bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From Adaptive Learning Support to Fading Out Support for Effective Self-Regulated Online Learning
Authors: Goda Yoshiko , Yamada Masanori , Matsuda Takeshi , Kato Hiroshi , Saito Yutaka , Miyagawa Hiroyuki
Published: October 2022

This chapter applies data mining and learning analytics, along with self-regulated learning (SRL) theories, to examine possible interventions aimed at supporting students' success with online learning. The chapter introduces two learning support systems and the results of related research. These two systems are used as sample cases to describe the relationships among SRL, learning support, learning processes, and learning effects. Case 1 is an early warning system that uses an SRL questionnaire completed before actual learning to determine which students are likely to drop out. Case 2 focuses on student planning and the implementation phases of the SRL cycle. This system supports students' own planning and learning, creating distributed learning and reducing procrastination without human intervention. A comparison of the two cases implies that a combination of an early warning system and system constraints that require planning before actual learning can reduce the need for human learning support and decrease academic procrastination, resulting in increased distributed learning.
Rethinking Flipgrid and VoiceThread in the Context of Online Collaborative Learning Theory
Authors: Saçak Begüm , Kavun Natalia
Published: October 2022

In this chapter, Harasim's online collaborative learning theory (OCL) will be addressed as it explains how collaborative learning takes place in online environments via the use of online collaborative tools. Preliminary studies on using FlipGrid and VoiceThread, discussion tools which incorporate dynamic media such as audio and video, will be explained in the context of how such collaborative media tools can foster student engagement and collaboration. Implications of using these online tools and how they contribute to collaborative learning practices will be discussed in the context of OCL theory.
Andragogy and Online Discussions
Authors: Brieger Earl William
Published: October 2022

This chapter considers the functions of online discussion and concludes that discussion alone does not guarantee deep and lasting learning. Discussion should be rooted in a sound andragogical design practice to promote meaningful learning. Online discussion requires effective instructional design to enable adult learners to be engaged and to achieve learning outcome. The chapter explores discussion board design linked with adult learning traits and preferences as well as practical strategies to assist instructors and moderators as they facilitate instruction.
The Same but Different
Authors: Northcote Maria
Published: October 2022

The field of online learning, like many other technological innovations, has not burgeoned without controversy. Despite the debates about the role and value of online learning, it has continued to grow in many sectors, especially in higher education. Alongside the growth of online learning, discussions about its benefits and limitations have also flourished, and many studies have investigated the quality and integrity of online courses. This chapter offers an investigation of some of the history of online learning, concluding with a collection of practical recommendations and suggestions for future research directions to guide institutions embarking on online learning programs.
Metacognitive Knowledge and Language Learning in a Web-Based Distance Learning Context
Authors: Fincham Naiyi Xie , Li Guofang
Published: October 2022

This chapter reported on the construction and development of the metacognitive knowledge (MCK) about web-based distance language learning of two adult English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in China. Drawing upon theories and research in metacognition, self-regulated second/foreign language learning, and distance language learning, the authors investigated adult Chinese EFL learners' knowledge about themselves as online distance language learners, the nature and demands of online distance English learning, and how to best approach their learning in this program. They identified changes in these learners' MCK over the 16 week semester and discussed how a number of contextual factors, including the pre-determined learning structure, teacher-led instructional sessions, and peer interaction opportunities, were significant in shaping and influencing learners' adjustments and revisions of their MCK about online distance language learning. Findings from this study have important implications for the design and implementation of web-based distance language programs for adult learners.
Designing and Implementing a Student-Centered Online Graduate Program
Authors: Lancaster Sean J. C. , Topper Andrew
Published: October 2022

This chapter presents a case study analysis of a graduate program that moved from initial design to effective implementation of student-centered online instruction. The authors describe their experiences designing, implementing, and evaluating an online M.Ed. degree program in a college of education—the first fully online degree program at a large, Midwestern, regional institution of higher learning. The design and approval process took almost four years, including both internal and external approvals. Initially implemented in 2011, the authors gathered three years of follow-up data about the program and evaluated its success using a variety of factors, including course- and program-level data. Program design, development, implementation, and evaluation are all addressed in this case study.
Promoting Digital Teaching and Learning
Authors: Luongo Nicole
Published: October 2022

