scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education in Pakistan : An Exploratory Study

Author(s):  
Tehreem Qamar Qamar ◽  
Narmeen Zakaria Bawany

The outbreak of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), reported initially in December 2019 by China, has caused disruption all over the world.  To control the spreading of this virus all the countries around the world imposed strict lockdown leading to shutting down of all businesses, educational institutions, entertainment centers, etc. Higher Educational Institutions (HEI), across the world, switched to online mode of learning instantly to continue their degree programs. Following the trend, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan encouraged HEIs to begin online classes.  Although, online learning seemed to be the best possible solution during indefinite closure of institutes, but the sudden change in teaching and learning paradigm was not well accepted and unprecedented challenges emerged. This study aims at identifying the barriers specific to students and teachers in this abrupt shift. Moreover, it examines the satisfaction level of undergraduate students regarding online education practices during the COVID-19 epidemic. The study employed survey design and carried it out through two distinct questionnaires that are, for students and teachers which were distributed online via social media platforms. A total of 1280 students participated in students’ questionnaire while 112 teachers contributed to filling out teachers’ survey. Content Quality (CQ), Content Availability (CA), Teacher Interaction (TI), and Mode of Lecture Delivery (MLD) were considered as the predictor variables for student satisfaction. Regression and correlation analyses were performed to find out the contribution of the aforementioned variables. The survey results concluded that the lack of interaction among students and teachers is the major hurdle in online learning.  Regression results revealed that the overall model with all four predictors was significantly predictive of student satisfaction. The results further revealed that MLD is the strongest and most significant of all. We believe the findings of this study can provide beneficial insights in improving the paradigm shift with greater efficiency in this pandemic.

REVISTA PLURI ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 293
Author(s):  
Katia Maria Rocha de Lima

O objetivo desta investigação é estruturar um modelo que avalie a efetividade das estratégias de ensino (tradicional, online e hibrido) utilizadas para o desenvolvimento das competências dos estudantes de graduação em administração, observando o perfil do estudante e o estilo de aprendizagem. A aprendizagem online, baseada no e-learning, tem desempenhado um papel fundamental no ensino e aprendizagem, que se torna cada vez mais popular não apenas em diferentes níveis escolares, mas também em várias instituições de educação superior em todo o mundo (Nedungadi & Raman, 2012). Nesse contexto, a educação a distância emerge como uma oportunidade que pode ampliar as possibilidades de aprendizagem do estudante, implementando ensino totalmente a distância ou no modelo híbrido.Palavras-Chave: Modelos de aprendizagem, e-learning, tradicional, on-line, híbrido.Abstract:The objective of this research is to structure a model that evaluates the effectiveness of teaching strategies (traditional, online and hybrid) used for the development of Administration course undergraduate students’ skills, observing student’s profile and his/her learning style. Online learning, based on e-learning, has played a key role in teaching and learning, which is becoming increasingly popular not only at different levels of education but also in several higher education institutions around the world (Nedungadi & Raman, 2012). In this context, distance education emerges as an opportunity that can broaden students’ learning possibilities, implementing distance education or the hybrid model.


Author(s):  
Vinayachandra ◽  
Geetha Poornima K. ◽  
Rajeshwari M. ◽  
Krishna Prasad K.

Purpose: The whole calendar year 2020, as well as early indications, suggest, the year 2021, would be challenging for the global community. The COVID-19 pandemics spread through the world, affecting all facets of human endeavor, from industrial development to academic calendar re-adjustments at all educational institutions around the world. Stakeholders and administrators of academic institutions have no choice but to use internet technology, and therefore online learning, to continue academic activities in all institutions around the world. This paper aims to determine if students in higher educational institutions are happy with technology-assisted Online Education during COVID-19 Pandemic. The study used an online survey to find out how students are coping with online education, which has been around for years but is still not widely used, and how happy they are with it. Methodology: Convenience sampling was employed to collect data for the analysis because it is a non-probability sampling methodology. The aim of using this method is to come up with hypotheses and conduct exploratory research on the topic. It also addresses budget and time constraints. As participants in this research, students from higher education institutions responded to the survey. Higher education students are preferred because they have already been exposed to technology, online platforms, and the ability to adapt, which is the essence of remote learning. Findings/Result: The study's findings show that adding online education was a good decision since the majority of students surveyed supported it in this epidemic since it allowed them to complete their studies. In terms of satisfaction with online education, the study discovered that there is a gender divide. Students are self-sufficient in terms of the devices they use to take online classes, with a large percentage of students attending online classes using their smartphones. Synchronous delivery options, such as live classes, are not preferred by online educators. Female students spend more time on online education activities than male students. Finally, the study discovered that the most significant barrier to students participating in online education is a lack of internet connectivity in both rural and suburban settings. Originality: This study examines how satisfied students are with technology-assisted online education at higher education institutions. The results of this study would be very useful to the administrators of higher education institutions in making potential emergency decisions about the planning of online learning services for students from various backgrounds. Paper Type: Exploratory data analysis (EDA). This type is used to comprehend and summarize the contents of a dataset, usually to answer a particular query or to prepare for more sophisticated statistical modeling in subsequent stages of data analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 929-943
Author(s):  
Olga A. Gritsova ◽  
Elena V. Tissen

