scholarly journals Challenges of Virtual Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Mexican University Professors and Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-204
Author(s):  
Claudia Patricia Contreras ◽  
David Picazo ◽  
Aixchel Cordero-Hidalgo ◽  
Paola Margarita Chaparro-Medina
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Traditional Education ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
University Professors ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Virtual Classes ◽  
The University ◽  
Successful Students

Students’ and university professors’ challenges due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic have been enormous. Without prior notice, they had to switch from traditional education to virtual teaching. This study’s objective was to identify the perception of students and professors of the Bachelor in the English Language from the University of Chihuahua, Mexico, during the transition to virtual classes due to the pandemic. Researchers applied a survey of 28 items with a Likert scale to 152 students during the spring semester 2020 and the second instrument of 51 items to 26 professors. The students reported having complications in connectivity (21%) and difficulties interacting with professors and classmates (34%). Many students reported experiencing anxiety (69.1%) and feeling isolated (62.5%). Most agree that they learn better in face-to-face classes (85%). In turn, the professors agree that the students had a lower performance than in a face-to-face semester (69.3%). Despite this, the professors affirm that they followed the program to the letter (92.3%) and completed the programmed contents (84.6%). Besides, 92.3% of the academics are confident to face a new semester in virtual modality, if necessary. Although we can say that the transition from face-to-face to virtual classes in the institution was successful, students and professors encountered difficulties and disadvantages in the use of platforms for online classes. The benefit of this research´s findings is understanding the University must have all the necessary elements in place for online teaching. It must establish a formal regulation of virtual programs that includes professor´s and student´s profile, as well as the strategies to be followed. The students’ and professors’ perceptions highlight the crucial elements that professors need to consider to teach virtual classes and take advantage of these lessons to face the future better.

scholarly journals Students' opinions on online classes of English: Possibilities and limitations

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 117-140
Author(s):  
Danijela Đorđević ◽  
Zoran Pavlović ◽  
Tijana Vesić-Pavlović
Keyword(s):  
Language Teaching ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Face To Face Instruction ◽  
The University

Online classes are not a brand-new concept in teaching languages. The use of Internet and different applications and platforms in everyday life all probably contributed to recognizing online classes as a convenient way for language teaching. There has been a plethora of research on online classes, their benefits and weaknesses, as well as on students' attitudes towards this type of learning. Since there are many benefits of integrating online materials into language teaching programmes, some language practitioners are eager to use these regularly, whereas some still hesitate and use this type of teaching rarely or not at all. However, the year 2020 forced all university teachers to conduct online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, since it was impossible to conduct face-to-face instruction in classroom setting. This opened up new possibilities, but brought about various problems as well. Having all this in mind, this paper aims to show how university students perceived the online classes of English during the declared national state of emergency in Serbia. These particular students attended online English classes at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, in the spring semester of 2020. An extensive, online questionnaire designed for the purposes of the study was used to examine students' opinions on various aspects of online classes, their assessment of important technical, contextual, and psychological factors in the process, as well as their motivation to participate in online classes. The results of the analysis show that the respondents were highly motivated for this type of English language classes. They predominantly positively assessed practically all analyzed aspects of online classes, including the observed equivalence of knowledge acquired in face-to-face and online classes, as well as the equal interactivity of both types of classes. The level of self-assessed digital literacy of respondents was fairly high, which must have helped students to a great extent in successively attending the classes. As for the main advantage of online classes, most respondents stated that they were able to attend classes from home, which saved their time and facilitated communication. They also liked the atmosphere in online language classes. The most commonly stated disadvantage of this type of classes is poor internet connection, followed by the related interruptions of sound and video. The dominant attitude of the respondents was that English classes at the university should be conducted as hybrid courses, which implies that they should be a combination of face-to-face teaching and online classes. Although small-scale, the findings of this pilot research can help pinpoint the weaknesses of online classes, as well as offer useful suggestions aimed at improving them in the future. For instance, since students mostly use their mobile phones to attend online classes, it would be convenient for the class activities to be accessible and manageable through different social media apps. Still, it may be argued that the findings are limited in scope since the study was conducted on the sample of students of only one faculty of the University of Belgrade; additionally, it explored the experience with only one online course these students attended. Therefore, the research may be expanded by exploring the potential of online classes in different subject courses, as well as at other faculties.

scholarly journals E-Classroom Interactional Competencies: Mediating and Assisting Language Learning During Synchronous Online Lessons

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822098527
Author(s):  
Benjamin Luke Moorhouse ◽  
Yanna Li ◽  
Steve Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Synchronous Online

