Applying the Matrix Model in an English for Presentation Online Class during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of an Undergraduate Class in Thailand

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning was an important topic for scholars. A private university in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand followed a policy to create online courses for every subject to ensure that education could proceed effectively. To correspond with the policy, the Matrix Model was integrated with the online course development of an English for Presentation class at this private university. The Matrix Model is also known as SAMR which refers to Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The online course was presented in the third semester of the academic year of 2019 with 77 participants who volunteered to participate in this course. The research instruments used in this study were observation, surveying, and interview. The data collections were done at the beginning, during, and after the course to provide a comprehensive study of online learning. The data revealed both positive opinions and obstacles associated with this online learning. The results of using the SAMR model in this study do provide benefits to students and educators and show that 84% of the participants prefer online presentation over in-class presentation.

Preparing Part-Time Instructors for Success in Online Course Development and Teaching

Part-time instructors are at the heart of each continuing education operation throughout the world. They bring a wealth of industry experience which adds real-life undertones to classes. However, many lack foundational training in areas of instructional strategies and adult education theory, learning management systems (LMS) and their use in online courses, and course design and development. This chapter will provide an overview of how McMaster University's Centre for Continuing Education has addressed all three of the above areas with a view towards better equipping their part-time instructors in providing a better-quality learning experience. Central to the above is the use of online training and a thorough and highly structured approach to online course development.

Curriculum and Online Course Development Framework

The online pivot necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has placed online instruction in the spotlight. While schools and universities around the world quickly moved classes online and kept students learning, it became apparent that most institutions and instructors lacked a solid foundation in creating online curriculum. Recognizing that online instruction is here for the long-term, building skills in creating and managing the online curriculum is essential. This chapter covers the history and foundations of curriculum, explores key issues and opportunities for educators just getting started with online learning, and recommends foundational practices for developing effective online curriculum. The approach takes a practical perspective, stepping through the curriculum development phases and concluding with a look at some of the challenges curriculum developers and instructors face.

The Rhetoric of Fear

Amongst the glamour and allure to teach online, the literature indicates faculty often see and experience teaching online as daunting, painful, and time consuming. While, many studies seek to detail faculty experiences with course and program design, few studies seek to understand the faculty emotional reaction and their response to online course development and online course teaching. Using phenomenology this preliminary research study sought to explore and document faculty involvement in online teaching using theories of experience, postulated by Dewey (1938) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, by Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, and Davis (2003) to analyze and give voice to the emotional experience and reaction of faculty who are involved in online teaching.

Analysis of College English Online Test and Language Teaching

In order to adapt to the current Internet information environment, college English teaching also needs to carry out corresponding online teaching courses based on the actual situation, so as to make college English teaching more flexible and improve students' enthusiasm for learning English. English online testing can help teachers Deepen the understanding of students, and continuously improve and revise the teaching methods to strengthen the effectiveness of language teaching. This article attempts to analyze the relationship between online testing and language teaching in English universities based on the actual teaching situation and current online course development, in order to promote the sound development of college English teaching.