Exploring Students’ Factors in Online Teaching during COVID-19 Lockdown from their Lecturers’ Viewpoint and Perspectives

The global community is currently harnessing the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 Education response, to build more resilient education systems. This can effectively be achieved via empirical evidence of the experiences of all stakeholders in education in all nations during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. The purpose of this study was to explore student factors in the lecturers’ experience of their online emergency remote teaching (ERT) in the College of Education, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria during the COVID-19 lockdown. Using a quantitative descriptive design, the lecturers completed a structured questionnaire about their online ERT experiences. The findings suggest that generally, the students chose the familiar WhatsApp (chat and voice) messaging as against the use of zoom and other platforms for the ERT. Top students’ challenges are:unpreparedness for the ERT.experience of unavailable/unstable network/internet access andinability to purchase enough data.In addition, students lacked:smart phones/laptops/computers,necessary ICT skills, anddid not embrace the ERT, although it engaged them academically during the lockdown.Based on these results and in view of prevalent/imminent lockdown due to emerging new variants of the COVID-19 such as delta and omicron, interventions/strategies for achieving successful and satisfactory online teaching are recommended.

The Effects of Self-regulated Learning Strategies on Computer Programming Achievement in Teacher Education

This study investigates the effects of student use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies on their computer programming achievement. Ninety-six students from undergraduate teacher training programmes offered by a Hong Kong university voluntarily participated in the study. Sixty-six of them were first-year students enrolling on an introductory Java programming course, while 30 were second-year students enrolling on an advanced Java programming course. The SRL strategies adopted by participants were measured by the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and were exemplified from the reflective writing of their electronic portfolios. Their achievement in computer programming was evaluated using continuous and end of course assessments. The findings of this study suggest that higher-order cognitive strategies (i.e. elaboration, organization, critical thinking), metacognitive control strategies (i.e. self-regulation) and resource management strategies (i.e. time and study environment management, help seeking) are likely to facilitate a prolonged achievement of computer programming for both novices and non-novices. They can provide insights into designing adequate SRL strategy training to support student learning in computer programming.

Secret of Instructional Design Revisited

Improvements in technology, especially automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence have dramatically changed what people do in the workplace and how they do it. Technology advancements over the past 3 decades have reshaped demands in schooling and the workplace bringing on new challenges and opportunities. Employers need employees who are critical thinkers, communicators, collaborators, and creators to remain competitive and innovative. Educators recognize these abilities that learners must have to take advantage of the opportunities and face the challenges that are presented to them in the 21st century. As was the case 30 years ago, the same consistency is needed today among the four elements of instructional design: objectives, methods, content, and evaluation. There must also be integration of the instructional system with authentic, real-world performance. If these two critical aspects are not met the chances of obtaining the desired effectiveness of learning is not likely to be met. The Internet and cloud computing allow more rapid development of instruction for more efficient and affective learning. The pace of change also requires a greater emphasis on the iterative nature of evaluating the instructional design system.

Managing English Language Classroom for Meaningful Teaching and Learning: A Case Study for Hochland High School in Windhoek

Total management of overcrowded classrooms have across-the-board effects for English as a Second Language teaching and learning environments as in any subject. Greater attainment and achievements in schools depend on the choices made with regard to teacher-learner ratios that consider of classroom management. Recruitment of learners and teachers should ensure that classrooms are enabled to meet the demands of professional teaching challenges, amongst other, inidvidualised teaching and learning. The aim of the research was to explore the challenges and related matters in managing English as a Second Language overcrowded classrooms. A qualitative approach, steered by a case study design, purposively guided the study. It was deemed fit in order to understand the phenomena with deeper understanding of beliefs and situated lived experiences. Semi-structured interviews and nonparticipant observations were used as methods to generate data for analysis. The research exposed that copious problems were experienced by teachers and leaners who were subjected to overcrowded classrooms. Amongst many, noise and unruly behaviour, poor time management and teaching approaches result in such classes. Guiding principles regarding sound teacher-learner ratios should be put in place by policymakers and schools in order to support both teachers and learners for the success of teaching and learning.

Student Profiling as a Tool for Inclusive Instructional Design: A Case of a 3rd Year Biotechnology Class, University of Namibia

Massification of Higher Education (HE) has made it difficult for teachers to design instructional strategies that are responsive to the diverse student needs. We here argue that student profiling is a handy tool that the HE teacher can use for inclusive instructional design by thoughtfully selecting learning and teaching strategies, and materials and supports that will maximise student achievement. We designed a student-profiling instrument focusing on capturing students’ biographical information, learning preferences, anticipated learning outcomes, personality traits, and learning related skills-set and administered to students in a 3rd Year Biotechnology class at the University of Namibia. The data on learning style preferences was analysed using the VARK Questionnaire (version 8.01) while a Chi-square (?2) test of association (SPSS software version 24) was used to determine whether there was a relationship between students’ preferred learning styles and the other variables. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the students had multimodal learning preferences while 25% were unimodal for kinesthetic learning style. No students preferred visual or auditory learning alone. The ?2 test revealed no significant relationship between students’ preferred learning styles and any of the other variables including age, place of origin, home language, home setting, residence during school semester, pre-course anticipation, skills set, and personality traits (P > 0.05). We conclude that profiling students’ learning preferences prior to teaching and learning helps HE teachers to tailor their instructional strategies to students’ learning style preferences, maximises epistemological access, as well as enhance inclusivity, equality and equity.

