scholarly journals Creating a ‘simulacrum’ of in-class learning environment employing distance learning modality during the COVID-19 pandemia: Quod Erat Demonstrandum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aida Azar ◽  
Amar Hassan Khamis ◽  
Nerissa Naidoo ◽  
Marjam Lindsbro ◽  
Suneetha Gonuguntla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Student Autonomy ◽  
Theory Of Practice

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has forced medical schools to suspend on-campus live-sessions and shift to distance-learning (DL). This precipitous shift presented medical educators with a challenge, “to create a ‘simulacrum’ of the learning environment that students experience in classroom, in DL”. Aim We define a DL framework that provides a ‘simulacrum’ of classroom experience and can be effectively employed for course delivery in a competency-based curriculum during unprecedented times. Methodology The framework’s blueprint was designed amalgamating principles of: Garrison’s community inquiry, Siemens’ connectivism and Harasim’s online collaborative-learning; and improved using Anderson’s DL-model. Effectiveness of the designed framework in course delivery was demonstrated using the exemplar of fundamentals in epidemiology and biostatistics (FEB) course in our curriculum during COVID-19 lockdown. Virtual live-sessions integrated in the framework employed a blended-approach informed by instructional-design strategies of Gagne and Peyton. The efficiency of the framework was evaluated using first two levels of Kirkpatrick’s framework i.e. perception and cognitive development. Results Of 60 students, 51 (85%) responded to the survey assessing perception towards DL (Kirkpatrick’s Level:1). The survey-items, validated using exploratory factor analysis, were classified into four categories: computer expertise; DL flexibility; DL usefulness; and DL satisfaction. The overall mean (SD) score of 62.0 (9.0) for the four categories, highlighted respondents’ overall satisfaction with the framework. Scores for specific survey-items attested that students had an enriched learning experience, which promoted collaborative-learning and student-autonomy. For, Kirkpatrick’s Level:2 i.e. cognitive-development, performance in FEB’s summative-assessment of students experiencing DL was compared with students taught using traditional methods. Similar, mean-scores for both groups indicated that shift to DL didn’t have an adverse effect on students’ learning. Conclusion QED, we have demonstrated that the framework is an efficient pedagogical approach, pertinent for medical schools to adopt (elaborated using Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice) to address students’ learning trajectories during unprecedented times.

scholarly journals Design, Implementation and Evaluation of a Distance Learning Framework to Expedite Medical Education during COVID-19 pandemic: A Proof-of-Concept Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110003
Author(s):  
Aida J Azar ◽  
Amar Hassan Khamis ◽  
Nerissa Naidoo ◽  
Marjam Lindsbro ◽  
Juliana Helena Boukhaled ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Student Autonomy ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
Theory Of Practice ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
Medical Educators

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced medical schools to suspend on-campus live-sessions and shift to distance-learning (DL). This precipitous shift presented medical educators with a challenge, ‘to create a “ simulacrum” of the learning environment that students experience in classroom, in DL’. This requires the design of an adaptable and versatile DL-framework bearing in mind the theoretical underpinnings associated with DL. Additionally, effectiveness of such a DL-framework in content-delivery followed by its evaluation at the user-level, and in cognitive development needs to be pursued such that medical educators can be convinced to effectively adopt the framework in a competency-based medical programme. Main: In this study, we define a DL-framework that provides a ‘ simulacrum’ of classroom experience. The framework’s blueprint was designed amalgamating principles of: Garrison’s community inquiry, Siemens’ connectivism and Harasim’s online-collaborative-learning; and improved using Anderson’s DL-model. Effectiveness of the DL-framework in course delivery was demonstrated using the exemplar of fundamentals in epidemiology and biostatistics (FEB) course during COVID-19 lockdown. Virtual live-sessions integrated in the framework employed a blended-approach informed by instructional-design strategies of Gagne and Peyton. The efficiency of the framework was evaluated using first 2 levels of Kirkpatrick’s framework. Of 60 students, 51 (85%) responded to the survey assessing perception towards DL (Kirkpatrick’s Level 1). The survey-items, validated using exploratory factor analysis, were classified into 4-categories: computer expertise; DL-flexibility; DL-usefulness; and DL-satisfaction. The overall perception for the 4 categories, highlighted respondents’ overall satisfaction with the framework. Scores for specific survey-items attested that the framework promoted collaborative-learning and student-autonomy. For, Kirkpatrick’s Level 2 that is, cognitive-development, performance in FEB’s summative-assessment of students experiencing DL was compared with students taught using traditional methods. Similar, mean-scores for both groups indicated that shift to DL didn’t have an adverse effect on students’ learning. Conclusion: In conclusion, we present here the design, implementation and evaluation of a DL-framework, which is an efficient pedagogical approach, pertinent for medical schools to adopt (elaborated using Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice) to address students’ learning trajectories during unprecedented times such as that during the COVID-19 pandemia.

