led to fresh ways to learn and promoted an inclusive environment.

scholarly journals The prevalence and characteristics of online assessment in Australian universities

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rod Byrnes ◽  
Allan Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Assessment ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The University ◽  
Australian Universities

<span>Assessment is one of the key elements of the teaching and learning process. It provides teachers with a means of evaluating the quality of their instruction. Students also use it to drive and direct their learning. Online teaching and learning will continue to become more important to Australian universities in order for them to remain competitive and economically viable. In the online environment, assessment is no less critical than in traditional face to face environments. However, assessment risks being overlooked or at least marginalised in the rush to place course content online. This paper provides a snapshot of the prevalence and characteristics of online assessment in Australian universities during 2004. It highlights useful information regarding the use of online assessment in the university sector and illustrates that overall this crucial area is not being given the attention or resources it requires.</span>

scholarly journals Converting to Online Course and Program Delivery: The University of South Australia Case Study

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce King ◽  
Holly McCauslan ◽  
Ted Nunan
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning Environment ◽  
The University

The University of South Australia's (UniSA) approach to converting its distance education programs to online delivery is to manage it as a part of establishing an online teaching and learning environment for all of its programs. UniSA's move to online teaching and learning derives from a clear vision of its future, is informed and directed by a comprehensive framework for teaching and learning, and enabled by appropriate structures, processes and resources. The institution has chosen to develop a relatively low-cost, easy to use online teaching and learning environment that has facilitated large-scale conversion to the online mode for all teaching and learning, including traditional distance education.

scholarly journals Synchronous and Asynchronous in Online Teaching and Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Students' Perspectives

Educatia 21 ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 193-200
Author(s):  
Alexandra Ioana Oltean ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virus Spread ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Interpretive Analysis ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
The University

One of the main changes that occurred after the coronavirus outbreak and that represents one of the main measures taken in order to limit the virus spread refers to the conversion of the educational activities conducted conventionally into activities implemented by means of online platforms. The transition was sudden, unexpected and it still can be indefinitely prolonged. The main approaches encountered in the context of online education are asynchronous and synchronous ones. Our paper contains the results of an interpretive analysis of the opinions expressed by a group of 37 undergraduate students on asynchronous and synchronous online educational activities. We considered their opinions relevant due to the fact that since they started their studies at the university in October 2020, they conducted exclusively online activities. We explored students’ preferences and limitations of the both approaches, but also their wishes for the next period. Students expressed their interest in keeping online asynchronous and synchronous activities for the future academic years, at least for part of their subjects.

scholarly journals UCF’S EXEMPLARY FACULTY SUPPORT: AN INSTITUTIONALIZED ECOSYSTEM

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara E. Truman
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research University ◽  
Faculty Support ◽  
University Of Central Florida ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Central Florida ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
The University ◽  
To Receive

The University of Central Florida was honored to receive the 2003 Sloan-C Excellence in Online Teaching and Learning Award for Faculty Development. The environment at UCF has doubled in the last ten years with the number of students, faculty, and developing campus locations. Rapid growth in brick and mortar on campus has not deterred the creation of a robust virtual campus where students and faculty interact essentially, but in different ways. Producing the faculty support architecture to achieve UCF’s instructional potential as a metropolitan research university is a constant struggle for staff. This article describes the dynamic interplay of UCF’s emerging ecosystem of institutionalized faculty support.

scholarly journals After the COVID-19 crisis: Why higher education may (and perhaps should) never be the same

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-55
Author(s):  
Mary Kalantzis ◽  
Bill Cope
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Traditional Classrooms ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Reverse Engineer ◽  
The Right ◽  
The University ◽  
Radical Transformation

Universities and colleges have dragged their feet making the move to online teaching and learning. Suddenly, with this COVID-19 crisis, everyone had to move online. Few universities or colleges are prepared for such a rapid shift. Meanwhile, the conventional wisdom remains - the gold-standard for learning is traditional face-to-face, while online is second-best. But perhaps, even without COVID-19, in-person learning is ripe for radical transformation. At the University of Illinois, we’ve been researching this transformation, and developing and testing online learning solutions. Simply put, online can be completely different, and with the right tools, potentially much superior to in-person teaching. To reap the benefits of online learning, we need to abandon the current generation educational technologies—systems and processes that mostly do little more than reverse-engineer traditional classrooms.

scholarly journals Building the Web Interactive Study Environment: Mainstreaming online teaching and learning at the University of Western Sydney

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Sheely ◽  
Deborah Veness ◽  
Lynnae Rankine
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Consultative Process ◽  
The University ◽  
Ongoing Dialogue ◽  
The Web

<span>The Web Interactive Study Environment or WISE was developed from 1998-2000 at UWS Hawkesbury to address the issues that have arisen in moving online teaching from the innovative to the mainstream. The principles underlying WISE are drawn from a number of educational disciplines including distance education, tertiary education and academic development. Its objective is to influence not only academic practice within the institution but also the ongoing dialogue concerning flexible and online learning.</span><p>Ownership of the process is dispersed throughout the organisation. The WISE team is involved in a wide ranging consultative process which includes virtually every sector of the university community. The result is a constantly evolving environment reliant as much on communication, negotiation and consensus as on hardware and software.</p>

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