Perceptions of University Students Toward Blended Learning During COVID-19

This study investigates Jordanian students' perceptions of Blended Learning during COVID-19 era. An online survey was distributed to 300 students via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and emails to students experiencing both pre- and post-era COVID-19. The study revealed that Jordanian students showed a high level of agreement toward blended learning as a medium to cope with abrupt crises, such as COVID-19. The study also showed that blended learning help enhance academic performance, class flexibility, and time, improves critical thinking and problem-solving skills, motivates students, and increases engagement. On the other hand, the study indicated that the limitations of blended learning are the incompatibility with all subjects, lack of interaction between students and their teachers, inability to receive feedback, the inefficiency of technological means, the lack of training, and negative attitude of society toward blended learning. The findings may help with organizational and governmental decision-making and developing educational materials during social restraint. The design and implementation of face-to-face and online components for more applied, science-based courses may benefit more from these findings

Social Media Networking Sites Usage and Depression Among University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic : The Mediating Roles of Social Anxiety and Loneliness

The current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased psychological issues such as excessive social media networking sites usage (SMNSU), loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. In this quantitative study, we examined how SMNSU can directly and indirectly influence depression, with loneliness and social anxiety examined as mediator variables. A 39-item questionnaire was used to collect survey data on SMNSU, loneliness, social anxiety, and depression from 244 blended learning undergraduate students from universities in the Hunan province in China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was conducted using SmartPLS 3.3.3 to measure the relationships between the stated variables of interest. Results indicated that SMNSU has a direct, significant, and positive relationship with depression. In terms of mediating effects, both loneliness and social anxiety have an intervening role in the association between SMNSU and depression. This study focused on the higher education sector of China by recruiting students who were enrolled in blended learning courses during the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing psychological problems. We found that excessive SMNSU is associated with depression. Loneliness and social anxiety also increase depression along with excessive SMNSU among blended learning students during unprecedented situations, in this case, the COVID-19 pandemic. The valuable implications of these findings for teachers, counselors, and university managers are discussed, along with a consideration of future research directions.Peer reviewe

PENDEKATAN BEHAVIOR DALAM MENANGANI DAMPAK MODEL PEMBELAJARAN BLENDED LEARNING DI MASA PANDEMI COVID-19 TERHADAP PESERTA DIDIK DI SMA MUHAMMADIYAH 2 GENTENG

Behavior is one approach in guidance and counseling to overcome mal-adaptive behavior towards an adaptive attitude. The behavior approach is the right approach to handle blended learning models during the Covid-19 pandemic, so that students are able to carry out their duties well at school, without experiencing obstacles. This undisciplined behavior is influenced by several reasons, including students' private problems as a result of divorce, living with grandmother without parental supervision, and data package constraints. The basis of this paper is a field research that uses a behavioral approach and a descriptive-qualitative method. The results of this study describe several efforts in the counseling process of several students, including reinforcement technique, counseling contracts, homework, and punishment. With the behavior flow stages, the process of changing the attitudes of students who experience the impact of blended learning can be improved and students are able to be adaptive to participate in learning

Students’ Perceptions of a Blended Course and its Effectiveness at a Mongolian University

Blended learning has been considered one of the modern delivery modes of teaching and learning since the COVID-19 pandemic outreach. Although e-learning has been developing in most countries, its importance and needs were highly acknowledged by all educational organizations worldwide during COVID-19. All educational institutions worldwide run online or blended courses at some stage of their training. Regarding temporary demands such as the pandemic, learners had to study through online learning, and now it has become one of their regular learning modes. Meanwhile, educational institutions and their stakeholders were experiencing both online and blended programs and were provided opportunities to compare different delivery methods. Therefore, blended learning and teaching have become a more profitable way of teaching, especially in higher education. This article investigates the student’s perceptions of blended learning and its effectiveness based on the case of a Mongolian university. To achieve this goal, we conducted qualitative and quantitative research. The survey included 182 students from first-year to senior year to identify the challenges they faced, the experiences they gained, and their evaluation of the blended courses they enrolled in. The research questions were created on Google form, data was electronic via emails, and focused group interviews were conducted simultaneously. As a result of the survey, it has been revealed that there are several benefits and advantages to blended courses in the tertiary education sector of Mongolia. However, key factors such as the learning styles of Mongolian students, appropriate learning environment and course design, access to technology, and effective organization should be improved in the future in order to run the blended courses successfully