scholarly journals Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Distance Learning Framework to Adapt to the Changing Landscape of Anatomy Instruction in Medical Education During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Proof-of-Concept Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nerissa Naidoo ◽  
Aida J. Azar ◽  
Amar Hassan Khamis ◽  
Mandana Gholami ◽  
Marjam Lindsbro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Nominal Group Technique ◽  
Nominal Group ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Student Autonomy ◽  
Theory Of Practice ◽  
Anatomy Teaching

This study presents the design of a DL-framework to deliver anatomy teaching that provides a microfiche of the onsite anatomy learning experience during the mandated COVID-19 lockdown. First, using nominal-group technique, we identified the DL learning theories to be employed in blueprinting the DL-framework. Effectiveness of the designed DL-framework in anatomy teaching was demonstrated using the exemplar of the Head and Neck (H&N) course during COVID-19 lockdown, in the pre-clerkship curriculum at our medical school. The dissemination of the DL-framework in the anatomy course was informed by the Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate (ADDIE) model. The efficiency of the DL-framework was evaluated using the first two levels of Kirkpatrick's model. Versatility of the DL-framework was demonstrated by aligning its precepts with individual domains of key learning outcomes framework. The framework's blueprint was designed amalgamating principles of: Garrison's community inquiry, Siemens' connectivism and Harasim's online-collaborative-learning; and improved using Anderson's DL-model. Following the implementation of the DL-framework in the H&N course informed by ADDIE, the framework's efficiency was evaluated. In total, 70% students responded to the survey assessing perception toward DL (Kirkpatrick's Level: 1). Descriptive analysis of the survey results showed that the DL-framework was positively received by students and attested that students had an enriched learning experience, which promoted collaborative-learning and student-autonomy. For, Kirkpatrick's Level: 2 i.e., cognitive development, we compared the summative assessment performance in the H&N course across three cohort of students. The results show that the scores of the cohort, which experienced the course entirely through DL modality was statistically higher (P < 0.01) than both the other cohorts, indicating that shift to DL did not have an adverse effect on students' learning. Using Bourdieu's Theory of Practice, we showed that the DL-framework is an efficient pedagogical approach, pertinent for medical schools to adopt; and is versatile as it attests to the key domains of students' learning outcomes in the different learning outcomes framework. To our knowledge this is the first-study of its kind where a rationale and theory-guided approach has been availed not only to blueprint a DL framework, but also to implement it in the MBBS curriculum.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Teaching of Ukrainian University Students in a Distance Learning Environment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Pylypenko ◽  
Liubov Kozub
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Distance Learning Environment ◽  
Face To Face Learning