This chapter explores various faculty development digital teaching and learning options that higher education institutions can offer distance learning instructors. The chapter explains specific methods of providing professional development opportunities for these educators. Some of these options are connected to promotion and tenure, acquisition of new technology, and personal satisfaction. Recently developed technological rewards such as digital badges and credentials are discussed in this chapter. The author explains how nationally recognized professional development programs can enhance professional development programs by offering new options to faculty. The author recommends that higher education institutions modify their current processes for offering professional development options for faculty who design and develop distance learning courses. The chapter suggests that faculty members need specific digital teaching and learning professional development training options when designing and teaching distance learning courses.
Online Learning and Quality Practice With Administrative Support and Collaboration
Authors: Wooldridge Deborah G. , Poirier Sandra , Matuga Julia M.
Published: October 2022

Higher education institutions must innovate and develop new modes of learning, both formal and informal, that meet the demands of the knowledge-driven economy. There is a growing demand for education and a push for non-traditional ways of delivering knowledge and learning. This chapter begins by identifying the technological changes that are affecting all societies and how these changes will specifically impact postsecondary education. The topic of course delivery is viewed as a cultural issue that permeates processes from the design of an online course to the evaluation of an online course. This chapter will examine and review key components of and tools for designing high impact online courses that support student learning and provide suggestions for faculty teaching online courses to assist in creating high-quality online courses that support teaching and, consequently, facilitate opportunities for student learning.
Generalizable Models for Online Professional Learning Communities for America's K-12 Teachers
Authors: Johnson Jennie Larry , Khan Adil Akhtar
Published: October 2022

America's teachers are burning out. The emergence of teacher-centered online professional learning communities (PLCs) is a relatively new phenomenon with unestablished boundaries. The questions to be answered are: (1) What are the opportunities, issues, and challenges associated with online PLCs for K-12 teachers? (2) What are generalizable models for designing, implementing, and managing online PLCs for K-12 teachers? An exhaustive review gathered, organized, evaluated, coded, analyzed, and synthesized 45 relevant studies, dissertations, articles, and reports that examined online teacher PLCs. The goal was to identify and highlight conflicts, contradictory ideas among findings. The intent was to bridge gaps between theories and principles to create a common framework and generalizable models. This study was relevant because it sought to identify opportunities, issues, and challenges associated with online teacher PLCs and successful evidence-based micro-level, meso-level, and macro-level replicable practices for broader generalization.
Faculty Development for Online Teaching
Authors: Johnson Karen R. , Hewapathirana Gertrude I. , Bowen Mauvalyn M.
Published: October 2022

Despite dramatic increase in online education and the benefits associated with this instructional pedagogy, many challenges exist with the design and delivery of online learning. Faculty play a critical role in the process of quality online education. Yet, development opportunities for faculty are too few, often lacking a comprehensive approach needed for faculty to function optimally in the online learning environment. The interconnection among pedagogy, technology, context, students, faculty, key decision makers, and administrators in higher education complicates the online teaching and learning processes. The purpose of this chapter is to address development issues related to faculty who teach online by embracing training and other critical developmental support needed to ensure success of online education. Various training and development frameworks and models are recommended as ways to prepare and support faculty to teach effectively online.
Design, Development, and Implementation of an E-Learning Course
Authors: Ramahi Refa Jamal
Published: October 2022

The researcher implemented an e-learning course at the Faculty of Education in Birzeit University that had been designed and developed years earlier. The researcher's experience as an assistant professor in curriculum and instruction within this university represents a valuable asset which has enabled her to present this research effectively by demonstrating how technological innovation changes the way that universities teach and students learn. The implementation of an e-learning approach within the educational psychology course as a pilot study utilized qualitative methods to investigate the perceptions of students regarding the quality of online education, based on their own online learning experiences. Interviews were conducted with five students. Various digital documents were collected. Positive and negative experiences of students were examined. Factors that contribute to those experiences were also identified.
Technology and Culturally Competent Strategies for the Online Classroom
Authors: Kwapy Justina Elise
Published: October 2022

The last decade has brought an increase in online courses in the educational setting. One-quarter of American college students are in an online degree program, and 32% have taken at least one online course. While students, higher universities, and faculty are enjoying the convenience and flexibility of online learning environments, there is an increasing concern over the support in distance education, teaching methods, and a social disconnectedness of students from the course. This chapter explores how technology can support a successful online learning experience and impede the dissatisfaction and higher dropout rates among students in distance learning programs. Higher institution's online faculty are now faced with the task of creating a virtual community of learners, meeting both the academic and social needs of students.
Emerging Instructional Design and Strategies for Online Courses
Authors: Gulbahar Yasemin , Adanır Gulgun Afacan
Published: October 2022

