scholarly journals “…All of a sudden, I realized I was not well prepared for the transition”: A Qualitative Exploration of University Students’ Perspectives on the Emergency Distance Education amidst the COVID-19 Crisis in Jordan

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala'a B. Al-Tammemi ◽  
Rana Nheili ◽  
Chiamaka H. Jibuaku ◽  
Dua’a Al Tamimi ◽  
Musheer A. Aljaberi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Online Distance Education ◽  
Education Strategy ◽  
Sudden Transition

Abstract Our current study aimed at exploring the university students’ perspectives on the emergency distance education strategy that was implemented during the COVID-19 crisis in Jordan, one of the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Utilizing a qualitative design supported by Moore’s theory of transactional distance, a total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with university students of various study levels and disciplines. Data were inductively analyzed using thematic analysis as suggested by Braun and Clarke. Seven themes have emerged, including, (i) psychological response, (ii) digital preparedness and equality, (iii) technical competencies and technostress, (iv) interpersonal communication, (v) learning materials, (vi) non-reliable evaluation methods, and (vii) opportunities. Our findings provide evidence that the sudden transition from traditional on-campus to the online distance education was significantly challenging in many aspects and was not a pleasant experience for many participants. Various factors under the jurisdiction of academic institutions and decision-makers are considered main contributing factors to the students’ educational experiences amid the pandemic crisis. Therefore, better planning and more sustainable utilization of educational resources have paramount importance in providing a high-quality education. Additionally, more dedicated efforts in terms of equitable, reliable, and credible evaluation systems should be considered in Jordan’s distance education strategy.

scholarly journals How well do Canadian distance education students understand plagiarism?

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Ann Kier
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Psychology Students ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Online Distance Education ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Poor Understanding ◽  
Online Distance ◽  
Education Courses

<p>This project ascertains how well students taking online, distance education courses at a Canadian university recognize plagiarised material and how well they paraphrase. It also assesses the types of errors made<em>. </em>Slightly more than half of 420 psychology students correctly selected plagiarised phrases from four multiple choice<em> </em>questions. Only a minority was able to rewrite a phrase properly in their own words. A more diverse sample of university students also had difficulty recognizing plagiarised passages from multiple choice options. The poor ability of students to identify plagiarised passages may suggest poor understanding of the concept. Students may benefit from training to improve their understanding of plagiarism.</p>

Distance Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
Po Man Tse ◽  
Hong Li Sun
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Online Distance Education ◽  
Online Distance ◽  
Teaching Pedagogies

Since December of 2019, every human being is exploring solutions to adapt to the “new normal” in all aspects due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is no exception for educators. Apart from the obstacles faced by teachers in the switching of teaching pedagogies from a physical classroom setting to different virtual platforms, there are also foreseeable challenges faced by students which might have been neglected by most studies. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with students of UK top-up degree programmes studying in Hong Kong to explore insights of the challenges and barriers of online distance education from the students' perspectives.

scholarly journals A Silver Lining of Coronavirus

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-148
Author(s):  
Khaleel Bader Bataineh ◽  
Mohammed Salem Atoum ◽  
Lama Ahmad Alsmadi ◽  
May Shikhali
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
University Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Great Effort ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The World ◽  
Content Design ◽  
Silver Lining

Jordan, like other countries in the world, is facing the Coronavirus pandemic and is making a great effort to continue education in Jordanian schools and universities through distance education. To evaluate this novel experience, this study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of distance education in Jordanian universities in light of the Coronavirus pandemic and identifying the obstacles faced by university students. To reach the research objectives, a questionnaire was developed by the researchers followed by semi-structured interviews. A sample of 1000 students was selected randomly from public and private universities. The results revealed that the majority of the Jordanian university students are not pleased with this distance learning experience as most of the students encountered some obstacles such as internet speed, technological difficulties, and online content design.

Risk Factors of COVID-19 Critical Outcomes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Multicountry Retrospective Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faris Lami ◽  
Maisa Elfadul ◽  
Hiba Abdulrahman Rashak ◽  
Mohannad Al Nsour ◽  
Hashaam Akhtar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽  
Renal Diseases ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Country Study ◽  
Wide Scale

BACKGROUND The establishment of empirical evidence in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) necessitates the implementation of wide-scale studies to describe the demographic, clinical features, and severity profile ofCOVID-19 patients. OBJECTIVE Hence, this study aimed to to assess the patterns of COVID-19 severity and mortality in seven countries and to determine the risk factors of COVID-19 severity and mortality. METHODS This multi-country study was based on a retrospective review of medical records of hospitalized patients confirmed to have COVID-19. This study included data from Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Morocco, Egypt, and Yemen. All demographic and clinical data were extracted from hospital records (paper files) by trained data collectors. RESULTS A total of 4141 patients were included in this study from seven countries. Comorbidities were reported by nearly half of the patients, with hypertension (HT)(24.7%)and diabetes (22.7%) being the most common. Older age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart diseases were significantly associated with COVID-19 severity and mortality. Ever smoking and renal diseases were significantly associated with severity but not mortality, while male gender, respiratory diseases, and malignancy were significantly associated with mortality but not severity. CONCLUSIONS The study confirmed the role of comorbidities and demographic features on the severity and mortality of COVID-19. Understanding the contributing factors ensures attentive care and informs clinical management of patients with poorer prognosis in early stages of

scholarly journals Understanding the Perceptions of Omani Women Regarding Life After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. e360-367
Author(s):  
Asya Al-Riyami ◽  
Nadia N. Abdulhadi ◽  
Mohammed Al-Azri
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽  
Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Structured Interviews

