Transdisciplinary STEAM Curriculum Design and Authentic Assessment in Online Learning: A Model of Cognitive, Psychomotor, and Affective Domains

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions and practices of designing and teaching transdisciplinary STEAM curriculum using online authentic assessment. Aligning the transdisciplinary STEAM curriculum to authentic assessment is a conceptual framework that guided this study to focus on the three learning domains (cognitive, psychomotor, and affective). The participants are middle and high school teachers (n = 37) in a private school in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An exploratory mixed method was adopted as a research design. The qualitative data (document analysis) was gathered through analyzing STEAM lesson plans. An online questionnaire was used to collect the quantitative data from teachers. The study’s results reveal that teachers’ perceptions and practices about the design of STEAM curriculum using authentic assessment were positive with regards to the three learning domains (cognitive, psychomotor, and affective). The highest agreement of teachers’ responses was found to be in the affective domain

Introduction to Challenges of Online Learning

“Overcoming Challenges in Online Learning: Perspectives from Asia and Africa” is a book that questions, researches, discusses, and presents the emerging problems, developments, and changes in the education system, concepts, practices, and approaches of online learning. Several constituents can benefit from reading and using this book, such as researchers of educational technology, postgraduates in education, faculty members, and educationists. This book will inform audiences about the innovative trends and approaches to overcome the barriers and challenges of online learning. This chapter aims to provide a preface on the book, highlighting the main aspects of each of the subsequent chapters and the plethora of issues related to online education. The chapter examines the main directions of online learning especially during the pandemic in different contexts

The impact of a professional upskilling training programme on developing teachers\u27 digital competence

Background: The emergence of remote teaching during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused several gaps due to teachers being unprepared to teach online. Teachers did not achieve many digital competencies, resulting in an inability to facilitate the students\u27 learning by using technology creatively to overcome challenges. Accordingly, developing teachers\u27 digital competencies to facilitate the teaching and learning process will: positively impact students\u27 innovative use of digital technology in completing their tasks; consequently, develop their digital competencies; prepare them for jobs that do not yet exist; and support them for unexpected challenges they might face. Objectives: This study investigates the impact of the upskilling training programme on developing teachers\u27 digital competence, where the aim is to investigate if the teachers\u27 digital competence has improved from the expected intermediate level stated by the World Bank Report in 2021, where strategies for the Digital Skills Action Plan were mentioned. For instance, strategy 2 “Reform of Digital Skills programmes” stated that students must acquire at least intermediate level of general digital skills. Strategy 3 “Enhance use of technologies in teaching and learning” aims to advance teachers\u27 digital competencies to be above the intermediate level. Accordingly, the above average level was used in the hypothesis as a benchmark of the teachers\u27 levels after attending the upskilling training programme. The upskilling training programme of this study is a 10-week training session using blended learning approach with instructor leading. The training\u27s long-term goals aim to construct a higher level of competency in a set of skills, attitudes as well as knowledge, which include digital citizenship; communication and collaboration; critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making; creativity and innovation; using technology as a tool. Methods: A sequential mixed-method approach using quantitative and qualitative data was used. An online survey with closed-ended items was adopted to collect quantitative data from teachers. The qualitative data was collected through teachers\u27 focus group discussions using the Zoom conference meetings platform. The participants are K-12 teachers from a group of national charity schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Results and Conclusions: The study results revealed that the upskilling training programme efficiently developed teachers\u27 digital competence where they construct knowledge and skills. Teachers exhibit a positive attitude towards using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity, consequently developing their digital competence. As a result, this will also lead to the development of the students\u27 digital competencies, where they will be able to overcome challenges they might face in this changing world, especially after the pandemic of Covid-19, where there is reliance on the use of technology. Takeaways: These findings aid in understanding the impact of the upskilling training programme on the development of the teachers\u27 digital competence. Educators need to provide teachers with suitable online and face-to-face training that meets the teachers\u27 needs. However, understanding the difference between upskilling and reskilling training programmes is vital to delivering training that develops the teachers\u27 capabilities

Using Interactive Technology to Enable Interactive E-learning Environment

Due to the lockdown caused by COVID-19, millions of workers have experienced changes that transformed their lives, well-being, and productivity and impacted economies and labor markets. Interactive technology became an essential tool for teachers and students in order to be able to overcome the challenges of the quarantine and ensure an interactive learning environment. Developing and enhancing learners’ knowledge and skills are key drivers to producing quality, skillful workers with adequate employability skills. The global shift to a future of work is defined by an ever-expanding cohort of new technologies that are more interconnected where information and knowledge are widely spread. Interactive technology is considered an effective tool to facilitate the teaching and learning process to create an active learning environment in an era of online and blended learning. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the elements of organizing an active learning environment using interactive technology, including the following: learning sciences and teamwork, communication and creation, personalization of learning, critical thinking, and real-world engagement. Accordingly, this will develop learners’ digital competencies that prepare skilled workers for the new market needs

