Students' Sense of Belonging in Online Classes

This study explored graduate students' perceptions of their sense of belonging in online classes, their comfort in participating in online discussions, and their technology skills. Differences in these areas among three different age groups were studied. Data were gathered via an online survey. The results of the data analysis showed that students, regardless of age, felt a sense of belonging and felt comfortable communicating in the online environment. The data also revealed that older students reported feeling more comfortable interacting with their classmates and disagreeing with their classmates while still maintaining trust than their younger counterparts. Such findings inform online educators in designing classes that meet the needs of all learners.

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Graduate Students' Perceptions of the Benefits and Drawbacks of Online Discussion Tools

International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design ◽

10.4018/ijopcd.2016010101 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jessica Decker ◽

Valerie Beltran

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Research Study ◽

Online Discussion ◽

Online Discussions ◽

Online Environment ◽

Online Classes ◽

Face To Face ◽

Qualitative Research Study ◽

University Level ◽

The University

With an increase in the number of online classes being taught at the university level, professors are exploring ways to create collaboration in the online environment. One such strategy is through using online discussion tools. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore students' beliefs about the benefits of using a variety of discussion tools in online classes. In analyzing students' responses to four open-ended questions, five key themes emerged that highlighted four benefits and one drawback to the use of online discussion tools. Online discussions helped build relationships, led to students hearing others' perspectives and feeling their perspectives were respected, led to students reflecting on the content and developing a deeper understanding, and helped groups coordinate projects and manage teamwork. In contrast, online discussions did not allow the same authenticity of dialogue in face-to-face discussions.

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Impact of COVID-19 online classes on morningness-eveningness personality among adult college students: A survey study

Work ◽

10.3233/wor-210528 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Vignesh Srinivasan ◽

Surya Vishnuram ◽

Prathap Suganthirababu ◽

A. Kumaresan ◽

P. Divyalaxmi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Online Survey ◽

Age Groups ◽

Survey Study ◽

Cluster Sampling ◽

Online Classes ◽

Late Night ◽

Disturbed Sleep ◽

Adult College Students ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 emerged as a serious pandemic in 2019 and billions of people were infected. Various precautionary methods were taken to contain the spread of virus such as social distancing, public lockdown, sanitation, and closure of schools and colleges. Many colleges started online classes to resume their syllabus and to complete the course curriculum. These evening online sessions resulted in late night sleep, long term mobile/computer exposure, and disturbed sleep pattern. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 online classes on morningness- eveningness personality and to compare it with different age groups, gender, and body mass index. METHODS: The cluster sampling method was used to collect the subjects from the total of 1153 adult college students, 897 subjects were selected based on the selection criteria and instructed to submit an online survey consists of the Morningness-eveningness Questionnaire and demographic and anthropometric data through mail, social media, or through a researcher by direct interview. RESULTS: The mean score for the 897 participants is 56.7, indicating Intermediate morningness-eveningness personality type. On comparing the different groups, the youngest group (18–20 years) scored 4.23%(mean = 46.7), female subjects scored 6.13%(mean = 58.1), the underweight 2.67%(mean = 59.2) and overweight groups scored 2.89%(mean = 59.7) indicating definite eveningness. Among the 897 collected samples of the population 8.13%of the subjects experienced definite eveningness, 14.93%has moderate eveningness, 17.38%are under intermediate category, 22.4%have moderate morningness, and 37.11%have definite morningness. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with eveningness personality have high risk of developing mental illness, thus it’s important to determine the eveningness personality among student population to avoid serious complications in later age.

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Student Awareness and Use of Rubrics in Online Classes

Higher Education Studies ◽

10.5539/hes.v7n1p69 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 69 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Patricia A. Haught ◽

Terence C. Ahern ◽

Laurie F. Ruberg

Keyword(s):

Student Engagement ◽

Graduate Students ◽

Student Perceptions ◽

Online Instruction ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

Online Survey ◽

Student Assessment ◽

Online Classes ◽

Design Development ◽

Standard Practice

The design, development and deployment of online instruction has become standard practice. The focus of the study was on student perceptions of course rubrics and not on the rubrics, themselves, or the instructors. In order to improve student engagement online we conducted an exploratory study of the awareness and perceptions of course rubrics. Fifty graduate students completed an online survey at the end of the semester about their awareness and perceptions of course rubrics. All students reported that they were aware that course rubrics existed. They indicated that they had learned about this information through the course syllabus, professor announcements via email and posts to LMS. Most students reported reviewing rubrics prior to submitting an assignment. One of the key findings from this study was that students see rubrics as a mechanism for scaffolding their performance, and thus, instructors need to focus more effort on designing rubrics to accomplish more than student assessment.