REFLECTION OF ACADEMICIANS IN USING BLENDED LEARNING

Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the physical conditions of learning environments and the measures taken within the scope of combating the epidemic have made blended teaching practices, including distance education, much more important. With this study, it is aimed to shed light on the opinions and experiences of the academicians, who are thought to have a higher assumption of experiencing the blended teaching method, regarding the use of the blended method at the higher education level during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this study, a mixed research methodology was adopted in which quantitative and qualitative data were used together by using a convenient sampling method. In this context, the data collection tool was shared with the academicians via the LinkedIn network. 58 academicians from 16 universities participated in the research. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage and mean) were used in the analysis of Likert-type quantitative questions, and content analysis was used in the analysis of qualitative data. According to the findings of the study, academics who stated that they could possibly teach with the blended method in the future stated that their educational experience in blended courses was better than in face-to-face courses without any web component. On the other hand, academics mostly stated that the amount of interaction in blended courses is lower than in face-to-face courses. Together with these findings, it is understood that academicians perceive the quality of interaction in blended courses as similar to the quality of interaction in face-to-face courses. According to academics, the most positive aspects of using the blended method in lessons are the use of technological opportunities, flexibility of space, flexibility of time and equality of opportunity. The most negative aspects of using the blended method are attendance problems, lack of communication, infrastructure problems and technological inadequacies and workload. It is understood that the materials, tools or technologies that academicians use most in blended courses are need-oriented trainings (web 2.0, web, innovation, technique, etc.), video and audio peripherals, online content, virtual reality technology and a powerful computer. Although some of the academicians stated that their experiences in blended courses affected their face-to-face courses, almost half of them stated that their blended course experiences did not affect their face-to-face courses. These results may guide both present and future policies and procedures for blended learning in general.  Article visualizations

Lifelong learning in community healthcare: Testing competence after learning activities in a blended learning space

Aims and Objectives: This study reports from a municipality in Norway that implemented a competence enhancement programme for all its institutional nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic to fill identified competence gaps. Background: Many Norwegian municipalities are experiencing a demand for expanded community healthcare services due to an increase in elderly patients and patients with extensive and complex needs. At the same time, most municipalities are striving to recruit and keep competent health personnel. New ways of organising and increasing the competence of the workforce may help ensure that the healthcare delivered corresponds to patients' changing needs. Design and Methods: Nursing staff were encouraged to complete targeted competence enhancing activities with the aim of enhancing their competence in identified areas. The learning activities were blended and consisted of e-learning courses, lectures, supervision, vocational training and meetings with a superior. Competence was measured before and after the competence enhancing activities (n = 96). The STROBE checklist was applied. Results: The results provide insight into the competence development of registered nurses and assistant nurses in institutional community health services. They show that the implementation of a workplace-based blended learning programme improved competence significantly, especially for assistant nurses. Conclusions: Offering workplace-based competence enhancing activities seems to be a sustainable way of facilitating lifelong learning among nursing staff. Facilitation of learning activities in a blended learning space may enhance accessibility and increase the potential for participation. A combination of reorganisation of roles and simultaneous competence enhancing activities can ensure that both managers and nursing staff prioritise filling competence gaps.publishedVersio

Future-proofing imperatives for remote online teaching, learning and student support in the context of pandemic change and beyond: A case for South African higher education transformation

South Africa’s Plan for Higher Education identified equity and redress as key objectives guiding institutional transformation. This encompasses granting individuals fair opportunities to enter higher education and succeed therein. The COVID-19 pandemic which abruptly disrupted the 2020 academic year highlighted several challenges which have implications for student success. Academic continuity in the form of online learning was pursued by most higher education institutions. However, the remoteness of rural communities, which typifies the home environments for many South African students, threatened to exclude such students from online learning activities. The lack of access to digital devices as well as reliable internet connectivity in many of these communities impacted students’ ability to engage in online learning as well as access campus-based support services. The imposed lockdown therefore caused heightened anxiety and feelings of isolation from academic activities amongst the South African student population. Since access to on-campus support systems was no longer possible, student wellness and ongoing academic engagement was potentially compromised. Increasingly, the mental health cost of remote learning was becoming apparent, with higher education institutions compelled to rethink how student support services are delivered. In the absence of face-to-face support services during the hard lock-down period, the emergent need was to identify new ways of reaching out to displaced students who may be experiencing both academic and personal distress under conditions of daunting technological changes and virtual forms of engagement, social isolation, socio-economic disadvantage and psycho-social stressors. While blended learning and hybrid forms of holistic student support were accelerated by the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, the blended approach has become an indelible reality of Higher Education that is here to stay. As such, reflections on how student support services at universities in South Africa have adapted and need to continuously evolve in the face of an uncertain world, is both timely and necessary if the goal of promoting equal access and success in Higher Education – for all - is to be fully realized