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced Ukraine, like other countries, to move to distance education. The study aims to analyze the distance learning experience of Ukrainian philology students, to find out the pros and cons of distance education, those things that motivate students, and the challenges they face while studying online. The survey consisted of a questionnaire and embraced 105 respondents. The survey goal was to collect data that would allow concluding about the effectiveness of distance education for Ukrainian philology students at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, particularly for the study of foreign languages. The significant results of the survey include: obtaining reliable data on the effectiveness of distance learning of Ukrainian philology students through their feedback in questionnaires, online testing, a variety of writing assignments, and assessment in the online classroom, finding out the most effective distance learning tools, the main features of teacher – students interactions in a distance-learning environment. The research proves that Ukrainian philology students overall positively evaluate their distance learning experience. It does not negatively impact students’ foreign language learning motivation. Despite a positive attitude to distance learning, Ukrainian philology students face particular challenges connected with access to devices, lack of information and communications technology skills, Internet connection, and lack of communication with their peers. The finding reveals, whatever are the benefits of distance education, it cannot entirely replace face-to-face learning.

Using Technology to Team Teach across Institutions: The Circle Project

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 468-472
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Boehm-Davis ◽  
Kent L. Norman ◽  
Marc M. Sebrechts ◽  
Barry G. Silverman
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Instructional Television ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Psychological Issues ◽  
Multiple Experts ◽  
Instructional Collaboration ◽  
Team Model

The Consortium Interactive Research on Collaborative Learning Environments (or CIRCLE) project, was designed to examine how the distance among remote universities can be bridged electronically and how this bridge can be used to develop truly collaborative learning with shared, distributed student and faculty responsibilities. Although the problem of “distance learning” based on the model of instructional television has been well-studied, the problem of collaborative distance learning, based on a design team model, poses new technological and psychological issues. The CIRCLE project was designed to develop a model of four-way instructional collaboration. A course offering across the four institutions suggests that although the students' learning is enhanced by exposure to multiple experts, teaching through technology does impose constraints on the learning environment that make it more difficult to acquire that expertise.

Tutors' Perspectives on Online Facilitation of ESL Courses in Distance Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 1557-1579
Author(s):  
Li Hsien Ooi ◽  
Lay Huah Goh ◽  
Arathai Din Eak ◽  
Cheng Teik Ong
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Online Facilitation

Online facilitation in distance education presents many challenges that involve both the learners and instructors. Through these challenges, the roles tutors' play and their best practices used in online facilitation should be looked into to improve the distance-learning experience. In view of this, this chapter attempted to examine the perspectives of experienced tutors engaged in the university's virtual learning environment, WawasanLearn. Based on the interview findings of eight tutors, several emergent findings highlighted the roles and challenges of effective online facilitation. As this research is based on the guidelines of the prominent Salmon's model, the findings also highlighted antecedents that substantiate best practices of online facilitation. Findings indicated that understanding the dynamics of online facilitation among relevant stakeholders is critical to improve the teaching and learning experience in distance education.

Enriching the distance language learning experience through telematics and multimedia: a case study

ReCALL ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Language Learner

Distance learning can be a lonely business. Distance language learning even more so. Context and communication can be substantially diminished, or completely lost, in the distance learner's world. For the distance language learner this can mean an impoverished learning environment in which (s)he will often founder.

Tutors' Perspectives on Online Facilitation of ESL Courses in Distance Education

2018 ◽  
pp. 154-176
Author(s):  
Li Hsien Ooi ◽  
Lay Huah Goh ◽  
Arathai Din Eak ◽  
Cheng Teik Ong
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Online Facilitation

Online facilitation in distance education presents many challenges that involve both the learners and instructors. Through these challenges, the roles tutors' play and their best practices used in online facilitation should be looked into to improve the distance-learning experience. In view of this, this chapter attempted to examine the perspectives of experienced tutors engaged in the university's virtual learning environment, WawasanLearn. Based on the interview findings of eight tutors, several emergent findings highlighted the roles and challenges of effective online facilitation. As this research is based on the guidelines of the prominent Salmon's model, the findings also highlighted antecedents that substantiate best practices of online facilitation. Findings indicated that understanding the dynamics of online facilitation among relevant stakeholders is critical to improve the teaching and learning experience in distance education.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Teaching of Ukrainian University Students in a Distance Learning Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-384
Author(s):  
Olena Pylypenko ◽  
Liubov Kozub
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Distance Learning Environment ◽  
Face To Face Learning