Interaction is seen by many English language teachers and scholars as an essential part of face-to-face English language classrooms. Teachers require specific competencies to effectively use interaction as a tool for mediating and assisting learning. These can be referred to as classroom interactional competence (CIC). However, the situation created by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic which began in early 2020, and the recent advancement in technologies have led to teachers conducting synchronous online lessons through video-conferencing software. The online environment is distinctly different from the face-to-face classroom and teachers require new and additional skills to effectively utilise interaction online in real time. This exploratory study used an online mixed-method survey of 75 university level English language teachers who had engaged in synchronous online teaching due to COVID-19, to explore the competencies that teachers need to use interaction as a tool to mediate and assist language learning in synchronous online lessons. Teachers were found to require three competencies, in addition to their CIC – technological competencies, online environment management competencies, and online teacher interactional competencies – which together constitute e-CIC. The findings provide greater insights into the needs of teachers required to teach synchronously online and will be of interest to teachers and teacher educators.

scholarly journals An Overview of Chemistry Teaching Transformation during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Experience from University of Botswana

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Girija S. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Chemistry Education ◽  
Chemistry Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
University Of Botswana ◽  
National University ◽  
The University ◽  
Teaching Transformation

COVID-19-related disruption in teaching in the University of Botswana led the school to prepare new strategies for running classes and to design innovative way of instruction.  The most notable change was to replace face-to-face lectures with online teaching at least partially (blended teaching and learning). This posed many challenges, especially in the teaching of science and technology subjects. In a laboratory-based discipline such as chemistry the problems encountered were especially daunting.  Moreover, writing mathematical equations, chemical reactions and reaction mechanisms posed their own difficulties.  The present communication provides a brief overview of how chemistry education at the University, the premier national university of Botswana, has been transformed during the last three semesters.  It is based on experience of the author and as judged by the feed-back received from colleagues and the students. Admittedly, the experience is limited and much discussion is still in progress to meet the unresolved challenges. Theory classes at undergraduate levels are now mostly taught online using packages such as Moodle and MS Teams. The tutorial and laboratory sessions have faced the greatest disruptions and the instructors continue to explore ways to conduct these virtually.  Online examinations were found to be limited in their effectiveness, especially in the assessment of drawing chemical structure and reaction mechanisms as well as the students’ ability in scientific writing.

scholarly journals Addressing the Needs of Academic Staff in Supporting Students with Mental Health Conditions in Online Programmes at a Distributed University

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Stephanie Erskine ◽  
Eilidh MacPhail
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Mental Health Conditions ◽  
Time Of Application ◽  
The University

Professional experience prompted the initial discussions of the need to identify increased research and further support for academic staff in teaching online with students who have mental health conditions whether these are disclosed or not at the time of application to a distributed university. With the prevalence of mental health conditions increasing in the general population, it stands to reason that increasing numbers of students with mental health conditions are entering higher education. Studying online is different than being in a face-to-face environment and online teaching staff need to have additional skills to be able to individualise their teaching to cater for their students as well as be able to support those with mental health conditions. It is proposed that research among programme leaders, module leaders and personal academic tutors within the University of the Highlands & Islands is undertaken to contribute the academic perspective to supportive policy development within the University for this group of students.

scholarly journals Experiences and perception of dentistry students and professors regarding online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1165
Author(s):  
Roberto Zimmer ◽  
Guilherme Arossi ◽  
Eduardo Galia Reston ◽  
Fernando Freitas Portella
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Virtual Classes ◽  
The Face

The present study aimed to describe the perception of Dentistry professors and students regarding the activities developed in virtual environments during the period of social isolation. Through self-administered questionnaires, professors and students from four Dentistry courses were invited to answer objective and subjective questions about their experiences and sensations during the period. Both professors and students consider that the learning in this period was inferior to the face-to-face, however, they agree with the maintenance of the virtual classes during the pandemic period.

scholarly journals Switching from face-to-face to an online teaching strategy: how anatomy and physiology teaching transformed post-COVID-19 for a university preprofessional program

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-485
Author(s):  
Ismail Memon ◽  
Zeeshan Feroz ◽  
Abdulmohsen Alkushi ◽  
Nabeel Qamar ◽  
Farwa Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Standard Operating Procedure ◽  
Open Book ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology

The College of Science and Health Professions offers a university preprofessional program. Like most medical schools in Saudi Arabia, the teaching delivery strategy in the university preprofessional program is on campus and face-to-face. During the month of March 2020, teaching activities of the spring semester were proceeding as normal; however, the sudden emergence of COVID-19 disturbed routine activities and compelled authorities to switch all teaching activities from face-to-face to online. Training sessions and workshops for all stakeholders on online delivery methods were arranged. Blackboard and other online facilities were utilized. All teaching materials, including newly made video clips for anatomy and physiology practicals, were uploaded on Blackboard and discussed online with students. Students’ anxiety related to the exam was reassured by giving them the option of open book quizzes during summative continuous assessment. All scheduled teaching sessions, lectures, and practicals were conducted proficiently. Revision sessions and assessment quizzes were conducted with students’ satisfaction. At the end of the semester, a final exam was conducted online as an open book exam. Students with technical issues while attempting the exam were given an opportunity to make up for it. After a successful final exam, the cumulative block grades showed students secured higher grades in the open book exam. Following that, the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences has managed to conduct on-campus close book exams that abide by self-distancing and standard operating procedure policies.

