The Impact of Covid-19 on the Teaching of English to Undergraduates in Sri Lanka

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has paralysed the world for almost two years, has had disastrous effects on many sectors of society. Across the globe the educational system has plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. In Sri Lanka, a large population comprising school going children and university undergraduates are facing disruption to their studies due to the devastating effects in the education systems brought about by of the pandemic. The hasty transition from the traditional face-to-face classroom methodology adopted in the teaching of English to undergraduates into online learning and blended learning modes has created a plethora of problems ranging from internet connectivity issues to inability to possess devices for learning due to economic crises. Teaching English to undergraduates entails equipping them with the four language skills, namely reading, writing, listening and speaking. However, the online teaching method has to some extent curtailed the freedom that the face-to-face language classroom provides. This paper attempts to briefly explore the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges faced, on the teaching of English to undergraduates in Sri Lanka

The effect of intensities of comparative ease and interaction on comparative knowledge gained from online and face-to-face learning modes

The paper examined the effect of varying intensities of comparative interaction level (CIL_L) and comparative ease of attending online classes (CE_L) (viz., high, and low) on comparative knowledge gained from online and face-to-face learning modes, and existence of differences on the effect across two intensities of the covariates. Based on complete enumeration of the population of 224 management students attending the online classes at Nepal Open University, Nepal (from 22nd February to 29th March 2020), the study— by employing a binary logistic regression model— discovered the effect of comparative interaction level and comparative ease of attending online classes as significant on the comparative gain of knowledge. Further, the study found that the effect of low intensities of comparative ease of attending online classes (CE_L) and comparative interaction level (CIL_L) are lower than high intensities of comparative interaction level and comparative ease of attending online classes in finding the online classessimilar/superior as opposed to the face-to-face classes. The findings should be instrumental to the exploration of the potential pathways to ameliorate the virtual learning mode as an alternative to the face-to-face one in Nepalese higher education regime.

Project-Based Learning for Mechanical Engineering Students in the Emergency Remote Teaching

Covid-19 has changed a lot of life sectors, including education. The government’s policy to carry out emergency remote teaching (ERT) immediately switches the teachers’ and lecturers’ plans on successful classroom activities. One of the classroom’s activities is project-based learning (PBL). With several limitations, challenges should be taken on so that designing simple but meaningful projects can facilitate project-based learning. Thus, some adaptations should be made since some students are economically impacted. Online learning modes, either synchronous or asynchronous were held to communicate the project. A descriptive qualitative research method was employed by involving two classes of mechanical engineering students. Data were collected from learning platforms observations, interviews with students’ representatives, and questionnaires administered to all students. The project was conducted in four stages; beginning the infographic project, developing the project, closing the project, and evaluating the project. The research indicated that the students completed and engaged in the project successfully through some problems that came up, mainly when the students had to have group work and communicate using internet media since most students were back home with various internet connection access. However, some assessable applications were employed so that the project was well accomplished. In conclusion, conducting a PBL in emergency remote teaching was successfully conducted with some simple available and accessable applications since the students’ conditions varied significantly.

The Effectiveness of Online Learning Model Implementation

The study from home policy was implemented to reduce crowds as an effort to suppress the spread of Covid-19. All levels of education were asked to learn from home, guided and facilitated by educators and educational institutions. Ideally, the learning process should run smoothly even though learning activities are carried out online. However, the shift in learning modes from face-to-face to online has created many learning problems. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the implemention of online learning models in Indonesia. This was a descriptive study and a quantitative approach was used. Data were collected online using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed interactively through three components of analysis, namely data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions or verification. Based on the results, it was found that the implementation of online learning was effective. 100% of the lecturers implemented online learning using LMS, of which 86.67% were skilled at using the LMS platform in carrying out online learning. The lecturers used various strategies to organize learning, including integrating cognitive materials in core activities to improve student preparation, involvement and independence in online learning activities. In addition, 50% of the lecturers have conducted student satisfaction surveys on online learning. Keywords: effectiveness, learning model, online learning

Contribution of Total Screen/Online-Course Time to Asthenopia in Children During COVID-19 Pandemic via Influencing Psychological Stress

Objectives: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) self-quarantine period, the transition to online-course has profoundly changed the learning modes of millions of school-aged children and put them at an increased risk of asthenopia. Therefore, we aimed to determine associations of the total screen/online-course time with asthenopia prevalence among that children during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether the associations were mediated by psychological stress.Methods: Asthenopia was defined according to a validated computer vision syndrome questionnaire (CVS-Q). We used CVS-Q to collect the frequency and intensity of 16 asthenopia-related eye symptoms of 25,781 children. Demographic features, eye care habits, visual disorders, lifestyle, psychological and environmental factors, were also collected.Results: The overall asthenopia prevalence was 12.1%, varying from 5.4 to 18.2% across grade/gender-classified subgroups. A 100-h increment of total screen/online-course time were associated with an increased risk of asthenopia by 9% [odds ratio (OR) = 1.09] and 11% (OR = 1.11), respectively. Mediation analysis showed that the proportions of total effects mediated by psychological stress were 23.5 and 38.1%, respectively. Age, female gender, having myopia or astigmatism, bad habits when watching screens were also risk factors. Conversely, keeping 34–65 cm between eyes and screen, increased rest time between classes, and increased eye exercise were all associated with a decreased risk.Conclusion: Our study indicated that the influence of long total screen or online-course time on psychological stress increases asthenopia risk. The findings of this study have provided a new avenue for intervening screen-related asthenopia in addition to incorporating a reasonable schedule of online courses into educational policy.

