scholarly journals A Focus Group Qualitative Analysis on the Real-time Online Learning Experience of Students Majoring in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 742-754
Author(s):  
JiYoun Kim ◽  
PyungKon Tark ◽  
SooBok Lee

Objectives: This purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of students who majored in Speech Therapy and Audiology Rehabilitation in relation to the real-time online learning experience using zoom conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to find a way to increase the effectiveness of non-face-to-face lectures in the future.Methods: Focus group interviews were conducted twice with 10 students (5 each) majoring in Speech Therapy and Audiology Rehabilitation. The questionnaire for the focus group interview consisted of 21 questions in 4 areas; including interaction, lecture content, lecture system, and comprehensive opinion, and the interview was conducted for 90 minutes for each group.Results: As a result of open-coding and analyzing the real-time online learning experiences of the study participants, 190 semantic units, 44 subcategories, and 10 core categories were derived. And the 10 core categories were divided into three dimensions: the personal dimension, the environmental dimension, and the pedagogical dimension. The results of the study confirmed the various opinions and desires of students for real-time online learning during the COVID-19 period.Conclusion: This study will provide a basis for building an effective real-time online teaching method and practical training system for field practice, and will further improve the educational effectiveness of education in the department of Speech Therapy and Audiology Rehabilitation.

Author(s):  
Peter Shea ◽  
Alexandra Pickett ◽  
Chun Sau Li

<p>Online learning environments provide an unprecedented opportunity to increase student access to higher education. Accomplishing this much needed goal requires the active participation and cooperation of university faculty from a broad spectrum of institutional settings. Although online learning has seen rapid growth in recent years, it remains a relatively small percentage of the entire curriculum of higher education today. As a relatively recent development, online teaching can be viewed through the lens of diffusion of innovation research. This paper reports on research from 913 professors from community colleges, four-year colleges, and university centers in an attempt to determine potential barriers to the continued growth in adoption of online teaching in higher education. It is concluded through factor and regression analysis that four variables are significantly associated with faculty satisfaction and their likelihood, therefore, to adopt or continue online teaching – these include levels of interaction in their online course, technical support, a positive learning experience in developing and teaching the course, and the discipline area in which they taught. Recommendations for institutional policy, faculty development, and further research are included. </p> <p><b>Keywords: </b>online teaching, faculty satisfaction, faculty development, diffusion of innovation, access, higher education, study </p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Theroux ◽  
Cari Carpenter ◽  
Clare Kilbane

A new type of case study, called the real-time case (RTC), was produced in the fall of 2001 and distributed via the Internet to business classes at four universities in the US and Canada. The real-time case presented the story of one company's growth and development throughout a 14-week semester. A case writer stationed full-time at the subject company published case installments weekly on the Web, allowing students to view the company-building process as it happened. The 14-week coverage of RTC enabled students to study the subject company in unprecedented depth and detail. RTC's real-time interactivity allowed students to share their analyses and best thinking with the company leadership during the company’s decision-making process.A major objective in producing the case was to heighten student engagement with the case material. To evaluate whether this objective was achieved, a survey and a focus group discussion were conducted with one of the participating MBA classes. Results from the survey and the focus group showed a high degree of engagement, plus many other benefits from the new type of case study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-23
Author(s):  
Maha Al-Freih

The aim of this phenomenological study is to provide a deeper understanding of the impact of remote teaching on instructors’ perceptions of online learning and future teaching practices amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze open-ended semi-structured interviews conducted with five higher education faculty in Saudi Arabia. Three major themes were identified: enhancing student engagement; increased awareness of technology affordances and constraints; and moving from emergency remote teaching to technology-enhanced and blended learning. Participants of this study were mainly concerned about finding ways to support active student engagement in this new learning environment, which in turn increased their awareness of the educational affordances and constraints of online learning and technologies. Participants’ deeper understanding of the potential of online technologies in supporting student learning, as well as their own and students’ increased familiarity and comfort with online learning and technologies, served as the main drivers for potential future implementation of blended learning and technology-enhanced teaching practices. With that said, participants were still apprehensive about engaging in fully online teaching, arguing that blended strategies and enhanced-technology integration are more likely to overcome some of the limitations of face-to-face teaching and improve the overall learning experience for their students. Discussion of these findings in relation to the extant literature and their implications for higher education institutions moving forward are provided.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 633
Author(s):  
Nastaran Peimani ◽  
Hesam Kamalipour