Due to rapid advancement in technology, massive changes have occurred in the educational context. Hence, educational institutions need to reshape their roles and responsibilities according to the new and innovative instructional technologies and approaches for meeting the goals of the digital era by building a digital teaching-learning culture. At this point, the major aspect is the learner, who is at the center of a teaching and learning process, which relies upon instructional design and strategies to deliver the content, and who will become the employee of the future workforce. Therefore, the design and delivery of instruction through innovative instructional strategies based on emerging learning theories are of the utmost importance. This chapter discusses the changing nature of digital teaching and learning from the perspective of delivering content and learning experiences through the effective orchestration of instructional design and strategies that are based on existing and emerging learning theories.
Surviving Learning and Teaching Online
Authors: Thompson Sherwood
Published: October 2022

The incorporation of high-impact teaching and learning practices with online students can be a rewarding experience. In this personal narrative, a comparison between online and face-to-face instructional practices is documented. This chapter illustrates that online instruction can be just as satisfying to an instructor as any other type of delivery model. The outcomes and implications are different, and the former experience has a more impactful outcome than the latter. This narrative supports the value of using high-impact teaching and learning practices to enhance instructional strategies, especially online.
Student Clustering Based on Learning Behavior Data in the Intelligent Tutoring System
Authors: Šarić-Grgić Ines , Grubišić Ani , Šerić Ljiljana , Robinson Timothy J.
Published: October 2022

The idea of clustering students according to their online learning behavior has the potential of providing more adaptive scaffolding by the intelligent tutoring system itself or by a human teacher. With the aim of identifying student groups who would benefit from the same intervention in AC-ware Tutor, this research examined online learning behavior using 8 tracking variables: the total number of content pages seen in the learning process; the total number of concepts; the total online score; the total time spent online; the total number of logins; the stereotype after the initial test, the final stereotype, and the mean stereotype variability. The previous measures were used in a four-step analysis that consisted of data preprocessing, dimensionality reduction, the clustering, and the analysis of a posttest performance on a content proficiency exam. The results were also used to construct the decision tree in order to get a human-readable description of student clusters.
ISTE Standards for Students, Digital Learners, and Online Learning
Authors: Fuller Mila Thomas
Published: October 2022

As perceptions toward online learning shift, more educators/students are embracing and enrolling in degree programs that are offered online. As a result, colleges and universities are increasingly introducing online learning as a valued approach to delivering education to learners. This paper will outline the Performance Indicators of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students. It will discuss the characteristics of digital learners and examples of strategies that educators can use to meet these performance goals. Experts in the field, recognize that there are still underlying concerns about online learning in relation to what constitutes the design, delivery, and assessment of effective and meaningful content that utilizes current and emerging technologies. Moreover, while there is an understanding amongst researchers and practitioners that online learning is more than just creating a digital version of a paper syllabus, more research is needed to move from theory to practice and to further explore effective learning with digital tools.
Online Learning for the Adult Learners Using Andragogy
Authors: Lemoine Pamela A. , Garretson Christopher J. , Waller Robert E. , Mense Evan G. , Richardson Michael D.
Published: October 2022

The world of higher education is now global with online learning a driving force in much of the world. Globalization of higher education has created vast new opportunities for e-learning, particularly for adult students. However, adult learning online is different from online for traditionally aged students. Global universities are increasing their online programs to take advantage of economic considerations, particularly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for learning online. Using online learning for adult education is essential in the changing global world. Connotations of adult learning theory for professors using online learning are many and varied. Traditional pedagogical styles will not work effectively with adult learners who desire concrete, hands-on, practical information with learning activities characterized by active involvement, task-orientation, flexibility, and creativity. Online students often want opportunities to acquire skills directly applicable to job competencies for current employment or preparation for a future job.
Synchronous Online Learning
Authors: McGinn Amy L.
Published: October 2022

This chapter explores graduate students' experiences with synchronous online learning at a private liberal arts university in the U.S. With the increasing popularity of online learning in higher education in the last decade, in-depth studies focusing on teaching and learning in a synchronous environment are needed. The author seeks to develop an understanding of synchronous learning from the perspective of students using the community of inquiry model to frame students' experiences. The students surveyed for this chapter were practicing K-12 teachers enrolled in a graduate program in educational technology. Because of students' practical knowledge of teaching, learning, and best practices for instruction, their experiences in online courses provide valuable information about the impact of synchronous online learning. This chapter sheds light on the learning needs of graduate students in a synchronous environment. This chapter also provides recommendations for how synchronous tools can be leveraged for maximum positive influence on student learning within a community of inquiry.
Holistic Evaluation Strategies to Empower Remote Adjunct Faculty
Authors: Blake Marlene N.
Published: October 2022

