scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities for Russian Higher Education amid COVID-19: Teachers’ Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 368
Author(s):  
Nadezhda Almazova ◽  
Elena Krylova ◽  
Anna Rubtsova ◽  
Maria Odinokaya
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Russian Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously affected higher education systems in Russia and all over the world, forcing to transform curriculum into an online format, which is a challenge for all the educational process participants. The current study discusses the implementation of online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Russian higher education context and investigates the challenges experienced by university teachers during this period to define their readiness for online education. To address the above-mentioned issues, a study was conducted in Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. A variety of methods of scientific and pedagogical research were used including systematic structural analysis, synthesis, work with research papers, the generalization of experience and experimental work, observation, surveys, etc., with 87 university teachers asked to respond to several sets of questions describing their online teaching experience after the launch of online education amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of the participants’ answers helped to identify the following main challenges experienced by university teachers: computer literacy level, the university electronic environment and support, academic staff readiness and students’ readiness for online learning, the last two being the most important hindering the implementation of the efficient online education process. It was also underlined by most respondents that methodological work of a teacher in a digital educational environment differs from conventional teaching methods. Thus, psychological, technological, methodological support and teachers’ professional development programs are of vital importance to minimize the negative impact of the rapid changes of the educational process and to ensure efficient online education.

scholarly journals Quality Assessment of Online Learning in Regional Higher Education Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 929-943
Author(s):  
Olga A. Gritsova ◽  
Elena V. Tissen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
Higher Education Systems

The quality of online learning mechanisms, widely implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is a significant issue for regional higher education systems. The research aims to assess student satisfaction with the quality of online education by identifying discrepancies between their requirements and the actual learning process. In order to examine the gaps between students’ expectations and perceptions, a new approach was proposed based on the integrated use of Gap analysis and SERVQUAL methodology, combining qualitative and quantitative aspects. SERVQUAL questionnaires for measuring student satisfaction with online learning include the following criteria: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy. Full- and part-time undergraduates of humanitarian and socio-economic departments of two universities participated in the study. Ural Federal University bachelors, learning via Moodle and Microsoft Teams platforms, could directly communicate with their peers and professors, while students of National Research Nuclear University MEPhI were engaged in massive open online courses (MOOC). As a result, all five criteria were analysed in the proposed model for quality assessment of online learning to reveal the gaps between students’ expectations and perceptions of the educational process. Significant discrepancies in the «empathy» and «responsiveness» criteria in both groups demonstrate low student satisfaction with the quality of communication and individualisation of learning. The research findings can be used to construct resource allocation models for implementing educational programmes and developing support measures for regional higher education institutions.

Taking a Hard Look at the Soft Skills of Online Course Design and Online Teaching in Higher Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 158-181
Author(s):  
Kevin P. Gosselin ◽  
Maria Northcote ◽  
Kristi D. Wuensche ◽  
Trudy Stoddard
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Online Course Design ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Online Educators

Over the past few decades, substantial growth has occurred in online education in general, and this has been particularly true of the higher education sector. Most universities and post-secondary institutions now offer students the opportunity to enroll in online pre-tertiary, vocational, undergraduate and/or postgraduate courses. While some of these courses are successful for the learners who enroll in them, others have been found somewhat deficient, often criticized for their lack of humanization, interaction, communication and online presence. This chapter examines the role of the so-called soft skills of online course design and online teaching that are seen as vital for online educators who are responsible for the facilitation of high quality online learning. Along with a review of relevant literature about the soft skills of online teaching, the chapter presents three institutional case studies from which a set of practically-focused recommendations for promoting the design of humanized online learning environments has been developed.

PROBLEMS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL DIGITALIZATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISTANCE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGIES

2021 ◽  
pp. 37-41
Author(s):  
V. E. Melnikov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Educational Organization

The article considers the system of digitalization of higher education, where the problems associated with the introduction of digital technologies and tools into the educational process with the transition to online learning are identified. It is shown that digitalization makes significant changes in modern higher education. The transition to online education creates a need to change the management of an educational organization.

scholarly journals Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education during the Coronavirus Pandemic: Students’ Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10367
Author(s):  
Claudiu Coman ◽  
Laurențiu Gabriel Țîru ◽  
Luiza Meseșan-Schmitz ◽  
Carmen Stanciu ◽  
Maria Cristina Bularca
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Learning Platforms

The research focuses on identifying the way in which Romanian universities managed to provide knowledge during the Coronavirus pandemic, when, in a very short time, universities had to adapt the educational process for exclusively online teaching and learning. In this regard, we analyzed students’ perception regarding online learning, their capacity to assimilate information, and the use of E-learning platforms. An online survey based on a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted. Data was collected from 762 students from two of the largest Romanian universities. The results of the research revealed that higher education institutions in Romania were not prepared for exclusively online learning. Thus, the advantages of online learning identified in other studies seem to diminish in value, while disadvantages become more prominent. The hierarchy of problems that arise in online learning changes in the context of the crisis caused by the pandemic. Technical issues are the most important, followed by teachers’ lack of technical skills and their teaching style improperly adapted to the online environment. However, the last place was assigned by students to the lack of interaction with teachers or poor communication with them. Based on these findings, research implications for universities and researchers are discussed.

scholarly journals Different Approaches to the Development of Online Learning in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (SPE3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iurii V. Kornilov ◽  
Dmitriy A. Danilov ◽  
Alla G. Kornilova ◽  
Aleksei I. Golikov ◽  
Ilya B. Gosudarev
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Distance Learning Technologies ◽  
Competencies Development

The processes of online learning implementation, including e-learning and distance learning technologies in higher education have been revealed. The experience of the development of the first online courses at M. K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University is described. As a part of the study, the main approaches to the development of online learning in higher education are identified. The authors of the study focus on the work of the advanced training courses for the academic staff as the opportunity for professional competencies development in the context of online education.