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.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Munday ◽  
Jennifer Rowley

The online learning space can appear to be cold and impersonal for Higher Education students. The aim of this chapter is to show the progress of a teaching and learning design using a “sense of self” model, which is being used in ePortfolio creation in two Higher Education institutions. This chapter demonstrates that an ePortfolio can be a tool for showcasing students' levels of achievement in regard to a “sense of self”. The authors intend that the positive results from the outcomes of the two pedagogic approaches to the ePortfolio process should encourage other users of ePortfolio to engage with flexible and creative approaches to the production of showcase and reflective ePortfolios with students at all phases of a degree program. Academics can positively affect the human connections between students and teachers, emerging professionals and the profession, by encouraging multi-faceted aspects within an ePortfolio as the interface between the online and the professional world.


Author(s):  
Jyoti Tandon

Educational institutions (schools, colleges, and universities) in India have always followed traditional modes of teaching and learning wherein the teachers impart the lectures and the students undertake the instructions and guidance in a face-to-face medium. But, with the advent of covid-19, educational institutions in India were left with no choice but to switch to online mediums for imparting instructions. The sudden outbreak of Covid-19 impacted the entire world in an unparalleled manner and had put us all to witness a never seen before deadly virus Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) that shook us all. World Health Organization recognized the devastating effects of Covid and declared it as a global pandemic. One of the major challenges faced by the institutions around the world was in continuing learning in traditional set-up; thus the educators around the world shifted to online modes of teaching and learning. This article incorporates the learning and significance of e-learning and Strengths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities of e-learning modes in the wake of a crisis situation. This article also additionally puts some light on the challenges faced by the institution with reference to imparting education through online learning modes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Asimakopoulos ◽  
Thanassis Karalis ◽  
Katerina Kedraka

This paper studies the Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTL) of the 100 top Universities in the world and investigates their role and services. The vast majority of these Centers is located in educational institutions of the US, the UK, Australia and Canada. CTL services cover many areas and target several portions of the university population. They try to meet contemporary requirements and aim to enhance teaching, learning and research processes.


Author(s):  
Rufaro A. Chitiyo ◽  
Florence Nyemba

Online learning has been on the rise during the 21st century. Both instructors and students enjoy the flexibility of teaching and learning from anywhere they choose. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020 forced institutions of higher education around the globe to rely on technology to deliver education whether the institutions, instructors, and students were ready or not. The spread of the virus dictated the quick adoption of remote delivery of education. In this chapter, the authors provide a brief history of traditional learning theories followed by an assessment of their applicability to online education. Next is a delineation of the roles played by both instructors and students in online higher education. Furthermore, they explore generational differences in online learning (i.e., based on existing literature, what generational differences are evident with learning online and delivering content online?). At the end of the chapter, they provide the reader with implications/recommendations for the successful delivery of online learning/education.


Author(s):  
Nil Goksel

We live in a period when schools are involuntarily closed; human life gradually slowed down and came to a halt due to a pandemic, but distance education is already underway. While some higher education institutions have been struggling to meet distance education, the ones that have currently provided distance education in many parts of the world continued to maintain their existing educational systems in the time of the pandemic. In this connection, the central objective of this paper is to explore how online solutions and attempts have been defined under the term of “emergency remote education” since the first outbreak of the pandemic and how pandemic pedagogy during COVID-19 has contributed to emergency remote education and online education both in the world and specifically in Turkey. As there has been a gradual shift in higher education lately, this chapter is a response to educational crisis specifically for English teaching and learning at a distance from a positive perspective.


E-Marketing ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 676-701
Author(s):  
Murat Hismanoglu

In our times, many educational institutions are providing online degree programs for learners by supplementing their traditional offline class with web-based online educational devices. This chapter aims at stressing important issues in online education with reference to e-pedagogy and marketing of online education programs. It defines online learning, assesses the benefits and challenges of online education, and illustrates sub-categories of online degree programs to show the richness of these programs in the world of education today. It also expounds the characteristics of successful online learners and instructors as well as the principles of effective online instruction. Further, it places emphasis on the marketing of online education programs. Lastly, it offers some valuable tips for better marketing of online education programs.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Munday ◽  
Jennifer Rowley

The online learning space can appear to be cold and impersonal for Higher Education students. The aim of this chapter is to show the progress of a teaching and learning design using a “sense of self” model, which is being used in ePortfolio creation in two Higher Education institutions. This chapter demonstrates that an ePortfolio can be a tool for showcasing students' levels of achievement in regard to a “sense of self”. The authors intend that the positive results from the outcomes of the two pedagogic approaches to the ePortfolio process should encourage other users of ePortfolio to engage with flexible and creative approaches to the production of showcase and reflective ePortfolios with students at all phases of a degree program. Academics can positively affect the human connections between students and teachers, emerging professionals and the profession, by encouraging multi-faceted aspects within an ePortfolio as the interface between the online and the professional world.


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