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Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education

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A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Technology Enhanced Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 30479

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Si Fan

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Guest Editor

School of Education, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7250, Australia
Interests: higher education and online pedagogy; learning analytics; teacher education; early childhood education and language education

Dr. Yu Yang

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Guest Editor

Department of Computing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: graph representation learning; spatiotemporal data analysis; urban computing; learning analytics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Sharon Fraser

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Education, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7250, Australia
Interests: science education; STEM understandings; school leadership in STEM; professional learning; capacity building

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since February 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust learning and teaching into the online space. These challenges have triggered creative solutions. Innovative pedagogical approaches are being used to minimize disruptions in the absence of face-to-face contact. Courses are delivered through online and alternative means, even in universities with the most traditional mode of delivery. Many Western countries, including Australia, have further developed their courses through existing learning management systems. In some Asian countries, we have seen the adoption of diverse online delivery tools, such as Zoom and Tencent Classroom, and other alternative solutions in rural and regional areas that require fewer technological or financial resources. Online learning and teaching have become the “new normal”, and there has been a continuation of online and blended courses, even post-COVID-19 lockdowns. In a sense, the pandemic has set a milestone in the evolution of higher education.

This Special Issue has been developed to capture this changing moment. The Special Issue is centered around innovative pedagogical approaches, especially those that emerged to promote student agency and learner autonomy. It can involve learning and teaching in multiple disciplines, including, but not limited to, teacher education, health sciences, learning analytics, and language education. It can include topics such as pedagogical innovations, student agency, engagement and retention, curriculum reform, policy development, and the teaching and research nexus. We welcome manuscripts that report findings of empirical research, or critical reflections on innovative pedagogical advancement. We also welcome contributions that have adopted diverse methodological perspectives, including qualitative, quantitative, data-driven, and mixes-methods, as well as systematic reviews of publications capturing changes during the COVID-19 period or forecasting trends post-COVID-19.

In particular, this Special Issue encourages submissions on the following topics: (1) innovative pedagogical approaches to provide creative solutions to issues that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) research striving to understand how online learning can help promote student agency and learner autonomy; (3) learning analytics research on behavioral pattern mining and student attrition prediction; (4) evidence-based pedagogical practices to promote student engagement and retention. It is hoped that this Special Issue will provide a platform for university lecturers to showcase innovative pedagogical approaches during this rapidly changing time, and for researchers to share recent research findings related to online learning and teaching in higher education. It will seek to inform course developers and higher education institutions in future decision and policy making, and ultimately lead to better student support, experiences, and outcomes in future online and blended courses.

Dr. Si Fan
Dr. Yu Yang
Prof. Dr. Sharon Fraser
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

higher education
online learning and teaching
blended learning
online pedagogy
computer supported learning
learning analytics

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 2572 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unplugging for Student Success: Examining the Benefits of Disconnecting from Technology during COVID-19 Education for Emergency Planning

by Samira Hosseini, Claudia Camacho, Katia Donjuan, Luis Pego and Jose Escamilla

Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050446 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2736

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak revealed the fragility not only of our species but also of society, which has demonstrated its ability to adapt to challenging conditions and to learn from disasters. One of the most pressing issues during the pandemic was the delivery of education during lockdowns. Education in emergency was established using various communication media, hastening the digitalization of education. However, this also highlighted the impact on the mental health of students, who were already experiencing overuse of the internet and electronic devices prior to the pandemic. In response, Tecnologico de Monterrey, a private Mexican university that also offers high school programs, launched the “Unplugged Day” initiative, which encouraged students to disconnect from electronic devices and participate in physical, cultural, creative, or reflective activities. This study applied a voluntary survey to 1850 students from March to May 2021 on a weekly basis, with the aim of analyzing symptoms of insomnia, emotions, perceptions of online education, sources of stress, and the need for professional support to manage their emotions in relation to their participation in Unplugged Day activities. Our results, obtained through a quantitative methodology, confirmed the impact of the emergency, lockdown, and forced remote education on the mental health of students. Furthermore, the results revealed that the Unplugged Day initiative is a strategy that promoted students’ well-being during online education. The respondents also suggested strategies for promoting mental health and well-being of learners, whether in an emergency or not. These findings provide valuable information for governments and educational institutions to implement policies and strategies for planning education in emergency situations and for addressing the ongoing global problems of stress and mental health, which are related to the increasing use of electronic devices and the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of global society. It is our responsibility to improve education so that it can play its role in preserving cultural heritage, overcoming adversity, rebuilding after catastrophes, and shaping a better future for generations to come. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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14 pages, 1038 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Student and Language Teacher Perceptions of Using a WeChat-Based MALL Program during the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Chinese University

by Fan Li

Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030236 - 23 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1645

