Advantages and disadvantages of distance learning

Introduction. E-learning has been known and used in many countries for a long time.It is becoming more and more popular. It is a way of teaching remotely, using the latestinformation technology. It can be used in any age group, starting with pre-school teaching.In the era of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, remote learning has been mandatory due to theneed to continue the teaching process whilst at the same time reducing the risk of spreading the virus. This has revealed many advantages, but also the disadvantages of this type of teaching.Aim & methods. The aim of the work is to change the advantages and disadvantagesof remote teaching as one of the modern forms of education. The work attempts to showthe problems related to the risks and diffi culties associated with distance learning and theadvantages of the development of information technology. We reviewed recent literatureon e- learning in Poland. We supplemented it with our own observations.Results & Conclusions. Reviewed empirical studies from Poland suggest that the mainadvantages of distance learning are professional development of teachers, intergenerational experience exchange, time saving, the possibility of learning at a pace adapted tothe student, access to a large quantity of teaching materials as well as the development andexpansion of IT infrastructure. The main disadvantages are lack of peer interactions, theneed to spend a lot of time in front of the computer, lack of physical activity, diffi culties inindependent assimilation of new material, lack of direct contact with the teacher, lack ofcomputer equipment and inadequate housing conditions, lower didactic effects, social andeconomic exclusion.E-Learning is an excellent form of learning, due to its many advantages such as timesavings and access to a wide range of materials, but requires a lot of commitment from thelecturers to encourage students to expand their knowledge and on the part of students selfcontrol and motivation.

The Effect of Building Closures due to COVID 19 on the Perceptions and Practices of School Counselors

With school buildings shuttering due to COVID-19, school counselors’ work needed to shift to virtual environments. The shift in operations led us to wonder about school counselors’ perceptions and practices in these new and unfamiliar conditions. In our mixed-methods cross-sectional study, we gathered quantitative and qualitative data from 89 school counselors. Our findings include evidence of the counselors feeling disconnected from their students, lack of technology and student access, privacy issues, limited preparation to counsel in virtual environments, and work and life balance. We follow our results with a discussion, related implications, and directions for future research.

The Reality of Education in Gaza: An Analysis of the Impacts of the Israeli Blockade and Identification of its Humanitarian Recovery Needs 2006-2018

This study aimed to examine the impact of the Israeli blockade on Palestinian education and to identify the humanitarian recovery needs necessary for the quality and continuity of education. The study used the descriptive analytical method which involved examining at the phenomenon under investigation. To answer the questions of the study, the Comprehensive Literature Review Meta-Framework of the Seven-step Model was employed to guide the methodology of this research to introduce profound inferences about the impacts of the Israeli blockade on education in the Gaza Strip as well as about the recovery needs necessary to ensure the quality and continuity of Palestinian education. The findings revealed that the Israeli blockade severely impacted Palestinian education in the Gaza Strip and hindered student access to quality and inclusive education in various ways. Students were the most affected by the 12-year blockade. They were repeatedly exposed to a huge loss of lives, severe psychological traumas, and worsening economic conditions. As well, teachers were not immune from the grave consequences of the blockade in terms of murder, denial of mobility and exchange, deprivation of professional development, psychological traumas, and chronic power-cut-offs. Also, the entire Palestinian educational system was impaired by the Israeli blockade in terms of direct school destruction, stuck school reconstruction, chronic power supply deficit, unprotected learning environment, and controlled educational curriculum. Targeting and controlling students, teachers, educational infrastructure, and curricula caused long-lasting impairment to the whole Palestinian educational system. The Israeli blockade was detrimental to the students’ right to quality education that would advance their competencies and responds to the compelling current and future development needs in the Gaza Strip. Therefore, the study identified some foremost humanitarian recovery needs to be addressed by Palestinian policy makers to redress the forbidding impacts of the Israeli blockade on Palestinian education. Keywords: Palestinian education, Israeli blockade.

