University Students’ Classroom Emotional Climate and Attitudes during and after COVID-19 Lockdown

With the advent of COVID-19, universities around the world have been forced to move to a fully online mode of delivery because of lockdown policies. This led to a flurry of studies into issues such as internet access, student attitudes to online learning and mental health during lockdown. However, researchers need a validated survey for assessing the classroom emotional climate and student attitudes towards learning in universities that can be used for online, face-to-face or blended delivery. Such a survey could be used to illuminate students’ perceptions of the experiences that make up learning at university level, in terms of such factors as care from teachers, collaboration and motivation. In this article, we report the validation of a University Classroom Emotional Climate (UCEC) questionnaire and an Attitudes to Learning scale, as well as their use in comparing the classroom emotional climate and attitudes during COVID-19 lockdown (fully online delivery) with post-lockdown (mixed-mode delivery). Female students experienced the post-lockdown condition significantly more positively than during lockdown for all scales except Care, while the only significant difference for males between the during and post-lockdown was their choice to engage with learning (Control) and the degree of Challenge that they found with the learning materials.

The Resilience Enhancement Programme for Students (REP-S)

The Resilience Enhancement Programme for Students (REP-S) is an intervention that has been designed to boost resilience in students. The current study involved the remote delivery of the REP-S via an online platform to students, and an empirical evaluation of the intervention via a pre-post one-group quantitative design over one month and a post-intervention qualitative element. Fifty-six students from the University of Greenwich qualified for inclusion in the study. Results indicated that perceived stress and trait neuroticism decreased over the month of the study, while resilience increased. Engagement with the intervention also predicted a reduction in neuroticism. Students reported experiencing a complex range of difficulties over the duration of the pandemic and that 80% of participants found the workshop to be effective in addressing these problems. Overall, participants found more positives than negatives in the online delivery of the workshop. If rolled out on a wider basis, the REP-S has the potential to improve wellbeing and mental health across the higher education sector.

Purposefully-Designed and Mindfully-Facilitated Online Courses

The COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacted the ability of educational institutions to deliver in-person instruction. A pragmatic solution was remote teaching, which in most cases was essentially in-person courses delivered synchronously via computer-mediated technology and videoconferencing. Student reaction to, and faculty experience of, remote teaching and learning was varied but generally less than enthusiastic. There was a growing realization that, pedagogically, emergency remote teaching could not satisfactorily replicate either well-delivered in-person instruction or well-designed distance online courses. With the anticipation that higher education will increasingly focus on online delivery, there has been renewed interest, at both the institutional and faculty level, in how effective distance learning online courses are conceptualized, designed, and facilitated. This chapter attempts, briefly but comprehensively, to explore the theoretical and practical issues involved in purposefully designing and mindfully facilitating online distance learning courses.

COVID-19 A CATALYST FOR TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING (TEL)

Covid-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for mandatory use of technology to deliver class room learning to students who have been forced to Learn From Home (LFH). Learn From Home requires Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) method if students are to be satisfied with online delivery of lessons. Technology Enhanced Learning is used to describe the integration of technology to teaching and learning; the demand for Technology Enhanced Learning has been increased as a result of the lockdown. The study explores various online teaching platforms, techniques, online examination, and Technology Enhanced Learning methods needed to be used by university instructors to ensure that educating the students goes on unhindered. The identified variables were empirically tested with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The study concludes that there is a positive relationship between satisfaction with the delivery of online study and the perceived effectiveness of TEL among higher education students.