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted conventional educational practice in universities worldwide. Chinese universities are no exception. WeChat, a social application widely used in China, has been considered a viable tool for language education. However, the perspectives of Chinese university students and English language teachers in terms of using WeChat for English vocabulary learning and teaching during the pandemic remain unclear. The aim of the present study was twofold: First, it explored Chinese university students’ and language teachers’ opinions of adopting a self-developed WeChat-assisted lexical-learning program (the WALL program) during COVID-19. Second, it gathered their evaluations of the WALL program. To achieve the aim, two sets of semi-structured interviews were used to gather qualitative data about five students’ and three English language teachers’ perceptions at a university in northern China. The results first revealed that the eight participants showed overwhelming opinions in support of adopting the program for vocabulary learning and teaching during the pandemic. In addition, it received mostly positive evaluations. However, the program had two main drawbacks: distracting learning environments and uncertain learning effects. The present study then made recommendations for future WeChat-based language learning and teaching programs. The findings are expected to provide pedagogical insights for tertiary educational institutions, practitioners, and students in the chosen context in order to deal with the future design and implementation of sound MALL-based approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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14 pages, 352 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Predicting Student Performance Using Clickstream Data and Machine Learning

by Yutong Liu, Si Fan, Shuxiang Xu, Atul Sajjanhar, Soonja Yeom and Yuchen Wei

Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010017 - 23 Dec 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3345

Abstract

Student performance predictive analysis has played a vital role in education in recent years. It allows for the understanding students’ learning behaviours, the identification of at-risk students, and the development of insights into teaching and learning improvement. Recently, many researchers have used data collected from Learning Management Systems to predict student performance. This study investigates the potential of clickstream data for this purpose. A total of 5341 sample students and their click behaviour data from the OULAD (Open University Learning Analytics Dataset) are used. The raw clickstream data are transformed, integrating the time and activity dimensions of students’ click actions. Two feature sets are extracted, indicating the number of clicks on 12 learning sites based on weekly and monthly time intervals. For both feature sets, the experiments are performed to compare deep learning algorithms (including LSTM and 1D-CNN) with traditional machine learning approaches. It is found that the LSTM algorithm outperformed other approaches on a range of evaluation metrics, with up to 90.25% accuracy. Four out of twelve learning sites (content, subpage, homepage, quiz) are identified as critical in influencing student performance in the course. The insights from these critical learning sites can inform the design of future courses and teaching interventions to support at-risk students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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11 pages, 457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Blended Learning on the Performance of Engineering Students in Mathematical Modeling

by Luis Javier López-Reyes, Auria Lucia Jiménez-Gutiérrez and Diana Costilla-López

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 931; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120931 - 16 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1817

Abstract

This paper presents the implementation of an active learning methodology known as blended learning in an ordinary differential equations (ODE) course for engineering students. Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of b-learning on students’ mathematical modeling performance. To this end, synchronous and asynchronous activities were made available to the students as face-to-face and remote learning sessions, in which the experience acquired by students during the sanitary isolation due to COVID-19 was crucial. Benjamin Bloom’s cognitive domain taxonomy was used to design the present didactic proposal. Results show that the students moved upward from the lower knowledge and understanding taxonomical levels, to the upper analysis and application levels, as they learned systems modeling using ODEs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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18 pages, 2322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Exploratory Intervention Program on Chinese Culture among CFL Students at a Vietnamese University