The Most Influential Factor to Pass Rate of Modified OSCE Exam on Student Batch 2 during Pandemic Period

The Objective structure clinical examination is an assessment tool to evaluate clinical skills. There are many factors that influence to pass rate of modified OSCE. Moreover, during online learning implementation, there are some barriers. The aim of the study is to determine the most influential factor that contributing to achieving the learning outcome in terms of passing rate modified online OSCE. An observational study was chosen involving 87 medical students batch 2. Sample size calculation used the formulation of an estimated proportion population with a simple random strategy. This study employed a questionnaire of online skill learning that was made by the researcher through analysis of factor exploratory. The participants were asked to score their agreement on the five-Likert scale. Using SPSS version 24 and software of AMOS 26, we analyzed the data for simple linear regression and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results were summarized following 2 factors that influencing pass rate of modified OSCE online, in terms of transactional distance (p value=0.001, r=0.235) and learning platform availability ((p value=0.013, r=0.087). Our finding highlights that self-reflection and student access to resources have significant contributions toward independent learner characteristics. This study has contributed to solving the problem regarding the foundational concept for the requirement of online learning. The theoretical concept of a learning platform also enhances online teaching. Foremost and utmost that self-reflection and student access to resources have become two important factors to autonomy learning. The major strength of this study is the systematic manner in which it was conducted.

Building a culture of computing in the sciences using images as data within a community of practice

The Digital Imaging and Vision Applications in Science (DIVAS) program was built to improve the computational self-efficacy and skill of first- and second-year college students majoring in biological and chemical sciences. Our three-year pilot study showed that the program could be successful in both fronts. The scholars, faculty, and staff who participated formed a community of practice that became the heart of the DIVAS program. Through this community, we expanded access to the image processing workshop in collaboration with The Carpentries, supported faculty and secondary educators in developing computing modules for their classrooms, and created and staffed a “writing center for computing” on the host campus. Overall, the DIVAS program has sparked a local computing culture. DIVAS interventions and resources are freely available for adoption by other institutions. We hope to grow the community in a way that builds student access and opportunities and supports educators in the process.

The Frontline Health Care Workers in Schools: Health Equity, the Distribution of School Nurses, and Student Access

The extent to which observed disparities in access to primary pediatric care are mirrored in student access to school nursing services is unknown. Using school employment records, we linked 1,346 nurses to school districts serving 1,141,495 students in Washington state. The percentage of students who are Black is negatively associated with the student-to-nurse ratio, while the percentage of students eligible for free-or-reduced-price lunch is positively associated, and relative to urban districts, rural districts have higher student-to-nurse ratios. Disparities in access to school nursing services mirror access gaps for pediatric care along socioeconomic status and geography. The increased number of nurses working in districts with more racial/ethnic minority students may play a protective role and ameliorate access gaps observed in pediatric primary care. States can likely use existing employment and licensing data to understand where school nurses work and therefore guide resource allocation decisions.

ON THE RECORD: STUDENT MOTIVATIONS FOR RECORDING LECTURES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR LEARNING

Prior to the pandemic, a second-year engineering course was delivered using a blended synchronous format. Students were surveyed on many aspects of their experience with this format including their use of recorded lectures. Participants reported both recording and watching behaviour: 30% of students watched recorded lectures with students watching or recording at least half of the lectures throughout the semester. From the results, recording of the lectures offers an increase in the final grade of, on average, 9.5% (p=0.0071) for both lowattending and high attending students. While attending most synchronous lectures tends to yield overall better performance (on average, 14.4%, p=0.0001), low attending students can overcome part of that gap by reviewing recorded lectures. Motivations for recording were associated with scheduling conflicts that prevented participants from attending the live lecture and participants wanting to review the material afterwards. Generally, students chose not to record the lectures because of a perceived barrier to doing so or a perception that their existing lecture notes were sufficient. Post pandemic, it may be beneficial to incorporatelecture recording with face-to-face lectures to allow students the additional benefit of reviewing lecture material and increasing student access to lecture content.

Participants' Perceptions of the Impact of the Wonder of Reading Programme

By spring, 2003, The Wonder of Reading, a non-profit organisation, had partnered with 100 Los Angeles area elementary schools to implement their 3R Programme: Renovate, Restock, and Read. The study examined the impact of The Wonder of Reading Programme in selected schools as perceived by administrators, teachers, library staff, and parent. Further, the study examined variations in perception by role and by school characteristics. Participants perceived that the project led to a cascade of changes in practices, policies, and attitudes impacting student access to print, engagement in reading, and student achievement.