Most educational institutions have moved all lectures online as an emergency response to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Shutting down all classroom teaching and now only deliver classes online, e.g. virtual classroom. As many educational programmes emphasizes on student interactions (both student-lecturer as student-student), we need to examine how to keep the heart of our teaching/ learning approaches online.
Like in trainings, tutorials, projects, group assignments, what are your experiences with online teaching and student interactions in times of corona?
It has been a challenge considering that the courses were planned for face-to-face situations and are now in transition to remote education. In other words, it was not planned to be carried out online. It has taken a long time to adapt these activities and redefine objectives and results. On the other hand, there is a greater challenge, due to the situation of inequalities among students, mainly socio-economic inequalities. Some do not have access to the internet, so due to the isolation it has been very difficult to get in touch to identify which students would need help to access the internet for example. Other students who have access, do not have the experience of studying online so it is necessary to create routines and support to deal with the use of the media. But it seems that this may be an opportunity to work on the importance of accessing the media for communication and expression of all.
As well as in relation to teacher training for the use of different resources.
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Yes. The sudden switch to 100% online teaching was challenging equally for both teachers and students. The faculty was to do content development in systems like LMS and also identify and use convenient E-learning application systems for synchronized classes and assessment acceptable by students. Conversely, students had challenges in procuring gadgets needed for E-learning from home. Some students' laptops not functional and no repair services available, making them use handphones for learning. Using a handphone for education is not that easy, mainly for eyes. Challenges in terms of the availability of stable internet for all, especially for students in the remote areas, was another major huddle for the students. Some of the faculty also faced internet connectivity issues.
Not to forget also that different students have different learning styles: auditory, visual , kinesthetic, and mixed. All this was challenging. After a month and with follow up survey, both students and faculty have adapted to the new normal to a certain extent but not 100%. However, we are also confused about skill training, which needs not only an application system but the necessary equipment—overall notoriously challenging experience.
It has been a challenge considering that the courses were planned for face-to-face situations and are now in transition to remote education. In other words, it was not planned to be carried out online. It has taken a long time to adapt these activities and redefine objectives and results. On the other hand, there is a greater challenge, due to the situation of inequalities among students, mainly socio-economic inequalities. Some do not have access to the internet, so due to the isolation it has been very difficult to get in touch to identify which students would need help to access the internet for example. Other students who have access, do not have the experience of studying online so it is necessary to create routines and support to deal with the use of the media. But it seems that this may be an opportunity to work on the importance of accessing the media for communication and expression of all.
As well as in relation to teacher training for the use of different resources.
Article Is media literacy an urgent issue in education for all?
Article Teachers' pedagogical strategies for integrating multimedia ...
Dear Nanco Dolman - this is such a saturated question. Notwithstanding teaching at, arguably, the largest Open Distance University on the African continent, pre-COVID boundaries (conceptual, virtual, experiential) have been smashed (probably forever). Not necessarily because we chose to, but because we had to. In many ways, it is like building a plane whilst flying it at the same time. For me, WhatsApp and multiple WhatsApp groups have become a second-tier response after official online tutorial platforms. These platforms for student engagements have proven immensely helpful. My one subject's examination (1460 students) was completed 3 hours ago. During every examination (in my timeslot there were 5 exams taking place) a Microsoft Teams platform is created to monitor any ICT glitches and urgent student support needs that arise. When issues/problems come up, it is immediately communicated and dealt with by the relevant specialists. As a backup, a Dropbox link (dedicated to each subject) is created as an alternative submission avenue. Interesting times indeed. Best wishes to all the lecturers out there!
My biggest challenge was students not having the necessary resources or facilities.
my challenge is similar to Eric's... lack of adequate secure (getting push back from IT on ZOOM) resources to conduct online training and lack of student/participant familiarity and access to required electronics. staff and leadership seem most comfortable with simple lectures (no interactivity)
Si tengo la experiencia y el reto es el perfeccionamiento de la academia en sus aspectos teoricos y cientificos, la gran desventaja es la proyeccion de las practicas y clinicas en el area de la odontologia. El gran inconveniente que se ha evidenciado es la falta de una buena conexion a internet y cortes en el fluido electrico. Pienso que estamos en el camino adecuado como una alternativa en tiempos de pandemia. Gracias
Students not staying on the platform for the entire sessions. I think a graded review quiz at the beginning of the online session can help students keep abreast with the course content before moving on to new material:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VVCclyYmZM&t=4s
Article Peer Review of Classroom Teaching: Addressing Student, Lectu...