by Yanjun Wang, Pei-Ling Wei and Van Thanh Nguyen

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120887 - 2 Dec 2022

Viewed by 2019

Abstract

This article reports on a study of an intensive three-week culture intervention program, delivered via VooV Meeting (an online meeting platform) as an additional opportunity for CFL students at a Vietnamese university in December 2021. The primary aim was to explore students’ perceptions and experiences of learning about Chinese culture in a non-target language environment since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two hundred and nine mixed-level undergraduate CFL students participated in a survey administered via Google Forms. Overall results indicated that students valued the opportunity offered by this program to learn Chinese culture and acknowledged the importance of cultural study in CFL. There appeared to be different preferences among male and female students and the different year groups in choosing the contents and methods of cultural learning. Additionally, students expressed concerns about using technology in language and culture learning despite its benefits, especially in the absence of real-life human interactions and communications due to travel restrictions. One significant finding was that students recognised teachers’ essential role in learning culture. The survey results, in particular the participants’ responses to open-ended questions, are discussed in this paper. The understanding gained from this study is expected to provide Chinese language professionals and practitioners with insights and suggestions on how Chinese culture can be better integrated into CFL through appropriate and effective teaching strategies in a post-pandemic era. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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21 pages, 326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pilot Research into the Perceived Importance of Educational Elements and an Application for Detecting Progress through the Perspective of Practice

by Kateřina Berková, Dagmar Frendlovská, Martina Chalupová, Andrea Kubišová, Roman Hrmo and Katarína Krpálková Krelová

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 669; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100669 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1150

Abstract

Data analysis and the development of learning skills based on monitoring students’ progress are aspects in demand by schools and students. Quite a lot of studies deal with Learning Analytics Dashboards. There is a limited number of studies that take into account the supply of such tools on the market. In this pilot study, the researchers present findings on the attitudes of 19 higher education institutions from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Poland, along with 14 secondary schools from the Czech Republic, towards the proposed web-based application for supporting learning and providing automated feedback on student progress in accounting education. The aim of this section was to find out how schools perceive the importance of the proposed application and its specific parameters. The study also presents the current product offer on the Czech market and the interest among 112 companies in developing such an application. The findings revealed that there is no such tool offered on the Czech market, and the majority of the analyzed companies are interested in its development. The schools evaluated the learning tool as being most important in the area of distance learning, and most useful for the visualization of accounting methods based mainly on imagination. The value of such an application is seen in supporting self-study, providing information on attitudes and current abilities, and tracking students’ learning progress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

13 pages, 237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Impact of University Student Engagement on Junior Faculty’s Online Teaching Anxiety and Coping Strategies during COVID-19

by Yu Wang, Rong Wang and Jinjin Lu

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100664 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2734

Abstract

(1) Background: When online teaching or blended teaching becomes the new normal in college teaching and learning during the pandemic phase, how to cope with teaching anxiety and enhance online student engagement has been frequently discussed among scholars and practitioners. (2) Methods: This qualitative study aims to investigate the impact of online college student engagement on junior faculty’s online teaching anxiety in the pandemic era, with an emergent shift to online teaching as a new normal for higher education. The study analyzed the ways junior faculty adapted to enhance online student engagement and cope with anxiety-provoking sources. (3) Results: Online teaching anxiety may occur at the beginning of the semester or during a large amount of assessment and marking and can also occur with student complaints and the inactive online engagement of students. Student engagement is the most challenging pedagogical issue during online teaching, especially social and emotional engagement. (4) Conclusion: This study recommends that peer mentoring and university-level faculty professional development services are effective strategies to reduce junior faculty’s teaching anxiety. Pedagogy training and support should provide faculty with hands-on activities with problem-solving toolkits that they can take away to their own teaching. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

12 pages, 1527 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Blended Learning Reimagined: Teaching and Learning in Challenging Contexts

by Shanti Divaharan and Alexius Chia

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100648 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2038