Students’ Active Engagement in Online Learning

Students’ engagement is considered to be an essential aspect of an active learning environment in online learning. It involves three main types of engagement: cognitive, social/emotional, and behavioral engagement. It was named before as the Head, Heart, and Hand model used in designing instructions for an online/blended learning approach to ensure the development of students’ competencies. Cognitive engagement involves the development of critical thinking and independent learning skills. Social/emotional engagement involves the development of communication, collaboration, and self-direction skills. Finally, behavioral engagement involves the development of creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills. This chapter presents a framework that involves different types of engagements that educators can use. The chapter also presents guidelines for educators to enhance students’ engagements in an online, blended, or e-learning approach to ensure an active learning environment

The influence of UAE schools initiatives on high-school students’ STEM career aspirations

Students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career aspirations are influenced by the cultural, cognitive, and contextual factors that affect their self-efficacy, outcomes, expectation, motivation, interests, and choices (Lent et al., 1994). This study investigates the influence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) schools on high school students’ STEM career aspirations. UAE schools are considered the cultural factor, where many new initiatives and policies take place, such as the science, technology, and innovation policy and new high school equivalency policy. In this study, the students’ STEM career aspirations involved the cognitive factor and the contextual factor. The participants were high school students (n1=330) and teachers (n2=10) from different schools across UAE. A concurrent mixed-methods approach used quantitative data (online survey) and qualitative analysis (semi-structured interviews). The results reveal new initiatives in schools have a strong positive impact on students’ STEM career aspirations. However, some gaps occurred where recommendations were made

The Positive Social Psychology Intervention of Using Design Thinking to Improve Learners\u27 Wellbeing in Interdisciplinary Courses

Design thinking is considered to be a positive social psychology intervention. Students who practice using the design thinking process during their coursework will most likely solve personal problems that improve their well-being. This study investigates the impact of using the design thinking process in interdisciplinary courses to enhance students’ well-being through developing mindsets that enable them to solve their problems and set personal goals unconsciously. A modified PERMA-PH model is used to guide this study. The PERMA included Positive Emotions, Negative Emotions, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning and Purpose, and Accomplishments, the “PH” (future plans and health) was added to the PE to ensure continuity of students’ capability in improving their well-being. The participants (n=38) were undergraduate female students (preservice teachers) at a Federal University in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A sequential mixed-method approach using quantitative and qualitative data was used. An online survey with closed-ended items was adopted to collect data from participants. The qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with six students. The study’s results reveal that students improved their well-being when engaged in the design thinking process during their reflection in the interdisciplinary courses, and expectations of continuing to improve their well-being occurred

Utilizing Design Thinking to Enhance Wellbeing in Interdisciplinary Courses: A Positive Social Psychology Approach

Design thinking is considered to be a positive social psychology intervention. Students who practice using the design thinking process during their coursework will most likely solve personal problems that improve their well-being. This study investigates the impact of using the design thinking process in interdisciplinary courses to enhance students\u27 well-being through developing mindsets that enable them to solve their problems and set personal goals unconsciously. A modified PERMA-PH model is used to guide this study. The PERMA included Positive Emotions, Negative Emotions, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning and Purpose, and Accomplishments, the PH (future plans and health) was added to the PE to ensure continuity of students\u27 capability in improving their well-being. The participants (n=38) were undergraduate female students (preservice teachers) at a Federal University in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A sequential mixed-method approach using quantitative and qualitative data was used. An online survey with closed-ended items was adopted to collect data from participants. The qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with six students. The study\u27s results reveal that students improved their well-being when engaged in the design thinking process during their reflection in the interdisciplinary courses, and expectations of continuing to improve their well-being occurred

Overcoming Challenges in Online Learning: Perspectives from Asia and Africa

This book examines four distinct areas of education that suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asian and African regions, and tackles the challenges and barriers that came as a result of the shift to online learning. Presenting perspectives from China, Malaysia, Nigeria, and the UAE, chapters frame research within the context of innovation experiences to explore transformative learning theory, and set out the ways in which leaders, educators, students, and parents adapted to learning during the pandemic. Foregrounding four central topics (challenges and barriers; teaching and learning; assessment; educational technology; and interactive learning environments), the volume provides globally relevant findings and implications for the effects of the pandemic on learning in these regions, and furthers the field of educational technology more broadly. Topics covered range from teaching and leading in the online learning environment to educational technology and the interactive learning space. Sharing innovative experiences to aid progression and share best practice for online learning moving forward, the book will be highly relevant to researchers, academics, and students in the fields of higher education, online and eLearning, and technology in education

Establishing social, cognitive and teacher presences during emergency remote teaching: Reflections of certified online instructors in the United Arab Emirates

COVID-19 has forced many universities across the globe to implement emergency remote teaching as a preventative measure. Many faculty staff members were not adequately equipped with knowledge and skills of facilitating remote teaching. This made the establishment of social, cognitive and teacher presences difficult for them. The purpose of this study is to examine ways in which certified online instructors established social, cognitive and teacher presences during emergency remote teaching at a university in the United Arab Emirates. The study is guided by one critical question: How did certified online instructors establish social, cognitive and teacher presences in their online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic? The study adopted a qualitative case study within an interpretivist paradigm. Two certified online instructors were purposely selected to reflect on their experiences in establishing social, cognitive and teaching presences in their remote classes. It was found that students’ engagement, critical thinking and self-directed learning and continual engagement play an indispensable role in students’ remote learning. The study concludes that the establishment of the three components of a community of inquiry enhance students’ learning experiences and allow instructors to cater for the diverse learning needs of all students in an online community