scholarly journals Collaborating in online teaching: inviting e-guests to facilitate learning in the digital environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 121 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 579-585
Author(s):  
Crystal Fulton

Purpose Teaching and learning online during the Covid-19 pandemic has forced university instructors to consider online alternatives to the classroom. It is possible to facilitate students’ learning in the digital environment in similar ways to the traditional face-to-face classroom. The inclusion of e-guests in the digital learning space presents one such opportunity. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of e-guests in online learning. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case study, following a postgraduate class and the role of the e-guest in students’ synchronous online learning. Findings E-guests facilitated student learning. Their approaches to learning ranged from slides to discussions. Students responded well to this method of learning. Practical implications There is potential for enhancing student learning through the inclusion of e-guests, who bring their expertise to the classroom. E-guests from different regions offer students an opportunity to learn from specialists they would not necessarily have access to in the traditional classroom. Originality/value E-guests offer one important potential means of enriching online teaching.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Webb ◽  
Ronald William McQuaid ◽  
C. William R. Webster

PurposeThis article investigates some ongoing issues faced by higher education institutions (HEIs) having to rapidly move their teaching online during the early stages of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe article incorporates a review of academic and policy literature concerning digitalisation and online learning in universities and qualitative interviews with staff involved in online teaching and learning at a university in Scotland.FindingsFor most HEIs and organisations across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the speed at which digitalisation and digital ways of working have been embedded in organisational life and service delivery including new ways of learning and working. This has led to a recognition of the need for practically focused, effective inclusive digital interventions. A range of initiatives that have been developed or accelerated in response to the pandemic are discussed. These should be explicitly designed and implemented to also reach individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those with low-skill levels or qualifications and older age groups. Effort is also needed by policymakers and HEIs to better understand the challenges and unintended consequences that digital learning and working poses.Research limitations/implicationsMore research is needed into the methods and implications of increased online teaching. The range of interviewees is limited to one main organisation. A wider range of staff, students, HEIs and other types of organisation would add additional insights.Practical implicationsInsights from interviews highlight a number of institutional responses to digitalisation, which were accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These identify learning and reflection points for HEIs moving to enhanced online teaching provision.Originality/valueThis article provides an analysis of the processes, issues and impacts associated with the rapid shift to digitisation in HEIs at a point in time shortly following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It raises issues around inclusivity of online learning, pedagogy, unintended consequences of digitalisation and privacy, when moving to online teaching that are relevant both during the pandemic and in the longer term.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda White

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the shift of assessments online and the potential impact on academic integrity and misconduct. The rapid pivot to online teaching as a result of COVID19 and our experiences in the accounting academy is the embodiment of the phrase “may you live in interesting times”. As teaching and learning activities shifted online, so did assessment of student learning. A topic of great discussion amongst faculty is whether accounting exams should be invigilated online and whether exams should be used at all to assess student learning. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses personal reflections and experiences to analyse the tensions between the risk of academic misconduct, maintaining assessment security and accreditation requirements of professional accounting bodies during the shift of assessment tasks online in 2020. These tensions are analysed using the fraud triangle framework (Cressey, 1973). Findings Students face incentives and pressures to engage in misconduct, opportunities that arise from online learning and assessment, and hold complex perceptions around their attitudes towards academic integrity and rationalisations of misconduct behaviour. Originality/value Suggestions are made as to how the accounting academy can move forward, taking advantages of online assessment, while still ensuring that our graduates are meeting the competencies required to join the accounting profession.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 221258682110070
Author(s):  
Ka Ho Mok ◽  
Weiyan Xiong ◽  
Hamzah Nor Bin Aedy Rahman

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has forced online teaching and learning to be the primary instruction format in higher education globally. One of the worrying concerns about online learning is whether this method is effective, specifically when compared to face-to-face classes. This descriptive quantitative study investigates how students in higher education institutions in Hong Kong evaluated their online learning experiences during the pandemic, including the factors influencing their digital learning experiences. By analysing the survey responses from 1,227 university students in Hong Kong, this study found that most of the respondents felt dissatisfied with their online learning experiences and effectiveness. Meanwhile, this study confirms that respondents’ household income level and information technology literacy affected their online learning effectiveness. Moreover, this study highlights the significant contributions of the community of inquiry, which places social presence on the promotion of a whole person development that could not be achieved when relying mainly on online learning. Findings encourage university leaders and instructors to search for multiple course delivery modes to nurture students to become caring leaders with the 21st century skills and knowledge set.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Serdyukov

