scholarly journals Community Colleges and COVID-19: An Exploration of Challenges and Inequities

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Tammy Bosley ◽  
Holly Custer
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Adjunct Faculty ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Smooth Transition ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Standard Operating ◽  
College Setting ◽  
Basic Course

COVID-19 drastically changed many aspects of life in the U.S. and most certainly changed standard operating procedures in higher education. Moving all classes completely online created numerous challenges not only for students, but also for faculty. For students, these challenges included issues related to physical and mental health, job loss, and caregiving, as well as access to internet and even access to a home computer. Faculty also faced challenges. For example, many colleges and universities rely on adjunct faculty who are compensated on a course-by-course basis. Although most institutions provided faculty development sessions to make a smooth transition to online teaching, adjunct faculty were not necessarily invited to participate and, when they were, they were not compensated for time spent in these sessions or the additional work incurred to transition and teach in the online environment. This essay explores how community college students and faculty in the basic course responded to the COVID-19 crisis. Specifically, we discuss issues of employment, family responsibilities, and the digital divide as they reveal systemic inequities in the college setting, as well as in society.

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.

Transformative Learning in an Online Environment

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Cranton
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Transformative Learning Theory ◽  
Online Environment

The purpose of this article is to explore the potential for fostering transformative learning in an online environment. It provides an overview of transformative learning theory, including the variety of perspectives on the theory that have evolved as the theory matured. Strategies and practices for fostering transformative learning are presented, followed by a description of the online environment and how strategies for encouraging transformative learning might be carried into that environment. Students’ voices are brought in to corroborate and to question the importance of these strategies. The article concludes with a discussion of how an educator’s style and strengths can be brought into online teaching, especially with a view to helping learners examine their meaning perspectives.

scholarly journals Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Its Effect on Teaching and Learning Process in the Higher Educational Institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-107
Author(s):  
Harshavardhan Reddy Kummitha ◽  
Naveen Kolloju ◽  
Prakash Chittoor ◽  
Venkatesh Madepalli
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
Teaching Learning

In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, most of the higher education institutions (HEIs) across the globe have replaced conventional teaching with online teaching. However, the technological preparedness of countries of varied nature differs significantly. In this context, the purpose of the study is to answer the following research question: how are the HEIs mitigating the difficulties that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate online teaching–learning process? The study is carried out based on a cross-sectional study from 281 academic professionals who are employed in HEIs in India and Ethiopia. The findings from this comparative study highlight that digital divide and lack of institutional preparedness are found to be major problems that constrained the effective implementation of online teaching/learning. Besides, this study also found that training programmes for the faculty members to utilize web resources and facilitate online teaching were found to be limited in both the countries. The article concludes by offering suggestions and policy advice to minimize the digital divide and for successful implementation of online teaching in HEIs.

scholarly journals Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Brindley ◽  
Lisa Marie Blaschke ◽  
Christine Walti
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Learning Groups ◽  
Learner Participation ◽  
Significant Difference

Collaborative learning in an online classroom can take the form of discussion among the whole class or within smaller groups. This paper addresses the latter, examining first whether assessment makes a difference to the level of learner participation and then considering other factors involved in creating effective collaborative learning groups. Data collected over a three year period (15 cohorts) from the Foundations course in the Master of Distance Education (MDE) program offered jointly by University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and the University of Oldenburg does not support the authors’ original hypothesis that assessment makes a significant difference to learner participation levels in small group learning projects and leads them to question how much emphasis should be placed on grading work completed in study groups to the exclusion of other strategies. Drawing on observations of two MDE courses, including the Foundations course, their extensive online teaching experience, and a review of the literature, the authors identify factors other than grading that contribute positively to the effectiveness of small collaborative learning groups in the online environment. In particular, the paper focuses on specific instructional strategies that facilitate learner participation in small group projects, which result in an enhanced sense of community, increased skill acquisition, and better learning outcomes.

scholarly journals Experiencing the shift: How postsecondary contract and continuing faculty moved to online course delivery