Abstract

The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused disruptions around the world with devastating consequences socially and economically. Education was not spared. Schools and institutions of higher learning (IHLs) had to grapple with new sets of demands. With most countries forced into lockdown to stem the spread of the virus, some turned to technology-mediated learning to provide some kind continuity for learning to still take place. This concept paper will share some of the key learning points and strategies culled from experiences having to pivot almost overnight to embracing technology and new learning environments, which were sometimes remote or neglected in a milieu and culture that often prided itself in effective physical face-to-face interactions. This article will then draw upon how the Blended Learning approach, undergirded by Connectivism, was implemented in a local IHL. Examples of the different types of blended learning designs that were employed will be described alongside examples on how educators can distinguish between them to engage their learners in both modes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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20 pages, 1199 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Providing Institutional Support for Academic Engagement in Online and Blended Learning Programs

by Sara Tuiloma, Charles R. Graham, Adriana María Martinez Arias and Diana Maria Parra Caicedo

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100641 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3072

Abstract

In this paper, we examine how universities can evaluate the level of support they provide to help their students with affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement in their online and blended learning experiences. Additionally, it identifies what types of supports help students engage academically and what barriers hinder their online engagement. Using a survey instrument sent to university students (n = 1295), we conducted a mixed-methods analysis to understand better how students feel the institution supports their online engagement and what barriers they experience. To accomplish this, we addressed the following research questions: (1) How do students feel the institution supports their academic engagement for online and blended learning (including affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions)? and (2) What are the barriers to student academic engagement for online and blended learning at the institutional level? We used the Academic Communities of Engagement (ACE) framework as a lens for understanding the types of support institutions should provide in online and blended learning programs. While our descriptive statistics revealed that students might not distinguish the types of support they receive, the qualitative findings suggested they need more behavioral support. Our results also showed that 31% of students reported they experienced three or more barriers to their learning, which should be addressed when considering institutional support elements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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18 pages, 1435 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Interactive Online Pedagogical Approaches to Promote Student Engagement

by Tracey Muir, Isabel Wang, Allison Trimble, Casey Mainsbridge and Tracy Douglas

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 415; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12060415 - 17 Jun 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5022

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019 required a complete shift to online learning across all educational institutions, including universities. The rapid transition to online learning globally meant that many educators were suddenly tasked with adapting their classroom-based pedagogy to the online space. While this was undoubtedly challenging for teachers and students, it also opened up possibilities for reimagining the delivery of content, along with creating increased access for students who had barriers for studying remotely before the impact of COVID-19. The study discussed in this paper examines the experiences of students studying at a regional Australian university that already offered online courses, and whose instructors were already using a diverse range of online delivery tools. Specifically, the study sought to investigate how instructors used interactive strategies to promote student engagement, and how the interaction between learner and content influences student engagement. With research showing that online students typically have higher attrition rates than their on-campus counterparts, engagement has been identified as an important factor in online learning. Online interaction in particular is considered to be instrumental in influencing student engagement and positively impacting student satisfaction, persistence, and academic performance. Data collected from interviews conducted with two different cohorts of students, studying two different courses (mathematics education and Chinese language) at the same university, demonstrated ways instructors utilised interactive online pedagogies to engage students with potentially challenging course content. The study has implications for online educators who are looking for ways to adapt their on-campus courses to online delivery, with a focus on engaging and maintaining online students’ interest and ongoing participation in their courses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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Review

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18 pages, 806 KiB

Open AccessReview

Retention Factors in STEM Education Identified Using Learning Analytics: A Systematic Review

by Chunping Li, Nicole Herbert, Soonja Yeom and James Montgomery

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 781; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110781 - 3 Nov 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3394

Abstract

Student persistence and retention in STEM disciplines is an important yet complex and multi-dimensional issue confronting universities. Considering the rapid evolution of online pedagogy and virtual learning environments, we must rethink the factors that impact students’ decisions to stay or leave the current course. Learning analytics has demonstrated positive outcomes in higher education contexts and shows promise in enhancing academic success and retention. However, the retention factors in learning analytics practice for STEM education have not been fully reviewed and revealed. The purpose of this systematic review is to contribute to this research gap by reviewing the empirical evidence on factors affecting student persistence and retention in STEM disciplines in higher education and how these factors are measured and quantified in learning analytics practice. By analysing 59 key publications, seven factors and associated features contributing to STEM retention using learning analytics were comprehensively categorised and discussed. This study will guide future research to critically evaluate the influence of each factor and evaluate relationships among factors and the feature selection process to enrich STEM retention studies using learning analytics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embracing Online Pedagogy: The New Normal for Higher Education)

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