To ensure a quality educational experience for students, it is important to establish effective evaluation strategies to support remote adjunct faculty. Adapting a comprehensive process of training, mentoring, evaluating, and providing ongoing support strategies and professional development opportunities builds a foundation for faculty success. Implementing scalable strategies for holistic evaluation offers opportunities to further support adjunct faculty teaching online. This chapter will share effective evaluation practices that provide purposeful strategies to empower adjunct faculty to strengthen skills and ultimately support student success as well as learning in the classroom.
Gender Characteristics
Authors: Chuang Szufang , Crowder Cindy L.
Published: October 2022

Demographics in higher education populations have been changing. Females have become the majority population in online learning. Genders are physiologically and psychologically similar yet still different. This chapter provides an overview of cross-cultural gender characteristics of adult learners and discusses the associated challenges that interfere with their online learning effectiveness. Gender differences in behavior and learning are discussed from biological, environmental, and technological perspectives. Strategies to address their challenges and needs in online learning are provided. The chapter then concludes with suggestions for future research on cross-cultural gender issues in the online learning environment.
Understanding Self-Regulated Learning and Its Importance in Online Learning
Authors: Schwam Dina M. , Commander Nannette , Greenberg Daphne
Published: October 2022

With the rise in online course offerings, coupled with the growth in online course enrollment, it is surprising that drop-out rates among online courses are higher than in face-to-face courses. This has placed an importance on understanding what contributes to successful learning in online courses and how to address student needs to increase student success. Theories and conceptual models supported by research have explained the complexity of self-regulated learning and the important role metacognition and motivation play in the processes within self-regulated learning. Researchers continue to explore the interconnected relationship within the multiple constructs of self-regulated learning and academic success and its importance in online learning. It is important that instructors have an understanding of the many areas that influence student learning. Through a holistic approach addressing individual difference in supporting students' needs, instructors can encourage the development of self-regulated learning skills through scaffolding different experiences involving instruction.
A Theoretical Perspective of Inequities in Online Learning/Education Based on Generational Differences
Authors: Chitiyo Rufaro A. , Nyemba Florence
Published: October 2022

Online learning has been on the rise during the 21st century. Both instructors and students enjoy the flexibility of teaching and learning from anywhere they choose. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020 forced institutions of higher education around the globe to rely on technology to deliver education whether the institutions, instructors, and students were ready or not. The spread of the virus dictated the quick adoption of remote delivery of education. In this chapter, the authors provide a brief history of traditional learning theories followed by an assessment of their applicability to online education. Next is a delineation of the roles played by both instructors and students in online higher education. Furthermore, they explore generational differences in online learning (i.e., based on existing literature, what generational differences are evident with learning online and delivering content online?). At the end of the chapter, they provide the reader with implications/recommendations for the successful delivery of online learning/education.
Reflecting on Self-Reflection
Authors: Bell Andreea Roxana , Banu Diana Elena , Bordea Constanța , Bularca Elena Corina , Lazăr Elena Diana , Spuderca Lorena Mirela
Published: October 2022

This chapter discusses the challenges of online teaching faced by six English teachers in a state school in Romania in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. As first-time action researchers, these teachers self-reflected on their challenges to make sense of their experiences as they transitioned from face-to-face to online teaching in a collaborative research self-study. Reflective practice is the conceptual framework within which the complexities and tensions of online teaching will be explored, as well as the process by which the authors have responded to the social and technological changes caused by the pandemic. Excerpts from the authors' voices highlight their personal views and experiences as online teachers. It is hoped that not only will this self-study reflection-in-action research provide some useful lessons regarding online teaching, but it will also showcase the benefits of collaboration and reflective practice and the action it led to.
A Case Study Examining How Online Andragogy Has Reshaped Expectations for Face-to-Face Instruction
Authors: Ray Beverly B.
Published: October 2022