PurposeWith the rapid transition of education from the traditional, classroom- or campus-based to the online format, there grows a need for not only taking advantage of online technology but also assessing actual and potential effects it can make on the learners, learning, education, and society. One of the risks inherent in online learning is its growing formalization both in the organization of the learning and in its process, which may gravely affect students’ learning, health, cognition, behavior and quality of the learning outcomes. It can also produce serious implications for the society. This article investigates the origins of formalization, its forms and stages, and discusses asynchronous, precision, and automated learning formats from this perspective. Among many issues, the impact of formalization on the learner's development and socialization is considered. The author offers a pragmatic solution for deformalization of online learning.Design/methodology/approachQualitative analysis of contemporary research literature, educational trends and practices.FindingsIt was found that formalism permeates online education in many ways. It is present in asynchronous, precise and automated learning and may produce significant impact on students, their learning, and society.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a qualitative research based on the analysis of current research literature and teaching practices.Practical implicationsWhile formalism in education is an unavoidable evil, its impact must be diminished. Critical analysis and practical recommendations offered may help improve online teaching and learning.Social implicationsFormalism affects both students' socialization in the online learning environment, and patterns of socialization in the society. It also impacts students’ cognition and behaviors. So, counteracting formalism may benefit the society's well-being.Originality/valueThe authors could not find any publications on this topic. So this is an original material which may contribute to improving online teaching and learning.


Author(s):  
Michael Alexander Radin ◽  
Natalia Shlat

This paper’s intents are to render the learning outcome, success and challenges that emerge in an online teaching and learning environment in comparison to the traditional face to face classroom environment. First of all, we will examine how the students acclimate to the new online digital learning atmosphere after the traditional face to face learning environment; what challenges and barriers the students encounter in a synchronous and in an asynchronous online learning environments? Second of all, we will focus on how professors adapt to the new digital online teaching styles and examine the new essential teaching innovations that arise in order to achieve and go beyond the expected learning outcomes; how to remit to the students’ challenges and retain the positive and engaging learning environment? In addition, our aims are to examine new pedagogical innovations that naturally emerge while responding to the students’ travails and to smoothly navigate them to achieve the expected learning outcomes.Furthermore, our paper’s intents are to portray how an online learning environment can attain more effective learning outcomes in comparison to the traditional face to face classroom environment; how to think beyond our horizons and to enhance the learning outcomes in a digital learning atmosphere while addressing the students’ challenges? Moreover, we will emphasize how the immediate graded feedback and students’ feedback serve as pertinent tools in achieving the learning outcome and inspires students to learn in an online atmosphere. 


Author(s):  
Leovgildo Lito D. Mallillin ◽  
Lorna Casoco Mendoza ◽  
Jocelyn B. Mallillin ◽  
Rosina C. Felix ◽  
Imelda C. Lipayon

Online learning education pedagogy is the trend at present in the educational system due to Covid 19 pandemic crises. It explores the pedagogical design in the academic competency of student development in various digital learning literacy on technology collaborative enhance learning. The study aims to identify the different transition of Covid 19 pandemic in the implementation and readiness of online learning for both teachers and students in terms of access to digital work, availability of technology, adequacy of technology, access to effective online learning platform, access to link of internet, and school practices to online teaching. Descriptive quantitative method is employed in the study because it provides a systematic and accuracy that describes the phenomenon of the current study. Purposive sampling technique is utilised in the study because it is subjective, selective, and judgmental sampling. The study compromised one hundred fifty (150) respondents. Results show that online learning fits the different pedagogy of learning tools, resources, course materials in the access to digital work, transform student responsibility and learning experience to new opportunity of learning and empowers student on technology to be more creative and connected in their online learning classes and activities in the availability of technology, accessibility to online learning process that enable to study or teach anywhere and anytime through internet connection as advantage for student and allow for a customise learning experience flexibility to study at their level and ability to improve learning dynamic in adequacy of technology, enhance professional skill in online learning and teaching through skill, attitude, and knowledge in a competitive world of e-learning tailored with the global demand of education due to Covid 19 pandemic in access to effective online learning platform, provide access to internet that use for online teaching to communicate, manage, create, gather, access, and distribute information for student learning in access to link of internet, and open for adjustment and constructive feedback in a novice teaching online and innovation to technology that will be helpful for student learning school practice online teaching. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0623/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>


