scholarly journals ZOOM AS A TOOL OF WEB BASED TEACHING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO STUDENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENTS IN UKRAINE

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 152-163
Author(s):  
Інна Сергіївна Заярна
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cyber Security ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Video Conferencing ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Distance Teaching ◽  
Higher Educational

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic a strict quarantine was imposed from March to May of 2020. Ukrainian higher education faced new challenges caused by unexpected distance teaching and learning implemented in all higher educational establishments during the period in question. Despite the sound theoretical achievements of Ukrainian scientists in the field of distance education, as well as the existing legal framework for the implementation of distance learning in higher education, not all educational institutions had well-established learning management systems. All the above induced foreign languages teachers to search for available technologies which allow delivering their lectures effectively. One of the most popular services was video conferencing, in particular Zoom. The research deals with the specifics of teaching foreign languages in higher educational establishments on Zoom Platform via video conferencing. The research presents the results of the survey conducted among the teachers who used Zoom for teaching foreign languages during the quarantine from March to June in 2020. Based on the survey respondents’ answers, the author determines benefits and drawbacks of Zoom for teaching foreign languages in higher educational establishments, specifies the factors for psychological comfort, as well as the conditions and tools for the development of language skills and speech abilities. Special attention is paid to methodological recommendations aimed at practical implementation of foreign languages online teaching via Zoom video conferencing. The author considers such aspects of foreign languages teaching via Zoom video conferencing as cyber security, discipline issues, creation of psychologically comfortable atmosphere, and Zoom technical tools for teaching foreign language communication.

scholarly journals Practical, Technical, and Affective Aspects of Teaching English Online during the Pandemic: Instructors’ Voices

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bora Demir ◽  
Görsev Sönmez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Distance Teaching ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face

The aim of this study was to investigate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors’ apperceptions about practical, technical, and affective aspects of online teaching as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our study involved qualitative data collection using an open-ended interview form, including three sections developed by the researchers. EFL instructors (N =18) from randomly selected three state and three private universities of Turkey participated in the study. The results of the content analysis indicated that instructors perceived the distance teaching environment less favorably than the face-to-face environment, although they generally feel competent using the technology. However, the instructors were also found to have negative attitudes towards the psychology of distance teaching by reporting it as boring and an awkward way of teaching. The study concluded that EFL instructors regard distance teaching as inconvenient since teaching and learning foreign languages involve face-to-face interaction and higher learner engagement and motivation.

scholarly journals Zooming?! - Higher Education Faculty Perspectives

10.28945/4791 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 121-140
Author(s):  
Moshe Leiba ◽  
Ruti Gafni
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Distance Teaching ◽  
Faculty Perspectives ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
The Impact

Aim/Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic demanded an immediate and massive adaptation of higher education to distance learning. Teachers had to transform from face-to-face to distance teaching, with insufficient pedagogical and technological knowledge and resources. This study aims to capture higher education faculty experiences in the very early stages of the crisis-prompted transition into synchronous distance education in order to obtain a broader view on the faculty’s perspectives (benefits, challenges and insights) on distance teaching through synchronous online environments. Background: Although online teaching and learning have been part of higher education teaching for more than two decades, many instructors found themselves teaching remotely for the first time and facing new and unpredicted challenges. Methodology: This study explored and analyzed an e-mail thread discourse between teachers in a higher education institute, two months after “going online” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A singular case study was conducted, and a retrospective and snapshot case study approach was used. Data analysis was an iterative exploratory process of going back and forth the empirical material, resulting in the construction of categories, then themes, and finally a conceptual framework was developed. Contribution: The findings contribute the knowledge domain of implementation of immediate and massive online teaching and learning from the faculty perspective. Findings: Two main focal points, students and teachers, were encountered. Three main recurring themes were identified associated with both students and teachers: Convenience, Ethical Issues, and Insights for the future. Two themes were identified associated with faculty: Pedagogy and Tools, and Resources. In addition, two themes were identified for students: Attendance and Responses. Each of the themes was decomposed into several aspects. Recommendations for Practitioners: Higher education institutions and stakeholders should build a campus wide e-learning agenda including appropriate infrastructure and professional development for the future. Recommendations for Researchers: The study presented a conceptual model based on qualitative case study methodology. The impact and influence of each of the components of the model should be further researched and measured using quantitative methodologies. Impact on Society: Understanding the benefits and challenges of distance learning from the faculty perspectives in order to implement better distance learning strategies. Future Research: The impact and influence of each of the components of the model should be further researched and measured using quantitative methodologies.

scholarly journals Zooming?! - Higher Education Faculty Perspectives

10.28945/4768 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moshe Leiba ◽  
Ruti Gafni
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Distance Teaching ◽  
Faculty Perspectives ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
The Impact