Preferencje trybu kształcenia studentów a zmienne socjodemograficzne

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between students’ sociodemographic characteristics and their preferred mode of university education (online, blended, or on-site) after experiencing remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A pilot study involving 173 students was conducted. Resultsshowed that about 80% of respondents preferred online or blended education. Gender, study mode and level, and employment status were not significantly associated with educational preferences. Age was the only significant differentiating factor: younger students were more likely to prefer online learning comparedto older peers. The findings suggest that the choice of educational mode is influenced more by psychological factors than by sociodemographic variables, indicating the need for further research.Celem badań było określenie zależności między cechami socjodemograficznymi studentów a preferowanym trybem kształcenia uniwersyteckiego (online, mieszanym, stacjonarnym) po doświadczeniach nauki zdalnej w czasie pandemii COVID-19. Zastosowano metodę sondażu diagnostycznego z wykorzystaniem techniki ankiety internetowej. W badaniu pilotażowym wzięło udział 173 studentów. Wyniki pokazały, że większość respondentów (ok. 80%) preferuje kształcenie online lub hybrydowe. Płeć, forma i poziom studiów oraz zatrudnienie nie były istotnie związane z wyboremtrybu kształcenia. Istotnym czynnikiem różnicującym okazał się wiek: młodsi studenci istotnie częściej wybierali naukę online niż ich starsi koledzy. Rezultaty sugerują, że wybór trybu kształcenia jest bardziej efektem czynników psychologicznych niż socjodemograficznych, co wskazuje na potrzebę dalszych badań

The Impact of covid-19 on occupational therapy students in mental health practice learning placements

Introduction: Practice learning (PL) is a core feature of occupational therapy (OT) students' curriculum and professional development during their undergraduate training. It promotes students' clinical reasoning abilities and enhances their reflective skills as emerging clinicians, enabling them to graduate as competent healthcare practitioners. However, the covid-19 pandemic interrupted curriculum delivery and forced blended teaching and learning methods. Globally this was recognized to have a significant impact on the training of undergraduate health science students who relied on face-to-face teaching and learning methods. This study aimed to explore the opportunities and barriers that influenced undergraduate OT students' learning experiences within mental health (MH) PL placements during the covid-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative descriptive research design was utilized to explore the barriers and opportunities occupational therapy students faced during the covid-19 pandemic in MH PL. Eight undergraduate students were purposively sampled, each participating in a 60-minute individual face-to-face interview which was transcribed verbatim and analyzed inductively using thematic analysis. Findings: Three key themes emerged from the study: 1) Acknowledging ME in the pandemic, describing the need for acknowledgement of what the participants were experiencing during the pandemic, 2) Setup for failure, describing the elements that participants identified as barriers to their ability to thrive in PL and 3) Stuck between a rock and a hard pandemic, demonstrating the opportunities and the barriers for learning which were present in PL placements, and which became more distinct because of the pandemic. Discussion: Complexities of PL in MH PL placements within higher education highlighted the opportunities and barriers which were present in participants' learning experiences, shaping their development as emerging healthcare practitioners. The complexities highlighted the need for additional emotional support structures in the PL learning experience. Social identity constructs, such as language, gender, and culture emerged as critical elements in the consideration of curriculum transformation work impacting PL in South Africa (SA). The context of the pandemic created space for considering how professional identity development is formed and impacted in undergraduate OT students who emerged from the pandemic. Barriers which were present because of the pandemic included feeling underprepared by the pandemic curriculum for PL. Whilst opportunities for learning were positively influenced by peer learning from fellow students. Recommendations included further development of the practice education curriculum in the current PL placements drawing on lessons learnt from the pandemic. Suggested future research is recommended to deepen the understanding on the long-lasting effects of the pandemic on emerging health professionals in a longitudinal study