Author(s):  
John Hannon

<span>The term "innovation" is associated mainly with change in practice using educational technology. This paper explores the question of why innovations in online teaching and learning in higher education break down or deliver less than they promise: why they are so resource intensive, so prone to breakdown, and why they often fail to live up to their promises? Two cases of innovation were selected from a broad doctoral research project across three Australian universities, involving 24 interviewees. One case was a bottom up, wiki based learning space inspired by a constructivist commitment, the other a top down response to organisational change in a degree program. Despite literature on case studies which offer useful, evidence based approaches and models for online pedagogy, there is a lack of analytical perspectives with which to engage with breakdowns and "thwarted innovation" in online learning. The focus in this paper is </span><em>online teaching</em><span>, and breakdowns are scoped beyond the technologies involved and encompass social, material and discursive entities. An actor network perspective (Callon 1986; Latour 1987; Law 2000) is used to explore the relationality between social and technological entities, and the sociotechnical assemblage which constitutes online teaching. It argues that (i) crucial factors are hidden by the normative perspective inherent in the implementation of technology systems, and (ii) recognising the connections between the social, material and discursive entities in online learning offers a strong analytic basis for innovative teaching and learning practice.</span>


2017 ◽  
Vol SED2017 (01) ◽  
pp. 5-7
Author(s):  
Ruchi Jain ◽  
Neelesh Kumar Jain

The concept of big data has been incorporated in majority of areas. The educational sector has plethora of data especially in online education which plays a vital in modern education. Moreover digital learning which comprises of data and analytics contributes significantly to enhance teaching and learning. The key challenge for handling such data can be a costly affair. IBM has introduced the technology "Cognitive Storage" which ensures that the most relevant information is always on hand. This technology governs the incoming data, stores the data in definite media, application of levels of data protection, policies for the lifecycle and retention of different classes of data. This technology can be very beneficial for online learning in Indian scenario. This technology will be very beneficial in Indian society so as to store more information for the upliftment of the students’ knowledge.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 856-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Ärlestig ◽  
Monika Törnsen

Purpose – The main task of every school is to contribute to student learning and achievement. In the twenty-first century, national and international evaluations and comparisons have focussed on measurable student and school results. Not only teachers but also principals are held accountable for school results, which increase expectations of principals to work to enhance student learning and improve outcomes. In Sweden, a principal's work with a given school's core mission is labeled as pedagogical leadership, a concept that includes diverse activities related to national goals and school results. Aspects of pedagogical leadership include principals’ classroom observations and communication about teaching and learning issues. The purpose of this paper is to describe a model of pedagogical leadership as a base for principals’ experience with the aim to develop their understanding of pedagogical leadership. Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on data from three groups of principals who participated in a course to learn more about pedagogical leadership. Findings – The participating principals performed their pedagogical leadership in different manners and with varying quality. During the course, there was a shift in what activities and duties the principals prioritized. The findings highlight the importance of democratic leadership and the improvement of teacher capacity and student outcomes. Practical implications – The paper gives practical examples on how principals can improve their understanding of pedagogical leadership. Originality/value – There are few articles on how pedagogical leadership is understood and practiced. The paper provides a model for pedagogical leadership and empirical data that shows that the concept deserves to be viewed as a qualitative concept that need interpretation.


Author(s):  
Victor K. Lai

Abstract As the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden shift to online teaching and learning in April 2020, one of the more significant challenges faced by instructors is encouraging and maintaining student engagement in their online classes. This paper describes my experience of flipping an online classroom for a core Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics class to promote student engagement and collaboration in an online setting. Comparing exam scores with prior semesters involving in-person, traditional lecture-style classes suggests students need a certain degree of adjustment to adapt to this new learning mode. A decrease in Student Rating of Teaching (SRT) scores indicates that students largely prefer in-person, traditional lectures over an online flipped class, even though written comments in the SRT contained several responses favorable to flipping the class in an online setting. Overall, SRT scores on a department level also showed a similar decrease, which suggests students were less satisfied with the quality of teaching overall throughout the department, with this flipped method of instruction neither improving nor worsening student sentiment towards online learning. In addition, whereas most students liked the pre-recorded lecture videos, they were less enthusiastic about using breakout rooms to encourage student collaboration and discussion. Further thought and discussion on best practices to facilitate online student interaction and collaboration are recommended, as online learning will likely continue to grow in popularity even when in-person instruction resumes after the pandemic.


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