Aim/Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic demanded an immediate and massive adaptation of higher education to distance learning. Teachers had to transform from face-to-face to distance teaching, with insufficient pedagogical and technological knowledge and resources. This study aims to capture higher education faculty experiences in the very early stages of the crisis-prompted transition into synchronous distance education in order to obtain a broader view on the faculty’s perspectives (benefits, challenges and insights) on distance teaching through synchronous online environments. Background: Although online teaching and learning have been part of higher education teaching for more than two decades, many instructors found themselves teaching remotely for the first time and facing new and unpredicted challenges. Methodology: This study explored and analyzed an e-mail thread discourse between teachers in a higher education institute, two months after “going online” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A singular case study was conducted, and a retrospective and snapshot case study approach was used. Data analysis was an iterative exploratory process of going back and forth the empirical material, resulting in the construction of categories, then themes, and finally a conceptual framework was developed. Contribution: The findings contribute the knowledge domain of implementation of immediate and massive online teaching and learning from the faculty perspective. Findings: Two main focal points, students and teachers, were encountered. Three main recurring themes were identified associated with both students and teachers: Convenience, Ethical Issues, and Insights for the future. Two themes were identified associated with faculty: Pedagogy and Tools, and Resources. In addition, two themes were identified for students: Attendance and Responses. Each of the themes was decomposed into several aspects. Recommendations for Practitioners: Higher education institutions and stakeholders should build a campus wide e-learning agenda including appropriate infrastructure and professional development for the future. Recommendations for Researchers: The study presented a conceptual model based on qualitative case study methodology. The impact and influence of each of the components of the model should be further researched and measured using quantitative methodologies. Impact on Society: Understanding the benefits and challenges of distance learning from the faculty perspectives in order to implement better distance learning strategies. Future Research: The impact and influence of each of the components of the model should be further researched and measured using quantitative methodologies. *** NOTE: This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 16, 121-140. Click DOWNLOAD PDF to download the published paper. ***

scholarly journals COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption on university teaching and learning and competence cultivation: Student evaluation of online learning experiences in Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 221258682110070
Author(s):  
Ka Ho Mok ◽  
Weiyan Xiong ◽  
Hamzah Nor Bin Aedy Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Digital Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has forced online teaching and learning to be the primary instruction format in higher education globally. One of the worrying concerns about online learning is whether this method is effective, specifically when compared to face-to-face classes. This descriptive quantitative study investigates how students in higher education institutions in Hong Kong evaluated their online learning experiences during the pandemic, including the factors influencing their digital learning experiences. By analysing the survey responses from 1,227 university students in Hong Kong, this study found that most of the respondents felt dissatisfied with their online learning experiences and effectiveness. Meanwhile, this study confirms that respondents’ household income level and information technology literacy affected their online learning effectiveness. Moreover, this study highlights the significant contributions of the community of inquiry, which places social presence on the promotion of a whole person development that could not be achieved when relying mainly on online learning. Findings encourage university leaders and instructors to search for multiple course delivery modes to nurture students to become caring leaders with the 21st century skills and knowledge set.

scholarly journals Balancing Technology, Pedagogy and the New Normal: Post-pandemic Challenges for Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrysi Rapanta ◽  
Luca Botturi ◽  
Peter Goodyear ◽  
Lourdes Guàrdia ◽  
Marguerite Koole
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Expert Advice ◽  
Social Agents ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Science And Education

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity for rethinking assumptions about education in general and higher education in particular. In the light of the general crisis the pandemic caused, especially when it comes to the so-called emergency remote teaching (ERT), educators from all grades and contexts experienced the necessity of rethinking their roles, the ways of supporting the students’ learning tasks and the image of students as self-organising learners, active citizens and autonomous social agents. In our first Postdigital Science and Education paper, we sought to distil and share some expert advice for campus-based university teachers to adapt to online teaching and learning. In this sequel paper, we ask ourselves: Now that campus-based university teachers have experienced the unplanned and forced version of Online Learning and Teaching (OLT), how can this experience help bridge the gap between online and in-person teaching in the following years? The four experts, also co-authors of this paper, interviewed aligning towards an emphasis on pedagogisation rather than digitalisation of higher education, with strategic decision-making being in the heart of post-pandemic practices. Our literature review of papers published in the last year and analysis of the expert answers reveal that the ‘forced’ experience of teaching with digital technologies as part of ERT can gradually give place to a harmonious integration of physical and digital tools and methods for the sake of more active, flexible and meaningful learning.