Best,
Debra
El estudiante durante la clase interactua constantemente con preguntas y respuestas. Debe tener su camara activa y se realizara la evaluacion del tema visto en la siguiente clase. Los estudiantes deberan tomar conciencia de la etica y compromiso que tienen en su proceso de formacion profesional.
It's a challenge adding that, most of the learners in rural schools are not familiar with the online issues. The other thing is network problems with the pupils coming from rural areas. Because of this, the coverage of the syllabus will be affected.
Although distance education is an effective teaching method, we miss face to face education.
Dependendo da localização das instituições de ensino, dos campis, dos institutos, esse método não funciona devido a ineficácia de recurso tecnológicos , como é o nosso caso do interior do estado do Amazonas. Muitos alunos indígenas não tem acesso à internet e nem ferramentas tecnológicas, pois vivem em comunidades rurais. Neste momento é um desafio!
Most university community members - both students and staff members (academic and non-academic) do not have a clue when it comes to teaching, learning, and assessing online. Students are overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated with the volumes and less quality of instructional materials being dumped on them in the manner of either consume and pass or leave it and fail. I am not in any way blaming students or academic staff. Majority of the cases are due to the fact that students are not used to learning an online mode, lecturers are not in tune with designing instructional materials to be used in an online mode and those who are in tuned were not afforded quality time as needed to designing quality instructional materials, as well as institutions IT infrastructure not built to handle the heavy load at the same time.
My experience says that the current online education is not at all fruitful. Most of the children have suffered a lot due to poor internet connectivity, non availability of laptop and android phone etc.
My experience has produced mixed feelings. Fisrt thing is that I was very impressed at the speed at which our teachers and students adapted to the online teaching idea. It has actually gone better than I had expected. However, there have been many challenges. In Cameroon, our internet network systems and electricity supply are not always reliable. Thus internet connections and electricity shortages have actually interfered with the access to the teaching and learning platform. Secondly, not all children have access to the equipment ( computers, telephones, tablets etc). There are various reasons for that which include affordability or discipline as mist parents would normally not give their children these devices until they get to a certain age. So it has been a challenge to some parents who either had to buy reluctantly or had to share their devices with the children. A third challenge was parents having to make themselves available to assist the kids.
Fortunately, we have found ways of overcoming some of these challenges.
Hi, I never would have imagine that online live class be so different.
Firstly you do not have eye contact, unable to gather feedback of their state of response. secondly, you have to rely on hearing for feedback. Sometimes it could be very lonely, as if you are talking to the wall. Slowly, need to develop new teaching / laerning technique to feel confident that your teaching has been effective.
On the other hand, class responds for questions & discussion seem to be more likely. Once you have the right technique in place, you get to enjoy the class better. MS Teams the platform we used for the past 12 weeks has also been enhancing itself to provide more meaningfull class.
In my courses, I have used BigBlueButton integrated with Moodle platform for virtual classrooms. The results are different from one level to another. In doctorate courses, the results are excellent (100% of presence). However, for license degree (BAC+2), the results are acceptable (around 40%). Furthermore, this tool is very efficient for the supervision of students (master or PhD).
Dear Rafid A. Abdullah
With some tools, you can use PPT presentations. Also, you can write anything you want to show to your students. For example, with BigBlueButton, you can write by hand as you do with a whiteboard.
While on-line teaching came in handy to arrest disruption of learning by COVID-19, I believe it is solving the problem halfway as at now, as we have a very small percentage of learners willing and able to adjust to this new way of learning. Many learners in rural areas and probably with poor backgrounds and who, in the real sense in African nations, are the majority, may want to access this type of learning but their conditions constrain them. In my opinion, therefore, COVID-19 has given governments, learning institutions and all stakeholders in the education sector an indication of what needs to be done and which direction to go; eradicate poverty, empower communities and diversify teaching methodology with a keen focus on remote engagement.