Objectives: There is a rising burden of breast cancer (BC) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), and its sociopsychological impact is a quickly growing health concern in this region. Because understanding cancer patients’ perceptions of life is integral to their treatment, they are also a concern for healthcare providers. This qualitative study, therefore, explored changes in Omani women’s perceptions of life after a BC diagnosis. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted individually with 21 Omani women undergoing treatment for BC at the Oncology Ward of Muscat’s Royal Hospital from March to May 2017. The collected data were subjected to qualitative content analysis. Results: After their cancer diagnosis, the women appeared to pass through three main stages in their coping processes. First, they passed through a stage of severe psychosocial distress and diminishment in personal identity. Next, they evolved strategies for coping based on cultural, religious and family resources. Finally, the women experienced acceptance and submission to the reality of the cancer as God’s will with changes in attitudes and perceptions of the meaning of life. Conclusion: A BC diagnosis impacts Omani women severely, affecting their lives dramatically. They adopt coping strategies based on cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs. Healthcare providers need to acknowledge and facilitate women’s spiritual and cultural coping strategies as an integral part of their treatment which holds potential to improve their prognosis. Such strategies should be individualised to suit each woman’s experiences, perceptions and needs. Keywords: Breast Neoplasm; Culture; Perceptions; Life; Women; Oman.  

scholarly journals Investigation of effects associated with educational environment and equipment in clinical learning of speech therapy

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2.13) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Hossein Gerivani ◽  
Hossein Mobaraki ◽  
Mohammad Kamali ◽  
Ali Ghorbani
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
University Students ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Educational Environment ◽  
Clinical Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Contributing Factors

Aim: This study aim to investigate educational environment and equipment and their effects on clinical learning of speech therapy.Investigation method: Content analysis was employed for conduct this research, for which 13 university students, 6 trainers, and 6 therapists practicing speech therapy were selected through purposive sampling. Data was collated using in-depth semi-structured interviews and also group discussion sessions and analyzed using Colaizzi method.Findings: The results of current study showed that educational environment and equipment are contributing factors to quality of clinical learning through speech therapy. Findings of the study were classified as two main concepts i.e. physical space, and equipment and software, each of which was in turn divided into smaller categories of concepts.Conclusion: The findings of the study revealed that physical space of clinical learning and use of therapeutic equipment in such spaces are contributing factors to clinical learning associated with speech therapy.  

scholarly journals Systematic review on chronic non-communicable disease in disaster settings

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Ngaruiya ◽  
Robyn Bernstein ◽  
Rebecca Leff ◽  
Lydia Wallace ◽  
Pooja Agrawal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Burden Of Disease ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽  
Observational Research ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Refugee Status ◽  
Humanitarian Emergencies ◽  
Epidemiologic Evidence

AbstractBackgroundNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) constitute the leading cause of mortality globally. Low and middle-income countries (LMICs) not only experience the largest burden of humanitarian emergencies but are also disproportionately affected by NCDs, yet primary focus on the topic is lagging. We conducted a systematic review on the effect of humanitarian disasters on NCDs in LMICs assessing epidemiology, interventions, and treatment.MethodsA systematic search in MEDLINE, MEDLINE (PubMed, for in-process and non-indexed citations), Social Science Citation Index, and Global Health (EBSCO) for indexed articles published before December 11, 2017 was conducted, and publications reporting on NCDs and humanitarian emergencies in LMICs were included. We extracted and synthesized results using a thematic analysis approach and present the results by disease type. The study is registered at PROSPERO (CRD42018088769).ResultsOf the 85 included publications, most reported on observational research studies and almost half (48.9%) reported on studies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), with scant studies reporting on the African and Americas regions. NCDs represented a significant burden for populations affected by humanitarian crises in our findings, despite a dearth of data from particular regions and disease categories. The majority of studies included in our review presented epidemiologic evidence for the burden of disease, while few studies addressed clinical management or intervention delivery. Commonly cited barriers to healthcare access in all phases of disaster and major disease diagnoses studied included: low levels of education, financial difficulties, displacement, illiteracy, lack of access to medications, affordability of treatment and monitoring devices, and centralized healthcare infrastructure for NCDs. Screening and prevention for NCDs in disaster-prone settings was supported. Refugee status was independently identified both as a risk factor for diagnosis with an NCD and conferred worse morbidity.ConclusionsAn increased focus on the effects of, and mitigating factors for, NCDs occurring in disaster-afflicted LMICs is needed. While the majority of studies included in our review presented epidemiologic evidence for the burden of disease, research is needed to address contributing factors, interventions, and means of managing disease during humanitarian emergencies in LMICs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document