An Empirical Study of Students’ Acceptance of Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia

This paper seeks to explore factors that determine the university student’s acceptance and adoption behavior towards online education platforms in Saudi Arabia (SA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research relied mainly on two theories: Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Five different constructs were utilized from those theories to investigate the university student’s intention toward using online education platforms. The proposed model and its five hypotheses were tested by conducting a quantitative survey across social media to university students from different regions around SA. For the model validity, the measurement model was analyzed using a structural equation modeling technique applied using SmartPLS software. The survey sample consisted of 708 university students in different regions of SA. The analysis results show that Performance Expectancy (PE) and Facilitating Conditions (FC) affect students’ Attitude toward Using (ATU) and that ATU positively affects Behavioral Intention (BI). Nevertheless, Effort Expectancy (EE) is not significantly related to ATU. Thus, the level of difficulty in using the online education platform is not an effective determinant factor that would change the student’s attitude.

Hot and Cold Cognition in Hybrid Communication

In the socioprofessional as well as the educational context, hybrid communication has experienced an explosion and exerted strong influence not only on our psychic but also on our physical existence. In this context, cybernetics makes it possible to exploit the mechanism of control and interaction among people in continuous motion. With the integration of digital media in all aspects of human life, the exchange of digital data is continuously spreading without neglecting that these new modes of communication and collaboration can also determine our senses as well as our behavior by exerting influence not only on our perceptions and thoughts but also on our mentality. On the other hand, human capacities linked to psychomotor factors make it possible to cultivate critical thinking, sense of responsibility and cooperation. However, the risk of disturbances could lead to a gap of psychomotor investment. Above all, it is necessary to take into account social cognition and the role of memory in online interactions and learning techniques with the uses of computer systems, because the memorization of actual experiences becomes profound, if we perceive each situation in a state of strong emotional involvement.

Teachers’ Inclusive, Augmentative, Assistive and IT Competences in Working with Children with Special Educational Needs

In this study we wanted to determine the presence of teachers’ information-communication-technological competencies in working with students with special educational needs. Desk research provides an overview of policy and support in inclusive education in Montenegro, with a focus on teachers’ inclusive training. From 2015 to 2018, 148 trainings were realized in the field of inclusive education and 3848 teachers were trained - most often, these were one-day trainings, duration - 8 hours, and the topics were: Working with specific disabilities, adaptation, individualization. Systematic observation based on a protocol was conducted with 15 children from the second to the sixth grade of primary school: autism; intellectual, visual, hearing, combined disabilities and difficulties: speech, language, reading and writing. The findings indicate that teachers are educated to an individualize approach. We observed the application of the approach and the use of learning and communication technology. The effects of teachers’ work and competencies are better after training, coaching and when they get support from the professional associates of the school and/or resource center. Teachers’ attitudes are positive, they show creativity, adaptability, use the technologies after they have been trained about the characteristics of students, and recommended approaches for working with them.

Hybrid Learning Here to Stay!

The pursuit of knowledge is a defining factor for the current civilization. Hybrid learning represents an evolution of this pursuit since it involves delivering learning through in-person and remote instruction simultaneously. Hybrid learning is here to stay due to its benefits that facilitate education delivery in modern contexts while focusing on meeting learning objectives. However, it suffers from some drawbacks and shortcomings that impact its adoption. However, through a variety of viable approaches, it is possible to address the said drawbacks and shortcomings and increase the adoption of hybrid learning in the future. Consequently, hybrid learning holds great promise for the future of education as it exploits advancements made in the recent past to meet the needs of learners in a variety of contexts without compromising the attainment of desired objectives.

Implementation of Asynchronous Educational Modules to Improve Student Understanding of Statistical Analysis in STEM Undergraduate Courses

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many undergraduate students have been given no other option but to take their classes remotely. This has provided many challenges for both students and instructors, especially in the STEM field due to the required laboratory coursework. For this reason, alternative methods of distance learning are needed to optimize student laboratory experiences. The sudden transition to a remote format and adjusting to a new learning environment has proven to be difficult for both students and faculty. It has also been established throughout the pandemic that students perform substantially worse in on-line coursework compared with traditional, in-person classes. Students in a general chemistry course were introduced to innovative asynchronous lab modules that could be performed at home with the additional opportunity of conducting statistical analysis tests. These modules utilize discussion boards, graphing assessments, and labs to teach students how to perform different statistical tests and to familiarize students with the DataClassroom, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Excel platforms. This asynchronous learning format will promote both overall student engagement in STEM courses and student understanding of statistical analysis, thus exhibiting the potential to implement these modules in future undergraduate STEM coursework.