Review of Online Food Delivery Industry of India

Earlier people used to go to the hotel, but the scenario has changed drastically in last few years. Due to changes in lifestyle and recent pandemic situations the lifestyle of Indians has changed considerably. This has given tremendous boost to the online food delivery business. In recent time, India has witnessed rapid increase in number of food delivery startups, supporting the aspirations of millions of urban citizens of India. Currently Indian food delivery market is occupied by global, national as well as local business establishments in this food delivery industry. Zomato, Foodpanda, Swiggy, Uber Eats, Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Mc Donald’s are a few major names which are predominant. The users get wider choice of all the online available hotels through menu of the restaurants at a very reasonable cost and that too at their home. It saves time, travelling cost of the users. All this process of food delivery system comprises few fundamental components. Among that the first is the cooking of the food product as per the requirements of the online customers and delivering these food products through online platform is the basic business model which is used. As the customer’s choices are varying with time this system will be evolving with innovative ideas to meet the changing requirements and expectations of the customers. This business models uses basically requirement of the customers; motivating them for bringing the dynamism within the market as well as within the food industry and delivering the food through the delivery personal. For ensuring the success of this online delivery model the entrepreneurs has to ensure few things which includes certain features which will be; taking care of various aspects of market as well as technological aspects. Also the opportunities and challenges that will be faced by this online food delivery system will be more clear as the time will pass. The sustainability about this food delivery business models will be depending on the benefits which will be provided to the customers and user and how much it continues to attract the venture capitalist and various investors in this online food delivery business.

Exploring Purchase Intention using Delivery Services Apps during Covid-19 Pandemic among Malaysian Households

Online services of product delivery apps are more critical than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has irrevocably altered internet purchasing habits. Customers are getting comfortable using the apps for services to order and do the shopping via their smartphone using the apps. The pandemic has quickened the transition to a more digital world. However, the debate remains as to what elements influence customers' purchase intentions toward using Delivery Services Apps (DSA). This research is therefore carried out to examine the key factors affecting the intention of customers to use delivery services apps among household customers in Malaysia during Covid-19 in 2020 to 2021. The research explored the most significant factors that influence the customer purchase intention on using DSA. There are 4 independent variables which we are focusing on: time factor (TF), price factor (PF), and convenience motivation factor (CMF) and product illustration factor (PIF). From the research, we have found out that convenience motivation factor is the most important exogenous variable that can influence purchase intention directly, sequentially through shopping motivations. The other factors that have a significant impact on a customer's purchase intentions are price factor and time factors. The least important factor that influences a customer’s purchase intention is the product illustrations. The study is carried out by gathering responses from over 167 participants in Malaysia. The objective of the study is to examine the use of online delivery services apps (DSA) to run the businesses efficiently and more effectively in order to attract household customer’s purchase intention. The novelty of this study is by giving the strategies and opportunities to the online business entrepreneurs to enhance and boost their sales by using social media as a platform of online delivery services apps to the community.

#Ibelong: Towards a sense of belonging in an inclusive learning environment

#Ibelong is an Erasmus+ project delivering a suite of evidence-informed interventions to improve the belonging and success of students who are first-generation entrants, from ethnic minorities or have a ‘migrant background’. The activities operate at course or programme level and involve working with both staff and students. This article provides a rationale for the #Ibelong programme of activities by drawing on relevant research and describing the three interconnected interventions: Dialogue Days, Team Teacher Reflection and Community Mentoring. The interventions were evaluated using Programme Theory evaluation tools: theory of change and logic chains. The descriptions highlight activities that have worked well, how delivery has been adapted from in-person to online delivery, and evidence of short-term benefits and medium-term outcomes. The article concludes by reflecting on how this suite of interventions could be used by other courses, universities and sectors, to improve the belonging and success of diverse students and staff.

Longitudinal Learning Outcomes from Engineering-Specific Adaptions of Hybrid Online Undergraduate Instruction

Hybrid online delivery, which is also referred to as mixed-mode delivery, utilizes a combination of online content and traditional face-to-face methods which may benefit significantly from specific delivery adaptations for undergraduate engi-neering curricula. Herein, a novel eight-step phased instructional flow with several targeted adaptations is used to accommodate the mixed-mode delivery of STEM curricula is evaluated with a longitudinal study of students afforded these adapta-tions versus those without them. This STEM Blended Delivery Protocol (STEM-BDP) emphasizes scaffolding of analytical procedures along with hands-on prob-lem solving throughout online and face-to-face components equally. Two high enrollment course case studies utilizing STEM-BDP are examined herein, includ-ing an Electrical and Computer Engineering required core undergraduate course and a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering undergraduate course. The details of the STEM-BDP delivery strategies, learning activities, and student perceptions surveys are presented. Student-resolution longitudinal analysis within a controlled study using blinded evaluation indicates that over a five-year period, failure rates have decreased by 63% among students undergoing STEM-BDP while control and alternatives have not demonstrated similar improvements within the same degree programs. Given increasing enrollments within STEM curricula, it is sought to overcome challenges of conventional lecture-only delivery in high-enrollment courses.