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Patricia Danyluk ◽  
Amy Burns
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Faculty Position ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Additional Work

The shift to online learning that occurred in March of 2020, created an unprecedented period of intense work for faculty and sessional instructors at the post-secondary level. This shift necessitated courses be adapted under short timelines, new technology be integrated into course design and teaching strategies and assessment methods be adapted for an online environment (Van Nuland et al., 2020). This study examines how sessional instructors, referred to in this chapter as contract faculty, and continuing full-time faculty members delivering the same online courses experienced this shift. While the demands of a continuing faculty position call for balancing of teaching, research and service responsibilities, contract instructors have their own unique stressors (Karram Stephenson et al., 2020). Contract faculty lack job security, are paid by the course and often receive their teaching assignments with short notice. By examining their perspectives on delivering the same courses online, we learn that the shift to online teaching resulted in additional work in order to adapt courses to the online environment, with faculty describing the challenges of balancing the additional work with other responsibilities of their position. Concerns of participants focused on a perceived inability to develop relationships with students in an online environment.

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 FACULTY SELF-STUDY RESEARCH PROJECT: EXAMINING THE ONLINE WORKLOAD

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melody M. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Faculty Workload ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Self Study ◽  
Penn State ◽  
Productive Time

Concerns about faculty workload in the online environment are a reported deterrent to participation in online teaching. To date, such concerns have been based primarily on anecdotal evidence rather than empirical research. This paper describes a project in which six faculty members teaching courses through the Penn State World Campus conducted studies of the comparative workload in the online environment. Results of the studies indicated that faculty workload for teaching these online courses, as measured by time on task, was comparable to or somewhat less than that for face-to-face courses. However, a differential “chunking” of productive time contributed in some cases to a perception of increased workload. The success of the project suggests it is a replicable model for investigating various elements of the faculty experience in the online environment.

scholarly journals Accommodating culture and cultural diversity in online teaching

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annegret Goold ◽  
Annemieke Craig ◽  
Jo Coldwell
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Cultural Difference ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Long Time ◽  
And Gender

<span>The term 'culture' has been in common use for a long time. However there is no universally accepted definition and hence it is important to define clearly what culture means in a particular research context. The research reported here is part of a project undertaken at a large Australian university in late 2005. The overall aim of the project was to identify the characteristics of culture and cultural diversity, and to consider how these manifested themselves when teaching and learning in an online environment. This paper reports on particular outcomes from the second stage of the project. This involved conducting focus groups with experienced academics and educational developers of online units. The aim was to gain an understanding of culture and cultural difference in the online environment and to consider what strategies were effective in teaching a culturally diverse cohort of online students. The findings from the focus group sessions were benchmarked with other external faculty. The cultural factors of ethnicity and language, attitudes to educational learning, education and prior learning, learning styles and socio-economic background were well supported by the external faculty. However the factors of religion and gender were not supported. Practices for accommodating such cultural differences amongst students within the online class are presented.</span>

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 THE INFLUENCE OF ONLINE TEACHING ON FACE-TO-FACE TEACHING PRACTICES

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norma I. Scagnoli ◽  
Lydia P. Buki ◽  
Scott D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Faculty Training ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Face To Face

The integration of online technologies in educational practice is rendering new opportunities for teaching and learning. It is known that instructors who have taught fully online courses have acquired new skills and have had the opportunity to implement novel pedagogical practices in the online environment. However, it is unclear whether direct exposure to fully online teaching facilitates the integration of technology in traditional classrooms. This qualitative investigation examined the transfer of four experienced faculty members’ pedagogical practices from online to face-to-face teaching. Results of this case study show that (a) the instructors’ online teaching experience influenced their perceptions and understanding of online pedagogical strategies, and (b) the transfer of pedagogical strategies back to the classroom is a complex process influenced by the instructors’ teaching style, satisfaction with working in the online environment, and the similarity of content and context between online and face-to-face courses. These findings have the potential to inform innovations in faculty training and development and to promote further research in this area.

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