This chapter explores a major theme emerging from a larger case study of higher education faculty's technology life histories. Specifically, key cases, late career faculty drawn from varied fields of academic inquiry, were queried about their changing role with technology across time and place. Using a process of interviews and content analysis, major themes were identified. One major theme, using online andragogy to inform face-to-face (F2F) teaching methods and strategies, emerged across the cases and is presented here using the results from one exemplar. Results provide a sense of how online pedagogies have reshaped expectations about teaching and are being used to inform effective F2F instruction, including specific examples of learner-centered instructional practices. Results reported in this chapter present a fuller picture of the context of changing expectations across time and place within which many faculty find themselves. Implications and limitations of the research approach are explored in the chapter as well.
Scaling Online Education at a Small, Private University
Authors: Hoffman Michael S. , Jack Shelley
Published: October 2022

The online education landscape is dominated in higher education by large for-profit institutions and large public universities, but how can a small, private university develop online programs and scale them in such a way as to offer students an excellent learning experience, provide exemplary student support services, and do so with limited resources? This chapter discusses the challenges faced, and solutions deployed, by one such institution as it implemented and grew its portfolio of fully online programs.
Engaging Students in Emergency Remote Teaching
Authors: Ng Boon-Yuen
Published: October 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in emergency remote teaching taking place globally. Despite the abrupt and rapid transition as well as the temporary nature of emergency remote teaching, it is possible to implement quality online teaching. Instructors can benefit from a review of findings and strategies found in online learning literature. This chapter discusses the challenges of emergency remote teaching and recommends suitable teaching strategies that can be quickly implemented by instructors. The focus is on strategies that can help to engage students by promoting learner-content interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and learner-learner interaction. This chapter also discusses strategies that can build a community of inquiry during emergency remote teaching. Future research directions are proposed.
State of the Art About COVID-19's Impact on Santiago University, Cape Verde
Authors: Sarmento Eduardo Moraes , Monteiro José Mascarenhas
Published: October 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a critical challenge for the higher education sector worldwide. Under such a circumstance, the exploration of the capacity of this sector to adapt to such a state of uncertainty has become of huge importance. In this chapter, the authors critically reflect on the Cape Verdean teaching experience during the early COVID-19 lockdown. This is an exploratory case study based on a qualitative approach with an aim to reflect on new practices of teaching under a pandemic emergency. Based on the teaching experience of teaching in Santiago University, they explain how this university has changed from a face-to-face to an online teaching system and stress the challenges and opportunities that appear from this transition process. This chapter concludes that this strategy has become an opportunity to the university since it consistently raised the number of international students cooperating with them and also that the more adaptive and resilient approaches to online teaching were also a success.
How COVID-19 Has Stimulated Innovation in the Chinese Education Sector
Authors: Yu Poshan , Kwok Samuel , Jiang Zhongyue
Published: October 2022

This chapter aims to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 in China's education sector. It will capture the dynamics of the interlinked changing relationships between the availability and use of education technology (EdTech) and the demand for online learning among various stakeholders in the Chinese education market. In addition, this chapter examines whether and how these relationships enhance operational efficiency via transforming the current business models in the sector, in particular due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By analyzing the current practices of the sector, this chapter will critically discuss the challenges and opportunities for technology in education and how these changes in turn drive stakeholders (including students, educators, and regulators) to respond and engage with each other, and how these stakeholder engagements impact the sustainable development of delivery modes, such as digital education and remote learning by using EdTech strategies in the sector.
Early Predictors of Persistence and Performance in Online Language Courses
Authors: Gabbay Hagit , Cohen Anat , Festinger Eitan
Published: October 2022

This study examines the relationship between online learning behavior and learning outcomes with the aim of identifying early predictors of learners' persistence and success. Research focused on the first learning units of online language courses in a developing country in order to provide teachers and administrators with a simple model for identifying at-risk students. Using data from 716 students enrolled in 24 English courses at a Peruvian university, learning analytics approach was applied, framed by the self-determination theory (SDT). Results suggest that unit completion rates and time spent on learning, which are both related to sense of autonomy, strongly predict persistence at the course mid-point. Moreover, the same variables can predict student persistence as early as unit three, providing even earlier indications for dropping out. Quiz score and midterm grade, which are related to the SDT competence construct, moderately predict achievement, defined as the final exam grade. Relatedness factors (emails and Facebook activity) were not found to be early predictors.
Experiences of Educators in Imparting Digital Education and 21st Century Skills to Modern Students
Authors: Chakravarti Sriya , Stevenson Rosalind Rice
Published: October 2022