Somewhat successful experiences and new posts from students.
my experience as a teacher to teach online methods during a pandemic is very challenging and requires a lot of innovation to create an atmosphere of closeness with students as if they were in the same classroom, the concern is that the concentration of students must be directed and controlled so that learning objectives are achieved well , create lively teaching methods that are not stressed or bored, students are challenged to actively listen by building reciprocal communication, Q n A must be multiplied, collaburating pedagogical and holistic concepts. will be more effective and appropriate, online education start from secondary school, because the level of maturity of students has emerged and in the secondary school age the majority of the age has actively operating a computer...cheers :))
Please go to this link :
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/in-the-time-of-the-pandemic-classes-go-online-and-on-air/article31264767.ece
Its been a challenge for my students, given that a majority of them are poor and come from rural areas. The challenges are: students not having computers, erratic internet network (in some cases no internet nerwork at all), not computer savy and some could not afford internet data bundles or wifi etc. I’m glad in my country Zambia we are opening the university soon.
Nuestra Universidad es una de las universidades publicas que en el Perú aún no inicia su ciclo académico, porque como a todo el mundo nos sorprendió la epidemia y la cuarentena que no hubo tiempo de nada. Ha sido todo un desafió para los docentes iniciarse, para algunos o casi la mayoría en el uso de herramientas y aplicaciones para fortalecer la competencia digital; sin embargo, les esta costando mucho y poco a poco están insertándose en este nuevo entorno educativo. He tenido experiencias pasadas de una educación virtual con mis estudiantes y debo afirmar que tanto en el ámbito presencial, como en el virtual, el maestro debe luchar con todas las armas que tenga para lograr que los estudiantes aprendan, sobre todo a desarrollar su aprendizaje autónomo, porque así tendrán éxito en su vida futura y profesional. No debemos olvidar que por mas técnicas de entretenimiento o de estrategias de aprendizaje, mas allá de estas el maestro no debe olvidar su condición humana de entrega, de vocación para emplear lo mejor y ayudar a sus estudiantes a aprender. Ahora tampoco podemos dejar de mencionar que a muchos países como el Perú, les afecta el que muchos o la gran mayoría de estudiantes no tengan acceso a la conectividad. Esto sin duda alguna es una limitación; sin embargo debemos trabajar con lo que tengamos a la mano, no hay tiempo ahora para criticas; eso se hará mas adelante, una evaluación para ver los errores y no para criticar sino para aprender y mejorar.
As a lecturer in Primary ITE, with one of my subjects being art & design, recreating planned face to face seminars with online alternatives was rather challenging. I managed to create a mash up of online readings through a platform we use to engage students and respond to contributions, and asked them to work through a series of directed tasks, having to be mindful that most would not have appropriate resources to be able to complete anything- much of this was through using phone cameras and doing online research. I can be fairly confident that our students do have some form of internet which does help. But the overall engagement decreased quite dramatically over the 4 weeks, with little response by week 4. We are rethinking the next academic year in module teams, as we have been informed we will be delivering 'blended teaching and learning', rather than face to face in September
As a student it wasn't difficult to continue the rest of the academic year on the internet , we got recorded videos by teachers instead of the on-campus lectures .
Especially recently, students' interest in distance education has decreased. Everyone missed face-to-face education. I hope we will be back to normal soon.
Dear Dr. Nanco Dolman
I have taught three courses for Master students. I used different teaching approaches and strategies. Students interactions was good. Only few student did not interact effectively.
Best regards
It was very hard to deliver Maths on internet. The responses from my students were less than i thought and as the days gone by , the reflections were poor.I am teaching Maths on 10,11 and 12 grades.
I agree with Nick Alexiou about the difficulties found when teaching Mathematics on line and in particular for primary schools. We must think about computer-based tools (software) for facilitating these tasks for young students.
My experience is that online teaching during this period of COVID-19 has increased my interaction with my students on individual basis. It has made teaching more tiresome to me as l follow up individual students work. l have had to give more assignments that usual to assess their learning of everything and to give feedback to each student. l have also noticed that students discuss their challenges and questions on open forum discussions and give support to each other. It also appears that each students has become more responsible for hes/her studies. But students have found it had to do group assignments.
