scholarly journals COVID-19 AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING STEM SUBJECTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (6A) ◽  
pp. 1078-1091
Author(s):  
Chipo Makamure ◽  
Maria Tsakeni
Keyword(s):  
Science Teachers ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Classrooms ◽  
Mathematics And Science

The closing of schools due to Covid-19 has brought a dimension of uncertainty into STEM education. Despite the closing of schools due to the need to observe physical distancing, some schools have found ways to continue teaching and learning on virtual platforms enabled by increasingly pervasive fourth industrial revolution environments. In this study, the teaching of Ordinary level mathematics and science in pursuit of STEM education goals as enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) in online classrooms was therefore, explored. Using an interpretive case study, relevant data were collected from two mathematics and three science teachers during semi-structured interviews. These participants communicated their experiences in transitioning from face-to-face to online classrooms as they worked to promote STEM education during the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings reveal teachers’ experiences of this transition and their selection of particular Web 2.0 tools to establish online classrooms. Notably, mobile instant messaging tools proved to be a popular option for being cheap, user-friendly, temporal, and multimodal. The findings also revealed that teachers struggled to adapt the hands-on activities to suit online teaching resulting in the use of teacher-centred approaches. Keywords: Covid-19, mathematics and science, online learning, STEM education, virtual platforms

scholarly journals Transitioning from Face-to-Face to Online Instruction in the COVID-19 Era: Challenges of Tutors at Colleges of Education in Ghana

2020 ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Aboagye
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Emergency Situation ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Colleges Of Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
Learning Development

Online learning (e-learning) is well established as one of the best pedagogical approaches in recent years. Despite numerous pieces of literature addressing the significance and limitations of this type of approach, little has been done on the challenges involved in the transition from the face-to-face method of teaching without a blended approach to a complete online in an emergency situation. The present study examined the challenges faced by tutors at colleges of education in Ghana to transition from face-to-face (conventional) to a complete online in the COVID-19 era. A mixed methods design was employed to gather data using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed separately, and the results showed how network, pedagogies, Learning Management Systems and students' factors hinder tutors to successfully deliver online. The study further reported the blended approach as an effective method to assist the tutors for a more effective and less painful transition. Based on the findings, it is relevant for all educational institutions that use a conventional method to adopt a blended approach to help transition to a complete online in case of emergencies. However, it was revealed that online teaching and learning development is expensive, therefore, it requires assistance from stakeholders for a successful implementation.

scholarly journals Innovations in Teaching and Learning: Exploring the Perceptions of the Education Sector on the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adekunle Oke ◽  
Fatima Araujo Pereira Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Technology Innovations ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Use Of Technology

Business operations are undergoing drastic changes due to the disruptive effects of technology innovations; however, there is insufficient knowledge regarding the acceptability and consequences of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in the education sector. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study explores the readiness of the education sector for 4IR. We adopted face-to-face semi-structured interviews to explore the views of 33 key stakeholders in the education sector, to understand the readiness and acceptability of 4IR in the sector. Findings show that the education sector, especially in Africa, is unprepared for 4IR, although there are indications for opportunities to harness the potential of the much-anticipated 4IR. Moreover, our study demonstrates a mutual symbiotic relationship between the education sector and technology innovations. The findings show that 4IR can facilitate students’ learning experience and transforms the workplace, although there is a need to assess the learning environment, to understand the facilitators and barriers to 4IR diffusion. The findings indicate the opportunity for the education sector to harness the innovations associated with 4IR through research and teaching to enhance learners’ experience; however, this may require a significant improvement in education curricula, as well as investments. The findings contribute to the theory and practice of technology in education and the limited literature on 4IR in the education sector, particularly in Africa.

scholarly journals Academics’ “Why” of Knowledge-Building for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and COVID-19 Era

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Simon Bhekumuzi Khoza
Keyword(s):  
Educational Technology ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Knowledge Building ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
The Usa

Online teaching results in knowledge building. Knowledge building is the teaching and learning process that helps academics and students to generate specific personal values used to understand their personal identities. Academics have been forced by COVID-19 lockdowns to go online in teaching their students. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand academics’ knowledge of teaching for knowledge building in two higher-education institutions (HEIs) (RSA and USA) during the COVID-19 era and the 4IR. Reflective activities, focus-group discussions, and semi-structured interviews were used for data generation. Purposive with convenience sampling was used to select the twenty most accessible academics to participate in this study. The findings reveal that this situation compelled the academics to self-actualise on their knowledge-building to address the “why” questions of teaching that help students to understand and address their needs. The self-actualization was framed by “technological pedagogical content knowledge” which produced societal, personal, and professional knowledge building. It was interesting to note that the USA HEI participants were supported by educational technologists, while the RSA HEI participants helped themselves. This was because the RSA HEIs do not have educational technology centres. Consequently, this study recommends a follow-up study that can qualitatively and quantitatively compare the two HEIs. In this way it can be established whether the success of online teaching and learning is influenced by the presence of educational technology centres.

VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR ESL COURSES

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 239-243
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria CHISEGA-NEGRILĂ
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face

Abstract: As the time in which online teaching and learning was still an element of novelty has long been gone, virtual learning environments have to be studied thoroughly so that they will provide students not only with the necessary knowledge, but also with the proper tools to meet their learning objectives. The advancement in information technology and the access to an almost inordinate number of learning and teaching tools should have already been fructified and, as a result, not only teachers, but also learners should have already picked up the fruit of knowledge grown in the vast virtual environment of the Internet. However, as education has recently moved almost entirely online, some questions have arisen. Are the Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) enough to offer ESL students both motivation and knowledge? Will foreign languages benefit from this growing trend or will traditional, face-to-face interaction, prove to have been more efficient? The present article will look into some of these questions and into the benefits of VLEs in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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 Teaching and Assessment through Online Platforms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Benefits and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-415
Author(s):  
Adebunmi Yetunde Aina ◽  
Ayodele Abosede Ogegbo
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Gauteng Province ◽  
Preparation Time ◽  
Case Methods ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Assessment Strategies ◽  
Base Data

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled education systems across the globe to fully embrace online learning as an alternative to face-to-face classes. This has resulted in a paradigm shift, in which online teaching and assessment practices continue to gain prominence at the tertiary level. Hence, this study explores lecturers' teaching and assessment strategies for teaching university students through online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study has used a framework of SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats) analysis as its theoretical base. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with five lecturers from three universities in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The collected data was analysed using content analysis. This study found that lecturers were able to manage the teaching and assessment processes during the COVID-19 school restrictions, using a combination of platforms such as Blackboard-collaborate, WhatsApp, Kahoot, and Google Classroom. The findings also revealed that a wide variety of teaching and assessment methodologies, including small group work, collaborative learning, case methods, discussion posts, multiple choice quizzes, chats, game activities, open-ended questions, and essays were utilized on these platforms. Although the methodologies used for teaching and assessing on these platforms require additional preparation time, they also help increase interaction between students and enable immediate grading of scripts and student feedback. Further findings revealed that online assessment is highly susceptible to test/examination malpractices. This study provided recommendations helpful to policymakers, lecturers, and students regarding online teaching and assessment strategies.

Designing for Social Connectivity (Not Everyone Likes Webcams)

eLearn ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
William P Lord
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Host Institution ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Technologies ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Complex Solutions ◽  
To Come

COVID-19 has forced vast numbers of educational institutions to shift their operations from being delivered face-to-face to being delivered online. As a result, academic institutions have had to scramble to find complex solutions that meet systems-wide online teaching and learning needs. The quality of interaction that occurs between the educator and the student is crucial to the success of delivering education via online technologies, and it is incumbent on the host institution to provide a usable, effective, and satisfying form of communication all participants may communicate with while maintaining a sense of social presence. It requires little effort to compile a list of potential benefits of using webcams in educational settings. It is more challenging to come up with a list of conditions as to when you may not require all learners to communicate using webcams. This article explores the benefits and challenges of incorporating webcams in teaching and learning in the online learning environment.

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.

Synchronous Tools in Support of Teaching and Learning

2013 ◽  
pp. 172-191
Author(s):  
Clark Shah-Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Web Conferencing ◽  
Commercial Enterprise ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Blended Course

Instant messaging and text chat, online collaborative whiteboards, web conferencing and other synchronous Web 2.0 tools are increasingly finding their way into higher education and are available in both commercially-branded and open source varieties. This chapter describes excellent practices and challenges in using these tools for synchronous and blended course delivery, collaboration, learning activities, and technical support, based on the author’s experience in online education and online-teaching support. Synchronous tools can provide immediate and efficient communication for instructors, learners and support staff, foster community and establish a heightened sense of social presence. An increasing number of practitioners in the field of distance learning are using synchronous tools to reach their learning and support objectives (Murphy and Rodríguez Manzanares, 2008). Today, institutions have a whole menu of synchronous tools to choose from, ranging from free and open-source software to more costly commercial enterprise systems. These tools enable education and support for teaching and learning to happen across great distances and on all types of mobile and not-so-mobile computer devices. This chapter will describe some of these tools, the types of needs that drive their use, and strategies for effective use and implementation.

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