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Polarized nature of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: associations with population age structure and behaviours

Tropical Medicine and Health ◽

10.1186/s41182-021-00324-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Junko Okumura

Keyword(s):

Age Structure ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Online Survey ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Age Groups ◽

Cumulative Number ◽

Population Age Structure ◽

Major Factors ◽

Drinking Places

Abstract Background Although the scale of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was relatively small in Japan compared with the rest of the world, the polarisation of areas into high- and low-COVID-19-incidence areas was observed among the 47 prefectures. The aims of this study were not only identifying the factors associated with the polarised COVID-19 pandemic in Japan but also discussing effective preventive measures. Methods This was an ecological study using online survey data which was cross-sectionally conducted by the author. A total of 6000 respondents who resided in 10 low- and 10 high-COVID-19 incidence prefectures, with a wide gap in terms of COVID-19 incidence, in Japan were recruited. Data on COVID-19 cases and geodemographic information were obtained from official government sites. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare variables between the two areas and age groups. Results This study revealed that that age influenced people’s behaviours and perceptions, except one behaviour of ‘wearing facemasks’. The major factors significantly associated with the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people were ‘commuting by private automobile’ (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.444; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.394–0.501), ‘commuting by public transportation’ (AOR, 6.813; 95% CI, 5.567–8.336), ‘washing hands’ (AOR, 1.233; 95% CI, 1.005–1.511), ‘opening windows regularly’ (AOR, 1.248; 95% CI, 1.104–1.412), ‘avoiding crowded places (AOR, 0.757; 95% CI, 0.641–0.893), ‘non-scheduled visits to drinking places’ (AOR, 1.212; 95% CI, 1.054–1.392) and ‘perceived risk of contracting COVID-19’ (AOR, 1.380; 95% CI, 1.180–1.612). These factors were strongly associated with age groups. Conclusions Effective preventive measures for COVID-19 transmission can be developed by understanding the characteristics of populated areas, such as public transportation infrastructure and younger people’s movements and behaviours in relation to the population age structure to contain the current epidemic and protect the most vulnerable elderly people.

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Exploring the Frequency of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in a Brazilian Sample during the COVID-19 Outbreak

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094847 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4847

Author(s):

Fabiana Silva Ribeiro ◽

Flávia H. Santos ◽

Luis Anunciação ◽

Lucas Barrozo ◽

Jesus Landeira-Fernandez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Online Survey ◽

Age Groups ◽

Health Sector ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Well Being ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Brazilian Sample

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency of international concern, and the main measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus causing COVID-19 were social distancing, quarantine, and self-isolation. Although these policies are effective in containing the spread of the virus, they might represent a challenge to psychological well-being, increasing levels of depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. Aims: We explored the frequency of anxiety and depression symptoms during COVID-19 restrictions and associations with sociodemographic factors in a Brazilian sample. Method: Data of a total of 936 Brazilian adults (68.2% women) aged 18 to 77 years old (M = 38.95, SD = 13.91) were collected through an online survey. Results: In general, we observed a frequency of 17.36% for severe anxiety and 66.13% for severe depression symptoms, in which younger participants (18–39 years old) and women showed higher scores in anxiety and depression scales compared to older age groups. Logistic regressions showed that women were more likely to present severe symptoms of anxiety (20.4%) compared to men (10.9%), as well as respondents in the educational sector (24.3%) compared to those in the health sector (10%). Conclusions: We highlight the importance of mental health professionals in developing strategies to help younger adults to mitigate the effects of social restriction.

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Analysing the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on everyday travel behaviour in Germany and potential implications for future travel patterns

European Transport Research Review ◽

10.1186/s12544-021-00486-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Viktoriya Kolarova ◽

Christine Eisenmann ◽

Claudia Nobis ◽

Christian Winkler ◽

Barbara Lenz

Keyword(s):

Public Transport ◽

Online Survey ◽

Adult Population ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Age Groups ◽

Travel Behaviour ◽

German Population ◽

Travel Patterns ◽

Home Office ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction The global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a great impact on all areas of the everyday life, including travel behaviour. Various measures that focus on restricting social contacts have been implemented in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Understanding how daily activities and travel behaviour change during such global crisis and the reasons behind is crucial for developing suitable strategies for similar future events and analysing potential mid- and long-term impacts. Methods In order to provide empirical insights into changes in travel behaviour during the first Coronavirus-related lockdown in 2020 for Germany, an online survey with a relative representative sample for the German population was conducted a week after the start of the nationwide contact ban. The data was analysed performing descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Results and Discussion The results suggest in general an increase in car use and decrease in public transport use as well as more negative perception of public transport as a transport alternative during the pandemic. Regarding activity-related travel patterns, the findings show firstly, that the majority of people go less frequent shopping; simultaneously, an increase in online shopping can be seen and characteristics of this group were analysed. Secondly, half of the adult population still left their home for leisure or to run errands; young adults were more active than all other age groups. Thirdly, the majority of the working population still went to work; one out of four people worked in home-office. Lastly, potential implications for travel behaviour and activity patterns as well as policy measures are discussed.