Students’ Perceptions of Online Lecture Delivery Modes: Higher Education During Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond

During the Covid-19 pandemic, universities adopted several learning modes to ensure the contention of the education activities. They adopted many methods of learning such as online once (online real-time with no recorded lecture; face-to-screen instead of face-to-face), online repeatable (online real-time with recorded lecture), Self (pre-recorded lecture only), and blended (pre-recorded lecture with face-to-face learning). Since all these methods are adopted without any evidence of their acceptance by the students, the rouse of this study is to evaluate each of these modes and identify the most preferred mode of learn-ing. Also, this study tested the new method of blended learning preferred by the students. A questionnaire was shared among the students in two faculties in the University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, and 903 were responded. Accordingly, this study found that the majority of the students preferred online real-time lectures together with the recorded lectures. This method was again tested with a selected student group and confirmed. Thus, this study recommends face-to screen lectures together with the recorded lesson is the most appropriate method to adopt during the new normal context.

The Comparative Estimation of Primary Students’ Programming Outcomes Based on Traditional and Distance Out-of-School Extracurricular Informatics Education in Electronics Courses during the Challenging COVID-19 Period

The authors decided to investigate the impact of the lockdown period and the resulting limitations in informatics education, especially programming, in out-of-school electronics courses using traditional and distance learning modes in primary school COVID-19 pandemic settings. Two extracurricular courses were held successively; the first electronics course was performed in a traditional out-of-school learning mode using Arduino kits, while the other was held using the TinkerCad circuits virtual environment in distance learning mode. A structured questionnaire was administered to students to map their knowledge of programming. The questionnaire consists of three emotional dimensions: enjoyment, satisfaction and motivation. The fourth dimension was dedicated to the students’ programming outcomes. Three emotional dimensions were addressed to primary school students, while the fourth dimension was addressed to the tutors’ observations toward the students’ programming outcomes. The obtained results revealed that learning modes have no significant impact on students perceiving the programming issues. However, three emotional dimensions revealed a significant difference in the students’ enjoyment, satisfaction and motivation in favor of the traditional learning mode. Our findings are of particular interest in light of possible crisis-prompted distance education in the future but can also serve to inform government institutions and policymakers seeking to develop effective concepts for successful distance learning.

Offline or online?: EFL students’ perceptions on working in face-to-face and virtual learning modes

Given the intensified number of online learning activities and having inadequate knowledge to identify the details of how it was organized within increased students’ language learning ability; this study focused on identifying the students’ perceptions of learning in two different situations. This study investigated how students perceived working in a new learning mode (online learning activity) compared to the traditional or face-to-face learning mode (offline learning activity) in regards to the learning frameworks, including the depth and comprehensiveness of learning, appropriate length for learning, comfortability of learning, and flexibility of learning. Ten students were selected to be the participants of the current study; all of whom were sixth and eighth semester students at the Department of English Language Education of Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh. They were served by several questions related to their experiences working on two different learning modes. The findings revealed that working in offline learning mode was still the common preference among the students and only a few of them preferred online learning. Even more interesting was the finding of one or two students who perceived no differences between participating in offline and online class learning activities. In addition, the findings also indicated that interaction between the course instructors and students still becomes a prominent element on the students’ satisfaction and comfort of learning. The students also suggested that the keys to their satisfactory learning experiences are access to learning materials and to their class instructors. To conclude, this study also provides new insights on what matters the most to the students’ learning experiences with respect to the current online learning trend.

University Education in Algeria during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Limitations and Challenges

The study deals with the subject of learning languages online. Many studies (Chelghoum & Chelghoum, 2020; Arabeche & Soudani, 2021) have been carried out over the last year to investigate the needs of the pedagogical changes as a result of the world health situation. The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc all over the globe. This unprecedented situation created huge complications for citizens worldwide, with emergency offices suddenly appearing in students’ and workers’ kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms due to the large-scale lockdowns and stringent restrictions on movement put into place by governments. The sudden and unexpected nature of this “new normal” left very little time for acclimatisation to the online learning modes, with students and teachers alike adapting and improvising. This study aims to investigate the difficulties of Algerian students and analysing the interactive techniques which could be applied in language studying, and overcoming the barriers of computer screens. In this case, we address the goals used in university teaching in Algeria to be able to understand the situation and draw a possible new strategy to achieve a quality education. First, the topic is introduced, followed by an analysis of teaching and learning methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterwards, the methodology is defined, highlighting the relation between the Psycholinguistics (Hanim Rahmat, 2018) and the Communicative Approach (Hymes, 1972). A qualitative study is carried out to describe the problems faced by the students and offer some possible recommendations, taking into account the social context experienced during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Online Learning in the Time of Crisis: A Study of EFL Students’ Attitudes

This article discussed the importance of utilizing online learning during times of crises with special emphasis on the situation in Libya. In spite of the dangerous current situation i.e., the wide spread of a deadly Corona Virus, educational institutions (schools, universities, and academies) in Libya are still based on traditional procedures of learning, i.e., they adopt the traditional way of face-to-face classes and meetings. Although there have been some attempts of using blended learning, still most of the institutions are stuck with old methods. The current situation in the country since the beginning of the unrest in 2011 and recently with the emergence of a sudden outbreak of a deadly disease called Covid-19 caused by a Corona Virus shook the entire country and called for an urgent intervention. However, because of the fragile situation and the decrepit infrastructure in Libya, challenges to the education system are huge. This article highlighted the perceptions of a group of postgraduate students of English on online learning and also included the Advantages, Disadvantages, Opportunities, and Barriers (ADOB) analysis of e-learning modes in the time of crisis. The findings revealed that access to online learning in Libya was hindered by many challenges, and consequently students perceived online learning as inefficient. The paper also provided some suggestions for academic institutions of how to deal with challenges associated with online learning.