Improving music teaching and learning through online service: A case study of a synchronous online teaching internship

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela D. Pike
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Distance Teaching ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Musical Understanding ◽  
Synchronous Online

This case study explored the potential for using a synchronous online piano teaching internship as a service-learning project for graduate pedagogy interns. In partnership with the university, a local music retailer, and a local middle school, three pedagogy interns taught beginning piano to underprivileged teenaged students for 8 weeks. All instruction took place in the synchronous online environment using acoustic Disklavier pianos, Internet MIDI, Facetime, and traditional method books. As a result of the experience, the students demonstrated musical understanding and the pedagogy interns developed teaching techniques, displayed improved comprehension of course content, learned about current distance teaching technology, and considered the role of music education in society. Based on these results, it might be feasible to provide piano lessons to underserved populations in remote locations while offering meaningful internship experiences to pedagogy students through distance service-learning projects.

Priorities for reorienting traditional institutions of higher education toward online teaching and learning: Thinking beyond the COVID-19 experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110388
Author(s):  
Talha A Sharadgah ◽  
Rami A Sa’di
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Traditional Institutions

The purpose of this study is to suggest priorities for reorienting traditional institutions of higher education (IHE) toward online teaching and learning beyond the COVID-19 experience. This research applied the qualitative research method. Data collection sources included both a systematic literature review relating to how COVID-19 informed online distance learning across the globe and an analysis of circulars germane to the pandemic that were issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Saudi Arabia and by Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU). Guided by those two types of data, that is, review of the literature in general and the MOE and PSAU circulars in particular, and also illuminated by their own experiences of online teaching during the lockdown, the researchers were able to put forward those priorities. For the systematic review of the literature, five steps were performed: (1) identifying search terms and developing and applying a search strategy; (2) screening the obtained research papers, removing duplicates and papers outside the focal point, and establishing inclusion/exclusion criteria; (3) assessing the research papers against the inclusion/exclusion criteria; (4) data extraction; and (5) data synthesis. Although this article does not suggest traditional IHE should go entirely digital, it highlights the need for IHE to ensure access to online learning content, develop more partnerships with community, develop online self-study skills, get students to shift from passive to active learning, and a need to reconsider current e-assessment. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need to provide additional support for faculty members, how university buildings should be gradually reopened, controlling factors influencing online learning outcomes, and addressing the issue of dropouts in IHE. Finally, the study underlines the need to add further emphasis to the importance of integrating blended learning in the university curriculum and navigating toward developing global distance learning programs.

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.

Transforming higher education in Ghana in times of disruption: flexible learning in rural communities with high latency internet connectivity

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Barton Essel ◽  
Dimitrios Vlachopoulos ◽  
Dickson Adom ◽  
Akosua Tachie-Menson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Cell Phone ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Internet Connectivity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Video Teleconferencing ◽  
A Cell

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone. In addition, the study aims to identify the associations between the audio teleconferencing and video teleconferencing in a 12-week postgraduate course. Design/methodology/approach The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted at the Department of Educational Innovations at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from March to June 2020. The purposive sampling technique was used to sample 100 postgraduate students who registered for a course in the department. The data for the study were collected using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and 17-item self-administered eQuestionnaire. Multiple Linear Regression analysis, ANOVA, Independent sample T-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to estimate the differences in course achievements of students who experienced education through audio teleconferencing and those who experienced education through video teleconferencing. Findings In total, 59% of the participating postgraduate students chose to attend the synchronous online lectures via audio teleconferencing (dial-in). The participants gave a high SUS score (SUS > 80.3; Grade A; Excellent) for audio conferencing service. Among the students in the audio teleconferencing cohort, the results evidenced a strong positive linear correlation, (r (57) = 0.79, p < 0.05), between the individual adjective ratings and the SUS scores. There was marginal significance among demography of students in the audio teleconference (AT) cohort with regards to their perception about the dial-in lecture. There was no statistically significant difference, (t (98) = 1.88, p = 0.063), in the achievement test for AT students and video teleconference (VT) students. The instructors and the students were satisfied with the AT. Practical implications Based on the students’ preference, AT offers equal benefit as VT with regards to system satisfaction and perceived quality of online teaching. AT, as teaching modality, should be an option for students who reside in communities with high latency internet connectivity. It is recommended that instructors are trained on how to engage and motivate students via AT. Originality/value Higher education institutions in Ghana are facing decisions about how to continue learning and teaching through flexible pedagogy, while keeping their faculty members and students protected from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these institutions have canceled the brick-and-mortar education and other conventional learning practices and have instructed faculty to adopt online teaching through synchronous video teleconferencing platforms. However, the learning experience is not the same for students who reside in remote or rural communities with low bandwidth. There is very little research in this topic, especially in developing countries like Ghana, and the present study aims to bridge the gap in the literature by exploring the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone, in the context of a 12-week postgraduate course.

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