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Photograph Based Evaluation of Consumer Expectation on Healthiness, Fullness, and Acceptance of Sandwiches as Convenience Food

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10051102 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 1102

Author(s):

Purificación García-Segovia ◽

Mª Jesús Pagán-Moreno ◽

Amparo Tárrega ◽

Javier Martínez-Monzó

Keyword(s):

Interaction Effect ◽

Online Survey ◽

Age Groups ◽

Nominal Group Technique ◽

Nominal Group ◽

Visual Appearance ◽

Consumer Expectation ◽

Preference Mapping ◽

Consumer Experiences ◽

And Cluster Analysis

Sandwiches are the most common “casual-food” consumed by all age groups in Spain. Due to the importance of visual appearance to promote unplanned or impulse buying, foodservice and hospitality companies focus on improving the visual impression of their food menus to create an expectation that satisfies both sensory and hedonic consumer experiences. To provide a list of attributes about the visual appearance of sandwiches, 25 students were recruited from a university and were invited to participate in two nominal group technique (NGT) sessions. To understand whether a sandwiches’ appearance can influence the expectation of consumers, 259 participants completed an online survey specially designed from the results of the NGT sessions. Data were analyzed using conjoint, internal preference mapping and cluster analysis; the interaction effect by gender was also studied. The conjoint results indicate that visual perception about the filling (vegetal or pork based) plays the most key role overall in consumer expectation. When consumers choose vegetables as the filling, the consumers’ perceived sandwiches as healthier, but the pork filling was perceived as more attractive and satiating. Interaction effect by gender was observed in filling when females perceived pork filling as less healthy than vegetable. By acceptance, consumers were segmented into three groups. The first cluster (n = 80) selected the pork filling. The smaller group (cluster 3, n = 36) prioritized the vegetal filling, and the most numerous cluster 2 (n = 140) liked sandwiches with multigrain bread. These results may help companies to build tailor-made marketing strategies to satisfy consumer segments.

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Chinese views on nuclear weapons: Evidence from an online survey

Research & Politics ◽

10.1177/20531680211032840 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 205316802110328

Author(s):

Naomi Egel ◽

R. Lincoln Hines

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Weapons ◽

Text Analysis ◽

Online Survey ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Age Groups ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

The Public ◽

Self Defense ◽

Public Views ◽

Chinese Public

What are Chinese public attitudes regarding nuclear weapons? Although scholars have studied Chinese elites’ views on nuclear weapons, surprisingly little is known about the views of China’s public. To understand Chinese public views on nuclear weapons, we conduct an online survey ( N = 1066) of Chinese respondents. This is, to our knowledge, the first survey of Chinese public attitudes towards nuclear weapons. We find that although Chinese citizens view the possession of nuclear weapons as important for their country’s security, they strongly oppose the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. We also provide respondents an opportunity to describe their views on nuclear weapons in their own words. Using computer-assisted text analysis, we assess patterns in these open-ended responses and compare across age groups. We find that younger respondents emphasize non-material factors such as having a greater voice internationally, whereas older respondents emphasize self-defense. Overall, this analysis sheds light on the public attitudes that may shape China’s evolving approach to nuclear weapons.

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The UPTAKE study: implications for the future of COVID-19 vaccination trial recruitment in UK and beyond

Trials ◽

10.1186/s13063-021-05250-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sonika Sethi ◽

Aditi Kumar ◽

Anandadeep Mandal ◽

Mohammed Shaikh ◽

Claire A. Hall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Age Groups ◽

Small Towns ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Effective Vaccine ◽

Trial Recruitment ◽

Trial Management ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Study Results ◽

The Future

Abstract Background Developing a safe and effective vaccine will be the principal way of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. However, current COVID-19 vaccination trials are not adequately representing a diverse participant population in terms of age, ethnicity and comorbidities. Achieving the representative recruitment targets that are adequately powered to the study remains one of the greatest challenges in clinical trial management. To ensure accuracy and generalisability of the safety and efficacy conclusions generated by clinical trials, it is crucial to recruit patient cohorts as representative as possible of the future target population. Missing these targets can lead to reduced validity of the study results and can often slow down drug development leading to costly delays. Objective This study explores the key factors related to perceptions and participation in vaccination trials. Methods This study involved an anonymous cross-sectional online survey circulated across the UK. Statistical analysis was done in six phases. Multi-nominal logistic models examined demographic and geographic factors that may impact vaccine uptake. Results The survey had 4884 participants of which 9.44% were Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME). Overall, 2020 (41.4%) respondents were interested in participating in vaccine trials; 27.6% of the respondents were not interested and 31.1% were unsure. The most interested groups were male (OR = 1.29), graduates (OR = 1.28), the 40–49 and 50–59 age groups (OR = 1.88 and OR = 1.46 respectively) and those with no health issues (OR = 1.06). The least interested groups were BAME (OR = 0.43), those from villages and small towns (OR = 0.66 and 0.54 respectively) and those aged 70 and above (OR = 1.11). Conclusions In order to have a vaccination that is generalisable to the entire population, greater work needs to be done in engaging a diverse cohort of participants. Public health campaigns need to be targeted in improving trial recruitment rates for the elderly, BAME community and the less educated rural population.

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