Dear Bernadatte Namirembe
I have appreciated your experience. I want to know the level study of your students (for knowing the reasons of their choice of the self-assignments grouping method)
I have taught three course online. It was good experience with Master students. The attendance was 95%, Participation was good.
Through my experiences with online teaching and student interactions in aura, I think it's a great and beneficial experience for both the teacher and the student, the only drawback from my point of view is the low credibility of the assessment.
Exactly, The low credibility of assessment. In your views what measures can be our in place improve the assessment credibility?
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_are_the_challenges_that_EFL_instructors_face_during_activing_Emergency_remote_teaching_ERT_becuase_of_the_outbreak_of_Covid19
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_are_the_challenges_that_EFL_instructors_face_during_activing_Emergency_remote_teaching_ERT_becuase_of_the_outbreak_of_Covid19
My experience in the use of online education has not been good. The generalized crisis that our country is affronting limits the use of the different educational strategies available. Students affront many hours without electricity/internet; poor diet, lack of public transport, lack of gasoline, lack of domestic gas for cooking, among many other factors, have come together so that some students show low interest to access the contents; those who effectively access it do not sufficiently internalize the information nor extend the search to reach more complete and actualized information. My perception is that, in the specific case of Venezuela, education online is not being as effective as face-to-face education.
Yacine Lafifi l only encouraged open forum discussions. l was not able to come up with any other grouping method. l welcome suggestions on how to group students to promote cooperative learning as we teach online.
Bernadatte Namirembe there are many techniques for group formation. It depends on the target students. We have implemented and tested some of them. You can see some of them in the following articles:
- Article A K-complementarity Technique for Forming Groups of Tutors i...
- Conference Paper A new approach for grouping learners in CSCL systems
- Conference Paper A new approach for grouping learners in CSCL systems
- Article Dynamic grouping of learners in a computer- supported collab...
Dear P. Contreras , I assume you mean: knowledge of IT (Information Technology)? I agree fully with your opinion. However it isn't self-evident, e.g. in developing countries, to have access to computers and internet to use online education resources.
Dear Nasser Said Gomaa Abdelrasheed, could you elaborate on the different teaching approaches and strategies you used?
It had good experiences with undergraduate and master students, and new skills were gained while most learning outcomes were achieved. Through this experience, we relied on students' participation in many research projects and made presentations on some topics related to the course.
It is more development my experience in teaching & skill in computer and interest
as well as the interaction are increased with long time afford
This was a great opportunity to enhance the useful experiences in the field of virtual learning, for example, I learned to work with Camtasia2019 software and used it to provide instructional videos for students.
For next academic year, more likely there will be a mix of online-only and hybrid teaching methods.
The hybrid approach includes both online and face-to face to different ratios for the delivery of contents.
However, if things get really bad because of Covid-19 health crisis, then faculty and students can switch completely to the online-only method of delivery.
Best regards
Prof. Dr. Mazin A. M. Al Janabi
Full Professor of Finance & Banking and Financial Engineering
EGADE Business School, Tecnologico de Monterrey,
Santa Fe Campus, Mexico City, Mexico.
Members of the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES) are organizing a series of three webinars focusing on COVID-19 and school safety. Targeting practitioners, this webinars series is built around the Comprehensive School Safety Framework and its three Pillars:
The two first webinars have already been performed, and their recordings are available on the GADRRRES YouTube channel:
- COVID-19 and Pillar 1 - Safe Learning Facilities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I7oDuE4Dcs&t=464s
- COVID-19 and Pillar 2 - School Disaster Management: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X71SQEi2PSQ&t=12s
The third and last GADRRRES webinar focusing on COVID-19 and Risk Reduction and Resilience Education, will take place on Thursday 02 July from 05:00 to 06:00 PM CET and will provide key recommendations to practitioners alongside with case studies. If you are interested in joining the discussion, please register here: https://bit.ly/3fYIY0t
It was a successful experience for me and the students. We both acquired new skills and experiences, and we faced challenges from weak internet and face-to-face discussion.