Social Media Escapism: Exploratory Study of the use of Digital Media by Tirana University Students of English Language

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-211
Author(s):  
Iris Klosi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
State University ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Impact

The stress and anxiety resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has lead to a significant increase in escapist media-based coping. This paper examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on social media escapist activities by the students at the State University of Tirana. In total 52 undergraduate and graduate students aged 20-24 were involved in the study. The students reported 39 digital media involved in their escapist activities, with media sharing networks having a dominant role. From the analysis of their discussion of the motivations and different forms of escapist activities using social media, 5 different but interrelated discourses emerged: (1) Social media have both positive and negative aspects; (2) Social media escapism distorts reality; (3) Social media offer easy and affordable ways to escape; (4) Social media escapism needs to be managed to avoid addiction; and (5) Social media escapism enhances English language skills. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic through restrictions on socializing, face-to-face interaction and online teaching were discussed within and across the identified discourses. Increasing their communicative competence in English while interacting with people of different cultural background, including English native speakers was one of most the positive aspects in students’ discussions of social media escapism. The stress and anxiety resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has lead to a significant increase in escapist media-based coping. This paper examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on social media escapist activities by the students at the State University of Tirana. In total 52 undergraduate and graduate students aged 20-24 were involved in the study. The students reported 39 digital media involved in their escapist activities, with media sharing networks having a dominant role. From the analysis of their discussion of the motivations and different forms of escapist activities using social media, 5 different but interrelated discourses emerged: (1) Social media have both positive and negative aspects; (2) Social media escapism distorts reality; (3) Social media offer easy and affordable ways to escape; (4) Social media escapism needs to be managed to avoid addiction; and (5) Social media escapism enhances English language skills. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic through restrictions on socializing, face-to-face interaction and online teaching were discussed within and across the identified discourses. Increasing their communicative competence in English while interacting with people of different cultural background, including English native speakers was one of most the positive aspects in students’ discussions of social media escapism.

Pre-Service Teacher Education for the Management of Actual and Virtual Classes

2013 ◽  
pp. 1416-1422
Author(s):  
Ken Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Professional Education ◽  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Environments ◽  
High School Level ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Virtual Classes ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

The development of Internet-based school networks, facilitating the creation of virtual classes, has implications for the professional education of teachers who are increasingly likely to teach both face-to-face and online. In the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, pre-service teachers are being prepared for networked school environments within which on-site and online teaching and learning are required. Teachers are provided with a structure within which to manage collaboration that includes learning circles and cybercells. Within networked school environments, virtual classes have been developed for teaching an expanding range of subjects at high school level.

Aspects of e-Learning in a University

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Manning ◽  
Lily Wong ◽  
Arthur Tatnall
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
E Learning ◽  
On Line ◽  
Adoption Decisions ◽  
The University ◽  
On Line Learning

Most universities make use of e-learning facilities to manage and deliver on-line learning. Many universities have adopted an approach to teaching and the delivery of course content that combines traditional face-to-face delivery with online teaching resources: a blended learning approach. Many factors act to determine how online learning is adopted, accepted, and the balance between online and face-to-face delivery is formed. In this paper, the authors suggest that educational technology adoption decisions are made at three levels: strategic decisions are made by the university to implement a particular package, and then individual academics made adoption decisions regarding those aspects of the package they will use in their teaching and how they will use them. They also make a decision on the balance they will have between on-line and face-to-face teaching. This article questions how decisions are made to adopt one e-learning package rather than another. The authors then examine how individual academics relate to this technology once it is adopted and make use of it to deliver some or all of their teaching and determine the appropriate blend.

Teaching interpreting online for the Translation and Interpreting Degree at the University of Vic

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-182
Author(s):  
María Perramon ◽  
Xus Ugarte
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
University Degree ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Year

Abstract At a time when the advances in information and communication technologies meant that new approaches to virtual teaching and learning could be proposed, the teaching staff on the degree in Translation and Interpreting at UVic decided to offer part of the degree in distance learning mode. This learning mode was launched in the 2001–2002 academic year, with optional face-to-face teaching sessions some Saturdays and coexisted with the traditional face-to-face courses. During the first years, the fourth-year interpreting specialisation subjects were not taught online for technical and pedagogical reasons. Since the 2014-2015 academic year, we also teach these subjects online. The challenge that we face starting the 2017-2018 academic year is twofold: 1. To adapt the online teaching of interpreting subjects to groups with a high number of students in the new Inter-university Degree in Translation, Interpreting and Applied Languages jointly offered by the University of Vic and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). 2. To adapt the contents and methodology of interpreting subjects to changes in professional practice: telephone and videoconference interpreting, especially in liaison interpreting. In our paper, we will show some online teaching resources, as well as several online tools which we use in our courses.

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