As technology influences societies worldwide and invents new opportunities and challenges, its role in education has become increasingly relevant. As the learning environment adapts and incorporates new e-teaching tools, it becomes imperative to find the role, place of technology in education, and examine the voices of educators that work with various technologies in teaching and learning to train young learners. Therefore, this research aims to examine if educators believe that they can inculcate the 21st century skills into the modern student in an online teaching environment. Furthermore, the research attempts to find the obstacles on part of the educators and students that inhibit delivery of a seamless online educational experience and teaching of the 21st century competencies.
Learner “Mixed Embodiment” in Face-to-Face, Blended, and Fully Online Learning
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: October 2022

Is it accurate to suggest that face-to-face (F2F) learning involves learner “embodiment” (learners' physical presence) and fully online learning involves learner “disembodiment” (a lack of learner corporeality in the learning experience)? An exploration of the research suggests that the concepts of embodiment and disembodiment are not clearly defined and, further, that learners engage with “mixed embodiment” in all the contexts of F2F, blended, and fully online learning. There are not bright lines of embodiment and disembodiment in the separation between real and virtual spaces in learning. This work offers a basic definition of “mixed embodiment” and some early thoughts on the way the physical learner is engaged in online learning with a variety of factors: assignment types, social interactivity, group assignments, instructor interactivity, assignment sharing, self-representation creation, technological applications, and other factors. This work has implications on instructional and learning design for greater incorporation of learner embodiment in online learning.
Comparison of Student Achievement and Problem-Solving Techniques for Integration Between Online and Face-to-Face Calculus Courses
Authors: Ferguson Sarah
Published: October 2022

Understanding the learning online students acquire through online course experiences is important as online course options and availability continue to expand. This study seeks to compare problem-solving techniques and course learning outcomes of Calculus students through the comparison of work completed by online and face-to-face Calculus students. Four assessment questions, regarding integration, will be reviewed in an effort to distinguish commonalities and/or differences in understanding and problem-solving strategies deployed by online and face-to-face Calculus students. Statistical analyses of question scores will include usage of Levene's test, Welch test, Brown-Forsythe test, and F-test. A qualitative analysis will also be conducted to analyze problem-solving strategies used by the online and face-to-face Calculus students.
Investigating Creativity in Online K-12 World Language Classrooms
Authors: Hlas Anne Cummings , Nadolny Jesselyn J. , Hlas Christopher S.
Published: October 2022

This chapter outlines creativity in the world language classroom through the results of a mixed-methods study during the COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been a growing interest in creativity within education, little has been researched related to creative and uncreative factors in the language classroom, specifically in an online teaching context. For this reason, this research study explores creativity in the online world language K-12 classroom by examining teaching artifacts self-selected by K-12 language teachers, as well as interviews with interested participants. Findings suggest that creativity is multidimensional with creative factors overlapping within artifacts. Additionally, teachers have persisted throughout the pandemic to integrate creativity in order to engage students with the content in various ways, harness student attention, and give students choice. In addition, teachers have used various technologies to provide opportunities for students to work asynchronously and synchronously.
Psycho-Social Well-Being of Young Learners During Emergency Remote Teaching
Authors: Taskiran Ayse
Published: October 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic, which started through the end of 2019 and which seems to continue for an unknown period of time, has had unprecedented effects that are not limited to health conditions only, but also include financial, sociological, and psychological consequences. This global pandemic forced schools and universities to close their doors, causing a large-scale educational disruption for a large number of learners worldwide. Despite the measures taken to compensate for education at all levels, there still is another concern for K-12 level learners' psycho-social well-being. This chapter elaborates some points that should be considered in case of emergency remote teaching applications in terms of enhancing psycho-social well-being of young learners.
Investigating Student Perceptions and the Effectiveness of K-12 Blended Learning Communities
Authors: Tovine Gina , Fleetwood April , Shepherd Andrew , Tapoler Colton J. , Hartshorne Richard , Pesce Raquel
Published: October 2022

While the growth of blended learning environments in higher education and non-educational settings has continued to increase in recent years, this has not been the case in K-12 settings. Recently, in an effort to explore the viability and effectiveness of K-12 blended learning environments, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) has been piloting blended learning communities in a number of their schools, providing opportunities to explore factors that influence the effectiveness of K-12 blended learning communities. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to report the results of a study designed to assess conditions that influence the effectiveness of K-12 blended learning communities, and to explore learner, instructor, course, and other factors important to successful blended learning communities. Findings will inform the design, development, and implementation of future K-12 blended teaching and learning environments in an effort to support and strengthen student achievement, the preparation of teachers to facilitate effective blended learning environments.
Factors Influencing Virtual Learning System Usage in Higher Education
Authors: Padayachee Indira
Published: October 2022