“To be relied upon and trusted”: The centrality of personal relationships to collaboration in HE, in a successful cross-team institutional change project

The change to online delivery in March 2020 provided an opportunity as well as a requirement to change the way we work in Higher Education (HE), from a traditional stance focussed on hierarchy and roles to one that embraced individual core skills and competencies. The Transformation Academy (TA), Solent University's response led by the Solent Learning and Teaching Institute (SLTI), had as its goal the preparation of 1100 modules for online delivery in September 2020, delivered via institutional cross-team collaboration to ensure success within a narrow timescale. Collaboration is by necessity situated and dialogic, and most effectively driven by an affective and trust-based connection between collaborative partners as well as to the project goal. In bringing together previously disparate and siloed teams, the TA project’s success relied upon new collaborative partners quickly forming those connections, despite the prevailing neoliberal emphasis in UK HE on performativity and pressure from senior management to complete the work within 12 weeks. Adopting a qualitative empirical research design and single, local, exploratory case study approach, data is derived from 11 semi-structured interviews with project members who collaborated with colleagues outside of their usual team structures, to explore the personal value they perceived obtaining from the TA project. Preliminary findings suggest that Learning and Teaching (L&T) collaborations in a pressured environment benefit from authenticity in emotion and interpersonal affective connections, which in turn are engendered by openness and clarity in communication, a flattened hierarchy, and a sense of ownership for all participants.

Online delivery of a family-based dating violence prevention program for youth who have been exposed to intimate partner violence: Protocol for an acceptability and feasibility study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Children who are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) between caregivers are at increased risk for becoming involved in dating violence during adolescence. Yet, to date, few adolescent dating violence (ADV) prevention programs have been developed for and/or evaluated with IPV-exposed youth. One exception is Moms and Teens for Safe Dates (MTSD), an evidence-based ADV prevention program for IPV-exposed mothers or maternal caregivers (moms) and their teens. MTSD consists of a series of booklets that families complete together in a home that include interactive activities to promote positive family communication and healthy teen relationships. We developed an online-adapted version of the MTSD program, entitled, eMoms and Teens for Safe Dates (eMTSD), to provide a delivery format that may: increase program appeal for digitally oriented teens; lower dissemination costs; lower reading burden for low-literacy participants; and incorporate built in cues and reminders to boost program adherence. OBJECTIVE This is a protocol for a research study that has three main objectives: (1) to assess of the acceptability of eMTSD; (2) to identify the feasibility of the research process, including program adherence and participant recruitment and assessment; and (3) to explore the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of two features —text reminders and the creation of an “action plan” for engaging with the program—that may increase program uptake and completion. METHODS Approximately 80 moms and their teens will be invited to complete eMTSD, which includes six 30-minute online modules, over a 6-week period. Moms will be recruited through community organizations and via social media advertising and will be eligible to participate if they have at least one 12–16-year-old teen living with them, experienced IPV after the teen was born, are not currently living with an abusive partner, and have access to an internet-enabled device. Using a factorial design, enrolled dyads will be randomized to four “adherence support” groups (n=20 dyads per group): (1) text reminders and action planning, (2) text reminders only, (3) action planning only, and (4) no adherence supports. All participants will complete brief online assessments at enrollment, after each module is completed, after the full program is completed, and 12-weeks post enrollment. Program adherence will be tracked using website usage metrics. RESULTS Data collected will be synthesized to assess acceptability of the program and feasibility of study procedures. Exploratory analysis will examine the impacts of adherence supports on program completion levels. In November 2021 ethical approval was received and recruitment was initiated. Data collection is expected to continue until December 2022. CONCLUSIONS Online delivery of a family-based healthy relationships program for IPV-exposed teens may offer a convenient, low-cost, engaging approach to preventing ADV. Findings from the study are expected to guide future research.