Institutional Policies and Online Education in Developing Countries

2022 ◽  
pp. 289-305
Author(s):  
Diocleciano Nhatuve
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
African Region ◽  
Institutional Policies ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Principles

This chapter aims to examine the effectiveness of institutional policies regarding online teaching and learning in some developing countries in the Southern African region. The study is informed by online teaching and learning principles, and it adopts qualitative and quantitative approaches. The data comprises answers of 231 students to the question: Did your institution encourage online learning before the lockdown? The sample was collected through a survey between the 1st July 2020 and the 11th March 2021, a period in which students were undertaking an online learning process as a strategy to overcome the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 67% of respondents confirm that their universities did not implement nor encourage online learning before the lockdown due to the pandemic. In this context, the study shows that aversive policies against online learning and lack of adequate equipment jeopardize the education goals to provide integrated and globalizing learning.

scholarly journals A professional learning program for novice online teachers: Application of professional development guidelines using threshold concepts and online learning perceptions

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Northcote ◽  
Kevin P Gosselin ◽  
Peter Kilgour ◽  
Daniel Reynaud ◽  
Catherine McLoughlin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Threshold Concepts ◽  
Online Teachers ◽  
Learning Contexts

The professional development of online teachers is now commonplace in most universities. Alongside the relatively straightforward decision to provide professional learning support for novice and experienced online educators within universities, decisions about the nature and content of such support are not always as clear cut. The study aimed to gather evidence about the experiences and views of current students and staff which, in turn, informed a set of pedagogical guidelines that could be used as the basis of professional learning programs for novice online teachers. Using a mixed methods research design, data were gathered using questionnaires, reflective journals and focus groups to determine the threshold concepts about online teaching, and perceptions of ideal online learning contexts. As well as identifying threshold concepts about online teaching and perceptions of teachers’ and students’ ideal views of online learning contexts (reported elsewhere), the study produced curricular guidelines to inform the design of professional development outputs for online teachers in higher education contexts. This article reports on an example of how these professional development guidelines were implemented at one higher education institution to provide wide-scale implementation of a professional development program for academic staff engaged in online teaching.

scholarly journals Exploring Teachers’ Perception of Online Engagement in Higher Education in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Krishan Mani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Learning Engagement ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Online Engagement

Student retention in higher education online learning is important for most education institutes around the world. Understanding what contributes to good learning engagement and key factors affecting engagement is important in improving online engagement. Online learning engagement is a very broad topic with multidimensional and interrelated factors that affect how engagement evolves. This study investigated higher education teachers’ perceptions of what online engagement means. It examined the importance of teachers' perceptions of online engagement in higher education with a focus on how teachers’ perceptions of engagement compare and the importance they placed on factors that help them identify the different forms of engagement.  The study also explored whether the teachers’ perspectives were similar in terms of what equates to good learner engagement and what good engagement results into. An extended literature review was carried out to inform the research. As the study eventually aims to gather responses about engagement from both learners and teachers, the methodology for the project was Case Study.  Yin (1989, p.13)) explains that this approach is consistent when “the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within some real-life context”.  A survey using Microsoft 365 forms was conducted among higher education teachers with online teaching experience in various education disciplines in New Zealand. The Findings from this initial step showed first, there are various definitions, and each teacher had a slightly different perspective of what engagement involved. The study also highlighted the similarities and gaps in terms of online engagement from a teacher’s point of view.   The study findings indicated, a consensus approach of understanding about what online engagement means and the strategies used by the teachers to foster engagement. The findings also suggested first, how motivation to learn, technology and access plays an important role with online engagement. Second, how the flexibility of online learning is differentiated from face to face teaching environments and the importance of adopting newer strategies for online engagement.  Third, findings suggest that there are some offline learning with no visibility of engagement and show that this affected the teacher’s perceptions in regards to student success.   References Yin, R. (1989)Case study research: Design and methods.  Sage Publications

scholarly journals SOME ISSUES ON ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS DURING PANDEMIC

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-238
Author(s):  
A. M. Yelinska
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Modern Approach ◽  
The World

The endemic coronavirus (COVID-19) is growing exponentially around the world. The prevalence of the new coronavirus COVID-19 around the world has led to global changes in society, various organizations, and educational institutions. Primary school and university populations appear to be at a lower mortality risk than older adults, but precautions are still needed in a pandemic called "social distance" to reduce interpersonal contact and thereby minimize transmission of the virus. Approximately 264 million children and adolescents are out of school (UNESCO, 2017), and the pandemic has further exacerbated the situation. The more the pandemic grows, the more schools, colleges and universities are closed, contributing to the transition to online learning. The time has come to rethink and rebuild our education system based on the current situation. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, online education has been a pedagogical breakthrough from a traditional method to a more modern approach to teaching and learning, from class to Zoom, from personal to virtual, from seminars to webinars. Around the world, the entire education system, from primary to tertiary, was destroyed during the isolation of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The pandemic has prompted a re-examination of the main points of online learning in education, as well as how existing educational resources can help transform formal education online through virtual classrooms and other online resources. The process of online teaching-learning modes is perceived by teachers and students in different ways, sometimes causing difficulties and controversy in the effectiveness of their use.

scholarly journals The role of online faculty in supporting successful online learning enterprises: A literature review

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J Dhilla
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
Online Instructors

This review examines research regarding instructors’ perceptions of the online teaching experience and explores ways in which university administrators can better support online faculty as their institutional online learning enterprises grow. The following sections examine how the growth in online education has led to increased interest in the experiences of online faculty. An examination of these issues illuminates many of the unacknowledged external factors that have a subtle, but strong influence on online instructors and their experiences in the virtual learning environment.

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