Virtual learning systems (VLSs), commonly referred to as learning or course management systems, have been formally adopted at many higher education institutions. However, knowledge of the actual usage of VLSs is limited in terms of what specific functional and non-functional characteristics are deemed useful and how this influences system usage. Furthermore, little is known about the role of other non-system-related factors related to VLS usage, such as pedagogic, organisational, and individual difference factors. This chapter proposes and describes the virtual learning system usage model (VLSUM), which represents the factors influencing VLS usage in higher education institutions. The VLSUM is based on a conceptual framework integrating multiple dimensions and is confirmed by the results of an empirical study. A mixed-methods research design was adopted in the development of the VSLUM. This model is valuable to educational technologists, instructional designers, and software designers for VLS implementation in higher education.
Cultivating the Online Graduate Student Experience
Authors: Goldstein Allie , Paulson Karen
Published: October 2022

This chapter presents recommendations for creating co-curricular engagement opportunities for online graduate students with evidence and examples drawn from both research and practice. Examples of successes and challenges from a leading online master's program are explored that ultimately led to the creation of multiple events including advising intake sessions, social opportunities, professional development experiences, and a virtual commencement. Four key considerations are provided to those interested in advancing new initiatives: know your audience and your goals, know your time and capacity restraints, consider partners and/or collaborators, and do not be afraid to fail.
The K-12 Teacher's Perspective on Teaching and Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Abernathy Dixie Friend , Thornburg Amy Wooten
Published: October 2022

In the spring of 2020, during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the nation's schools closed. Students were told to shelter in place at their homes and classroom teachers were charged with the challenge of educating over 50,000,000 K-12 students through online and virtual modalities. As this transition began in its early stages and then lingered for the remainder of the school year, attention and even scrutiny soon descended upon the actual preparation of teachers in executing such a transition, and the realistic success of doing so. Teachers began the new and unexpected process of teaching their students from home, and students, along with family support, began the practice of learning remotely. During this same time period, researchers were approved to conduct research focused exclusively on this educational phenomenon. One of the themes of this research was the K-12 teachers' perceptions on the teacher readiness and the overall effectiveness of this sudden switch to K-12 online teaching and learning.
From In-Person to Online Teaching
Authors: Fenderson Douglas Graham
Published: October 2022

Restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic forced many teachers across the United States to teach their students remotely using online teaching strategies. Analyzing teachers' perceptions and expectations of online teaching before and during the pandemic help stakeholders understand how to better handle the challenges of online learning. The literature review examines the traditional differences between teaching online and in-person courses, challenges faced when teaching online courses, and teacher perceptions of online learning. The survey method was used to collect data on the experiences of online teaching before and during the pandemic from ninth through twelfth grade teachers in a North Texas school district. The study results show that factors such as a teacher age or years of experience had less influence determining if they were prepared for online teaching. Rather, factors like a teacher school campus, prior experience, and access to support structures correlated more to teachers having a high level of preparedness for online teaching.
Inequities Revealed
Authors: Potter Rachel
Published: October 2022

With the onset of the pandemic associated with COVID-19 taking hold in North America in spring of 2020, higher education institutions responded swiftly to reduce virus transmission by shifting in-seat courses to virtual-only instruction. Many faculty and students had already been engaged in online teaching and learning from the semester's onset. Still, these students were not exempt from facing challenges and inequities directly related to, or coinciding with, the change in instructional delivery. This chapter serves to share the stories of a diverse group of four faculty and four students who were already engaged in online learning at the time of this mid-semester shift and identify key barriers experienced. The most common themes include parenting and childcare responsibilities, supporting colleagues and other learners, difficulty maintaining work and study routines, and the direct impact of illness.
Maximizing the Social Dynamics, Work Processes, and Target Outcomes of Learning Groups Online
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: October 2022