This is a new and challenging experience that is affected by several factors. First, the availability and functionality of the technological infrastructure in an institution. Next, the preparedness of the teaching staff both professionally and psychologically. Moreover, the suitability of the teaching materials and program. Lastly, the familiarity of the learners with the new techniques and the new situation which depends mainly on the autonomy of the learner and the absence of face-to-face interaction.
My experiences with online teaching and student interaction during the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19 disease-causing disease) are essentially positive. However, mobilizing students to be active during remote teaching is not easy. Well, for several months in connection with the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic, didactic classes in schools and colleges are conducted remotely via the Internet in the form of e-learning. In this situation, students learn only at home. Due to the above, many areas of activity that were carried out before, before the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic outside of the home, now, unfortunately, must be implemented exclusively or mainly at home depending on the level of recommended or legally required level of restrictions, safety rules etc. regarding home quarantine. The SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic caused significant changes in the teaching process in schools and colleges. Colleges before the pandemic, in previous years developed online remote communication systems, computerized didactic process administration systems, digitized library resources, e-learning platforms enabling the sending of didactic materials by lecturers, teachers for students, remote conducting of seminars, project works, etc. E-learning until now, rather, it was not usually used to replace the entire teaching process in schools and colleges. In conducting the didactic process through e-learning, the existing, already existing IT solutions and internet platforms were usually used, and new additional tools were launched, e.g. instant messengers to conduct online classes in real time. However, these systems are often not prepared for the implementation of the entire teaching process, i.e. including tests and exams. In addition, some subjects have so far ended with oral exams, which can now be conducted remotely via instant messengers (with the microphone and webcam on) in real time. But unfortunately it is not the same form of the final exam, which was carried out stationary, traditionally at the university. In addition, written exams also, even if they are conducted through specific e-learning platforms in real time, however, there is no full control of students and students to assess whether they independently solve tasks during their solving and implementation of the test. Due to the current coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the remote form of the teaching process, which is now widespread in many countries, is now being used as a temporary replacement form. In my opinion, didactic classes conducted via the Internet in many respects are not a good solution in the long run, because only some types of didactic classes and some taught subjects could be conducted mainly or only in a remote form. The e-learning form of didactic classes can play a complementary role to traditional, stationary didactic classes in schools and colleges. However, it should not completely replace these classes in the long term, inter alia, due to specific problems arising from conducting examinations in a remote form, via the Internet. The effectiveness of e-learning classes is primarily determined by the issue of students' activity in these classes. Unfortunately, activating pupils and students to be active during e-learning classes is not easy. But above all, you should link the assessment of specific tasks and homework with the issue of activity. In view of the above, e-learning is a good whispering form in a situation when didactic classes cannot be conducted traditionally, stationary, face to face, but it is not a perfect form, it has its drawbacks. These disadvantages include the limited possibilities of activating pupils and students to actively participate in e-learning didactic classes, limited control during examinations and the poorer effectiveness of exercises and practical classes.
Best regards,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
The Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES) is pleased to announce that its latest newsletter is now available. Focusing on School Safety and COVID-19, the newsletter is available in:
- English: https://bit.ly/2DHrCHG
- French: https://bit.ly/3ezsBGD
- Spanish: https://bit.ly/2B9nCis
Covid - 19 has come with a lot of challenges to the Zambian higher education system. For example most of my students are still failing to appreciate the shift from traditional classes to virtual classes. This is mainly because they had paid for the conventional methods of service delivery. Secondly, both lecturers and students are struggling with resources that go with virtual classes. Thirdly, a good fraction of my students come from rural areas. These face the challenges of Internet connection which is sometimes poor or not available. The survival strategy for this rural category has been collaborating with the urban students to help in downloading virtual lessons and sending them to the rural counterparts. On the part of the Lecturer, a few students have been allowed to submit their essays using email as they fail to use the university platform due to poor or limited Internet connectivity. On the other hand, Internet café have been excited with the boom in their businesses. A number of our students have to pay these service providers to enable them download videos/lesson notes and assignments.