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced Ukraine, like other countries, to move to distance education. The study aims to analyze the distance learning experience of Ukrainian philology students, to find out the pros and cons of distance education, those things that motivate students, and the challenges they face while studying online. The survey consisted of a questionnaire and embraced 105 respondents. The survey goal was to collect data that would allow concluding about the effectiveness of distance education for Ukrainian philology students at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, particularly for the study of foreign languages. The significant results of the survey include: obtaining reliable data on the effectiveness of distance learning of Ukrainian philology students through their feedback in questionnaires, online testing, a variety of writing assignments, and assessment in the online classroom, finding out the most effective distance learning tools, the main features of teacher – students interactions in a distance-learning environment. The research proves that Ukrainian philology students overall positively evaluate their distance learning experience. It does not negatively impact students’ foreign language learning motivation. Despite a positive attitude to distance learning, Ukrainian philology students face particular challenges connected with access to devices, lack of information and communications technology skills, Internet connection, and lack of communication with their peers. The finding reveals, whatever are the benefits of distance education, it cannot entirely replace face-to-face learning.

scholarly journals Design principles for interdisciplinary collaborative learning through social, digital innovation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolien Van den Berg ◽  
Belinda Verster
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Collaborative Learning Environment ◽  
Societal Problems

As academics, we are acutely aware of our responsibility in the design of our teaching and learning environment to instil principles of ethics, sustainability, agency and social justice. We are at the crossroad between the commodification of knowledge versus learning that steeped in well-being and innovative socio-ecological and or socio-technical transitions. These complexities prompted a Design-Based Research (DBR) project that commenced in 2020 to test and refine design principles that can facilitate an interdisciplinary, collaborative learning environment that exposes students to future challenges foregrounded in social justice perspectives of local voice, collaboration and co-design. A conceptual model informed by four pedagogical propositions of relationality, reflexivity, responsiveness and recognition is stipulated and nine design principles derived from these propositions are proposed. The overall purpose of this DBR project is to situate the student within a multifaceted learning experience that mimics the complexities associated with an interdisciplinary collaborative learning environment steeped in contemporary societal problems within a specific societal context. The ultimate aim of this project is to shift from interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary collaboration to explore a holistic approach to complex societal problems.

ONLINE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING ELEMENTS TO PROPOSE AN ONLINE PROJECT BASED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING MODEL

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharifah Nadiyah Razali ◽  
Faaizah Shahbodin ◽  
Hanipah Hussin ◽  
Norasiken Bakar
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Design Factor ◽  
Online Collaborative Learning ◽  
Interaction Factor

Interest in collaboration is a natural outgrowth of the trend in education toward active learning. Many researchers have found that the advantages of collaborative learning; improves academic performance, promotes soft skills development (i.e., communications, collaboration, problem-solving and critical thinking skills), and increases satisfaction in the learning experience. Nevertheless, several studies have reported the complete opposite. In that respect, based on previous findings, three elements that are involved in the effectiveness of Online Collaborative Learning Environments are; Learning Environment, Learning Task, and Learning Interaction. This report proposes to determine the elements that can clarify all of the previously identified factors. Using the same approach as prior work, this study was conducted qualitatively; in the form of a document review. The outcome of this work suggests that (i) the learning interaction factor consists of learner-learner interaction and learner-teacher interaction elements, (ii) the elements of the learning design factor are content, process, evaluation, and time constraint, and (iii) usability, accessibility and stability are the ingredients of the learning environment factor. This study also proposes an Online Project-Based Collaborative Learning model. This model is currently only in a conceptual phase and requires significant development before it can be used to gather data. Therefore, in the next stage of this study, a prototype will be designed and developed; based on the proposed model.

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