Education Commons^™

The Importance Of Digital Learning And Teaching In The Era Of Covid-19, Gary J. Burkholder, Erwin Krauskopf

Higher Learning Research Communications

We are pleased to publish the second regular issue (Volume 12, Issue 2) of Higher Learning Research Communications (HLRC) for 2022. This year, we published two regular issues and a special issue, Education Technologies and COVID-19: Experiences and Lessons Learned. COVID-19 and the implications of the switch to emergency online teaching continue to capture the interest of researchers. In the present issue, some of the manuscripts focus directly on COVID-19; still others examine different aspects of digital teaching and learning. As is typical with the HLRC, articles represent the voices of academics from various parts of the globe, demonstrating …

Emergency Remote Teaching Versus Planned Remote Teaching: Narrowing The Gap With Targeted Professional Development, Bonnie J. Covelli, Sudipta Roy

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study reviews faculty members’ comfort level with remote teaching in the Fall 2020 semester to evaluate the effectiveness of the professional development workshops.

Method: Using survey research, we examined professional development activities and subsequent comfort level and ease of adjustment with remote teaching in Fall 2020.

Results: Following the training, faculty reported high planned usage of various online teaching tools and great comfort with using them. The data reveals some differences between part-time and full-time faculty members.

Conclusions: The experience gained in the emergency semester, combined with the targeted professional development workshops offered eased the stress of planned …

“I Did Not Sign Up For This”: Student Experiences Of The Rapid Shift From In-Person To Emergency Virtual Remote Learning During The Covid Pandemic, Jeff Kuntz, Viola Manokore

Higher Learning Research Communications

Abstract

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to explore students’ experiences of the emergency virtual remote teaching, which was implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: 439 students enrolled at a community college in Canada responded to a survey that had Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Anderson’s model for online learning was used as an analytic lens to gain insight on student experiences. Descriptive statistics were used to make meaning of the data. Thematic analysis was done on student responses to open-ended questions.

Results: Findings were organized according to Anderson’s six factors in online teaching, namely: (a) …

Global Issues Spanning Higher Education, Gary J. Burkholder, Erwin Krauskopf

Higher Learning Research Communications

We are pleased to publish the first regular issue (Volume 12, Issue 1) of Higher Learning Research Communications (HLRC) for 2022. While the pandemic waxes and wanes, students in many parts of the world are returning or have returned to face-to-face instruction. It will take some time to fully understand the impact of the pandemic on higher education and what lasting changes will result from it. The Special Issue, Education Technologies and COVID-19: Experiences and Lessons learned, for which we are continuing to review manuscripts, should provide some insight into this question.This letter also contains article summaries.

Relationships Among Higher Education Efl Student Perceptions Toward Fully Online Language Learning And Computer Self-Efficacy, Age, Gender, And Proficiency Level In Emergency Remote Teaching Settings, Marco Cancino, Kylie Towle

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore Chilean higher education English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ perceptions toward components of their fully online learning experience and their computer self-efficacy during the CoVID-19 pandemic and assess how these variables are influenced by age, gender, and language proficiency.

Method: Participants of the study were 236 undergraduate students (110 males and 126 females) who took a fully online EFL course in a professional institute in Chile. Likert-scale questionnaires were used to gather data on perceptions toward fully online language learning components (online participation, collaborative group work, instructional materials, and learning …

Quality Assurance, Meet Quality Appreciation: Using Appreciative Inquiry To Define Faculty Quality Standards, Ann M. Morgan, Rebecca L. Jobe, Juli K. Konopa, Lyda D. Downs

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study outlines the journey of an online university to evaluate faculty performance standards, key performance indicators, and systems for quality assurance using an appreciative inquiry summit model. The study reveals the power of quality appreciation as an approach that elicits a shared vision for quality definitions and standards and serves as a historical marker in the higher education shift from data-driven faculty performance approaches to strengths-based, inclusive methods.

Method: The retrospective business case outlines one university’s 2018 Appreciative Inquiry Summit, 5D (define, discover, dream, design, destiny/deliver) approach, resulting deliverables, lessons learned, and conclusions.

Results: The summit and subsequent …

Seeking Equity, Agility, And Sustainability In The Provision Of Emergency Remote Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Center For Teaching And Learning Takes An Expanded Role, Henry Trotter, Cheng-Wen Huang, Laura Czerniewicz

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to illuminate and assess the experiences and feelings of the staff of a center for teaching and learning at one South African university during the early months (April–June 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns when it switched from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching (ERT). It explores the practical, operational, ethical, cultural, and emotional questions that the staff of this center dealt with as they supported the university in ERT provision.

Method: This paper draws on in-depth interviews with 23 staff members of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) who …

Replication Or Reinvention: Educators’ Narratives On Teaching In Higher Education During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Viola Manokore, Jeff Kuntz

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine narratives about the effect of the sudden transition from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic on post-secondary educators.

Method: We conducted interviews with 11 post-secondary educators from five post-secondary institutes in one province in Canada. Educators were asked to reflect on their experiences during the transition from in-person to remote teaching and learning.

Results: Our thematic analysis revealed that educators’ experiences were influenced by three main factors: (a) student engagement, interactions, and persistence in learning; (b) competence in the application of teacher technological pedagogical content knowledge …