The last challenge is coordination of lectures/virtual sessions given that our country experience power cuts. You would note at times that in some instances, only 65 to 70 % of the candidates are active during a given session.
All in all, Covid 19 should go, our country is not yet ready for the full implementation of virtual classes.
Similar to my colleague, @Dr Marcel van der Watt, I too had to engage alternative platforms with my students. I found Whatsapp and Telegram most useful - but of these two I must strongly recommend Telegram. Its features and tools surpass whatsapp. I made extensive use of short videos (I shot with my phone) and voice notes explaining difficult concepts. This brought out amazing student engagement and the peer-learning was marvelous. But what was concerning however, and something we as lecturers were NOT prepared for, were the emotional needs presented by our students. Many being from impoverished backgrounds, their fears about data and connectivity were real, and to a great number of them, dis-empowering. This past semester, my greatest challenges and greatest reward, was providing emotional support to my students - often times over weekends and after hours. I am immensely proud of how they rose to the challenge and proved many 'nay-sayers' wrong. Yes there were glitches but we learnt from it. From here on we can only go up!! Carpe Diem class of 2020 (semester 1).
All of my lectures in the previous semester were conducted online through the use of special electronic programs such as Zoom and Model, and based on the use of electronic assessment.
My experiences have been that the facility to use for e-learning activities have not been sufficiently learnt both by the learners and the Lecturers. This makes it difficult for learning to take place.
I have recorded the remaining of my curriculum on DVDs and distributed them to the students, also provided all my online accounts and information to the students for contacting me if they require any guidance or help with the lectures.
Studying in this way, and it is via the Internet, has advantages and disadvantages, and the most important positive is not to leave the school year and it becomes a loss for the student and the educational process. The negative is limited to 80% of the scientific departments, especially medical, engineering, mathematics and others
I think that the experience was challenging for me and my students. I had to be a better teacher with new tools. The students also have to learn in a different surrounding. Both were driven by a sincere desire to make it through exceptional times.
I had a few weeks of online teaching before the end of the Spring term, and start with online only on 5 October. We have all spent the whole summer converting our modules into online (using Moodle Collaborate) - I had three days Annual Leave (11-13 August) - and teaching starts on Monday 5th. We are not allowed to use Zoom, which I prefer as you can see the whole class. I am teaching three modules this term, one undergraduate and two postgraduate - and supervising many research projects. The last week has been particularly stressful, as we went "live" this week. Many students find the technology very challenging.
At UNAM we have moved to online teaching since the beginning of the lockdown in March. Initially using online teaching has been very difficult both because not all students, particularly those in the rural areas, had access to reliable and stable connection, nor had all access to pc, and because online teaching was seldom used as a teaching tool at University level so lecturers were not fully conversant with the tool. With the time passing by, students have adjusted to the new system. As a lecturer my major concern is the fact that online teaching, due to the technical difficulties experienced, prevents a meaningful interaction with and between the students. One way to overcome this difficulty has been an increase of personal and group interaction with the students using other form of social media such as whatsapp.
It is good and bad especially where access to virtual systems are unstable - Power surge, when you conduct lessons in noisy neighbourhoods
less student interactions
Making illustrations is difficult
Dear all, what a fantastic collection of experiences this has produced. Both good and bad. Thanks for your contributions!
One-way communication is generally used in online-classrooms. Especially if the number of students in the classroom is high, teachers are enforced to do so. That's why I think the effectiveness is low.
Pedagogical publications were sent to them with annotated and simplified lessons And activate remote communication (e-mail, messenger ...).
References have also been sent to enrich knowledge and experience.
Interesting article in The Guardian (UK); After Covid, will digital learning be the new normal? https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jan/23/after-covid-will-digital-learning-be-the-new-normal
I liked the ingenuity in needing to adapt to using materials found at home: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6763176849242648576/
:)
Online teaching is just as effective as the video lectures present on youtube. No doubt teachers are putting much efforts and institutions are coming up with good strategies and study plans. But on the other (student) side response is very low especially in third word countries with less technological advancement. More over students show less responsible and un attentive attitude who are in early grades of schooling. Yes, higher education and research students seems serious on discussing matters with their professors.
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