In formal learning in higher education, online learning groups are used to help learners attain various learning objectives in a learning domain and outside that domain. Social learning is set up to benefit the following: enhanced distributed collaboration, intercommunications, co-exploration, co-inquiry, co-design, diverse thinking, critical thinking, and other capabilities. Through a review of the literature and analysis of years of learning management system (LMS) data, this work offers some early observations of potential variables for study (studied individually or in concert) to better understand how to maximize learning groups online (the social dynamics, work processes, and target outcomes), as part of a pre-“research design” exploration. Ultimately, different levers in the design and support of online learning groups are seen to affect their efficacy in various online learning contexts.
Supporting Faculty and Students During Pandemic Conditions
Authors: Dennis Michelle
Published: October 2022

Events that are unforeseen in nature and have widespread impact demonstrate the potential to necessitate abrupt changes in both personal and professional parameters of life. Although university departments that are already primarily online are accustomed to operating in a predominately remote atmosphere, multiple adjustments were required to effectively support faculty and students during the early days of the global pandemic, COVID-19. This chapter will explore relevant challenges from the perspective of a chair of an online department. Included will be an analysis of considerations for an administrator's effective self-management during periods of abrupt change.
Pulmonary Thromboembolism in Mild and Asymptomatic COVID-19 Cases – A Clinical Conundrum in Post COVID era
Authors: Sisupalan Keerthi Nedumala , Acharya Vishak , Antony Thomas , Kalluraya Gopal Govind , Kamath Sindhu
Published: October 2022

We present a case series of patients with pulmonary embolism of unknown etiology who did not have any risk factors. According to the findings, the most likely cause of the pulmonary embolism was undiagnosed, asymptomatic, or mild Corona Virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infections in the recent past. In the current post-pandemic era, where there has been a surge of sudden unexplained deaths and pulmonary embolism cases, this case series emphasizes the importance of pulmonary embolism evaluation in patients seeking medical care for dyspnea. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of pulmonary embolism as a late complication in patients with mild, asymptomatic, or undiagnosed COVID-19 infection.
A case report on the management of lingual papilitis through Ayurveda
Authors: Bavalatti Narayan , Rajagopala Manjusha , Dabas Anjali
Published: October 2022

Transient lingual papilitis is a common inflammatory hyperplasia of one or multiple fungiform lingual papillae that has acute onset. It is painful and transient. Based on the clinical features, the condition can be compared with Pittaja jihvakantaka. In the present case report, a 35-year-old male patient presented with a chief complaint of nodular growth on the dorsal surface of his tongue for 4 months. The growth persisted even after intake of systemic steroids and even after avoiding possible mechanical stimuli. Considering the pathology and symptomatology, Triphala guggulu, Kamadudha rasa, Sutashekhara rasa, Ajamodadi churna, and Haridra khanda were prescribed. Anu taila and Yashtyadi taila were given for Pratimarsha nasya (~low-dose medication through nasal route). After about four months of treatment, the associated symptoms subsided to a significant level. No adverse events were noted during the treatment and follow-up period of about three months. This case report sets an example that Ayurveda has an effective and safe treatment for conditions such as lingual papilitis. This case also becomes evidence and base for further research works with a larger sample size.
Prevalence of Extended Spectrum β-Lactamases Klebsiella pneumoniae in various Clinical Samples and Characterization of the bla Genes in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Western Maharashtra
Authors: Desai Deepali , Misra Rabindra N. , Das Nikunja K. , Gandham Nageswari R. , Vyawhare Chanda R. , Mirza Shahzad
Published: October 2022

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

This study was carried out to determine the presence of blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M genes in extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Klebsiella pneumoniae at a tertiary care hospital of western Maharashtra.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 2312 clinically significant, non-repetitive isolates of K. pneumoniae isolated from outpatient and inpatients attending the hospital were included in the study. An antibiotic susceptibility test, screening, and phenotypic confirmation for ESBLs producers were performed to check for the presence of ESBL enzymes. A polymerase chain reaction was carried out for the detection of ESBL-producing genes CTX-M-15, TEM, and SHV.

Results:

Non-repetitive clinical specimens processed for culture and identification in our hospital revealed 931 (40.26%) were ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. A total of 45 bacterial isolates were subjected to molecular genotyping for the production of extended broad spectrum β-lactamases. Of the 45 samples, 40 (88.9%) were positive for blaCTX-M gene, and 44 (97.8%) were positive for blaTEM and blaSHV genes. ESBL production in these samples is largely found to be contributed by CTX-M, TEM, and SHV genes as the prevalence for these genes was higher.

Conclusion:

This is among the premier report describing the simultaneous occurrence of blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M genes and their dissemination. This raises concern and emphasizes a need for more molecular studies to search for the presence of these gene pools in this locality.