Student perceptions of audio feedback in a design-based module for distance education

Published ArticleWithin higher education, student perceptions are beneficial in evaluating the nature and quality of educational interventions. One such intervention involves the use of academic audio feedback on the submitted assignments of distance learning students. This type of feedback may well enhance the educational experience of the students, irrelevant of how it is produced. The purpose of this article is to highlight the perceptions of students regarding audio feedback, which was provided in a design-based module offered at an open distance learning institute in South Africa. For this research, a case study was used were quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 30 students enrolled for a module termed, Design Project III, during 2017. A few key advantages that were highlighted include a good learning experience, better time utilisation, informative and better communication. A key disadvantage relates to a lack of on-campus WiFi connectivity or availability. However, it is recommended that this intervention (providing audio feedback to students) be adopted by more academics at open distance learning institutions as they strive to improve student engagement with the study leader and with the course content

Views of student engagement among students and faculty in online courses

As part of an effort to learn more about the technologies currently available to students, three executives in the online division of a private, not-for-profit four-year university requested a survey of students and faculty to learn more about the technologies to which they currently have access. Additionally, each of three executives wanted to better understand student and faculty views of student engagement in the division\u27s online courses. To that end, research-based questions about student engagement levels were added to a survey about access to technology. This mixed-method non-experimental study collected data from students and faculty about which definition of student engagement taken from the literature they primarily relate to, as well as their views of current levels of student engagement in online courses offered by the university. Interestingly, student and faculty responses regarding the definition of student engagement to which they related, whether they felt the only courses are engaging based on that definition and the course activities they found most engaging were nearly identical. Given that the responses between the subject groups were so similar, survey bias may be a valid consideration. Recommendations include editing of survey questions, surveying faculty and students in individual courses and more research on the role gender differences may play in student engagement in online learning environments

Barriers to Removing Barriers of Online Learning

In response to the turmoil and anxiety created by the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities transitioned to online delivery with limited support and resources. University teachers adapted to the online environment to ensure the effectiveness of students’ reaching their outcomes. Using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework, this study analysed ethnographic data from two experienced university teacher narratives about their online teaching strategies in two different university settings, in a developed and a developing country. The results showed that teachers used similar strategies based on the affordances provided within the Learning Management Systems (LMS) and by accessing other existing technological tools. However, the results showed inequalities in students’ participation due to their financial, economic, and socio-cultural backgrounds. This paper emphasises the need to investigate personalised and inclusive learning for consolidating and accommodating social and geographical barriers to minimise inequalities in students’ access to education. Students should not be deprived by the digital and technical divide limiting equal opportunities for learning and development in the so-called ‘global village’ in the 21st century and beyond

New Updates in E-Learning

This book presents state-of-the-art educational technologies and teaching methodologies and discusses future educational philosophies in support of the global academic society. New Updates in E-Learning is a collection of chapters addressing important issues related to effective utilization of the Internet and Cloud Computing, virtual robotics, and real-life application of hybrid educational environments to enhance student learning regardless of geographical location or other constraints. Over ten chapters, the book discusses the current and future evolution of educational technologies and methodologies and the best academic practices in support of providing high-quality education at all academic levels

Old wine in new bottles: Utilising audio feedback for summative assessment

This paper introduces and outlines the concept of audio feedback, set against models of good feedback practice. Various initiatives and projects regarding the use of audio feedback are briefly discussed, as well as related findings and issues. In particular, both the relational and pastoral potential of audio feedback are discussed, with a focus on how its utilisation may improve academic practice – with the inclusion of anonymised comments from students. Various ways of providing audio feedback to students are explored, including the recommendation of guidelines and procedures. A suggested structure to recordings is also included

A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE TRANSITION TO ONLINE INSTRUCTION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The purpose of this study was to explore the unique lived experiences of four middle school science teachers from North Carolina and South Carolina during and following the transition from in-person to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four predominant themes were identified from individual, semi-structured interviews of the teachers: technology change; organizational change; changes in curricula, delivery, and student interaction; and career and personal changes. The teachers in this study described the challenges and opportunities experienced during the rapid transition in March 2020 to virtual teaching and learning. The teachers’ lived experiences seamlessly aligned with the stages of change discussed by Lewin (1947) and other researchers (Bridges & Bridges, 2017; Kotter, 2012; Lewin, 1947; Page & Schoder, 2019). The teachers’ comments and experiences provided a unique perspective into the technical, personal, psychological, social, and cognitive shifts during unplanned, rapid, and disruptive change. The results of this study provided evidence of the teachers’ resilience and their ability to persevere in times of crisis

Designing personalised, authentic and collaborative learning with mobile devices: Confronting the challenges of remote teaching during a pandemic.

This article offers teachers a digital pedagogical framework, research-inspired and underpinned by socio-cultural theory, to guide the design of personalised, authentic and collaborative learning scenarios for students using mobile devices in remote learning settings during this pandemic. It provides a series of freely available online resources underpinned by our framework, including a mobile learning toolkit, a professional learning app, and robust, validated surveys for evaluating tasks. Finally, it presents a set of evidence-based principles for effective innovative teaching with mobile devices

Research-Informed Teaching in a Global Pandemic: "Opening up" Schools to Research

The teacher-research agenda has become a significant consideration for policy and professional development in a number of countries. Encouraging research-based teacher education programmes remains an important goal, where teachers are able to effectively utilize educational research as part of their work in school settings and to reflect on and enhance their professional development. In the last decade, teacher research has grown in importance across the three i’s of the teacher learning continuum: initial, induction and in-service teacher education. This has been brought into even starker relief with the global spread of COVID-19, and the enforced and emergency, wholesale move to digital education. Now, perhaps more than ever, teachers need the perspective and support of research-led practice, particularly in how to effectively use Internet technologies to mediate and enhance learning, teaching and assessment online, and new blended modalities for education that must be physically distant. The aim of this paper is to present a number of professional development open educational systems which exist or are currently being developed to support teachers internationally, to engage with, use and do research. Exemplification of the opening up of research to schools and teachers is provided in the chapter through reference to the European Union-funded Erasmus + project, BRIST: Building Research Infrastructures for School Teachers. BRIST is developing technology to coordinate and support teacher-research at a European level

Design-Based Research for Virtual Learning: A Holistic Perspective on the Pedagogical and Contextual Factors of Interactive Mobile Technology on English Learners

The purpose of this design-based research study was to provide a holistic perspective on the pedagogical and contextual factors of interactive mobile technology on English learners and investigate the theoretical potential of audio-video software interventions for second language acquisition. Specifically, the study explored current virtual technologies for 2nd through 5th grade English learners designed to model face to-face EL instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing prolonged school closures. After evaluating three cycles of interventions founded on Stephen Krashen’s and Lev Vygotsky’s language learning theories and utilizing a teacher survey and researcher observations, the study identified an onslaught of key takeaways including the need for investment to establish necessary infrastructure, ed-tech policies and standards, and comprehensive pedagogical frameworks to effectively operationalize virtual learning curriculum and leverage best practices of interactive mobile technology. The study discusses the impact of the sudden shift to virtual contexts and provides suggestions for overcoming challenges in educational technology to move beyond surface levels of integration within the computer-assisted language learning contexts