Students’ learning experiences and perceptions are markedly influenced by the use of digital technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploring students’ perception of blended online learning, amid the adaptations of the higher education sector in the wake of uncertainty, has become more critical than ever. This paper reflects on the experience of learning and teaching the Research Methods and Techniques subject in the postgraduate programme of MA Urban Design at Cardiff University during COVID-19 in the UK. To do so, we designed and carried out an online survey to explore students’ perception of online teaching and learning activities, feedback and assessment, and digital platforms based on their experience during the subject delivery period in the 2020–2021 academic year. One of the significant findings of this paper was that students agreed with the impact of eye contact on their virtual learning experience but as long as this was aligned with their rights to see others, including their peers and instructors, rather than reciprocal rights to be seen. In addition, students felt that facilitating synchronous communication through effective interaction among diverse peers has been quite challenging in small-group online reading seminars. The majority of respondents also reported that attending live online lectures was more helpful than watching pre-recorded lectures. Online formative feedback and synchronous interim reviews also allowed students to reflect on their progress and develop their projects further before their summative assessment. The outcomes of this paper can effectively assist educators who consider delivering programmes, adopting a blended online learning environment design model, in the post COVID-19 era. The findings of this study can also provide guidance for further developments and improvements in using digital technology and blended online learning in urban design education and pedagogy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleh Al-Salman ◽  
Ahmad S Haider

The present study investigates the influence of digital technology, instructional and assessment quality, economic status and psychological state, and course type on Jordanian university students’ attitudes towards online learning during the COVID-19 emergency transition to online learning. A survey of 4,037 undergraduate students representing four Jordanian public and private universities revealed that personal challenges (such as economic and psychological stress) decreased students’ willingness to learn online in the future, while the quality of the online experience (including instructional and assessment quality) improved their attitudes towards learning online in the future. Students also believed that Arts & Humanities courses were better suited for online teaching/learning than Sciences courses, a difference that persisted after controlling for personal challenges and the quality of the online learning experience.


Author(s):  
Cecep Mustafa

In this paper, I present a qualitative method used in researching the judiciary. This article highlights the importance of employing a number of quality assurance steps and procedures to enhance the validity and reliability of the findings. I argue that to increase safety and reduce risk, procedural risk-assessment of the study project can be useful to deal with the real time practical difficulties that emerged from the fieldwork. To develop an understanding of what judges are trying to achieve when sentencing minor drug offenders, a total of thirty-one Indonesian judges were semi-structurally interviewed. The findings highlight that my methodology evolved by working in the field. When it was clear that not all participants were willing to be recorded, I decided to take notes. Also, I decided to conduct a kind of focus group by having two judges in the room concurrently. In this regard, I captured the participant's experience without being too intrusive. This paper contributes to the study of the method. The way in which I employed a number of quality assurance steps and procedures to enhance the validity and reliability of the findings. This fastidiousness and vigilance enhance confidence that this study's findings reflect closely the reality of drug sentencing in the courts studied over the period of fieldwork.


Author(s):  
Emtinan Alqurashi

Digital technologies provide learners with the opportunity to be actively involved and engaged in the online learning experience. However, with the rapid growth of technology, it can be challenging for instructors to keep up with the changes and assess the effectiveness of new technologies within online learning environments. In order to successfully integrate technology, two theoretical frameworks are commonly used to evaluate instructional technology effectiveness: the SAMR and TPACK models. Although there are many studies that discuss theoretical frameworks for technology integration, there is still a need to discuss the practical use of technology tools in the live online classroom in higher education. This chapter provides instructors with a practical guide for evaluating and implementing synchronous tools to enhance the student experience and learning. It focuses on four components: virtual classrooms, individual activities, real-time assessments, and group work.


Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Richardson ◽  
Erin Besser ◽  
Adrie Koehler ◽  
JiEun Lim ◽  
Marquetta Strait

<p class="2">As online learning continues to grow significantly, various efforts have been explored and implemented in order to improve the instructional experiences of students.  Specifically, research indicates that how an instructor establishes his or her presence in an online environment can have important implications for the students’ overall learning experience. While instructor presence appears to be an important aspect of online learning, more research is needed to fully understand this construct. The purpose of this study was to consider online instructors’ perceptions related to presence, beliefs about actions, and the perceived impact of instructional presence. Using an explanatory multiple-case study approach, this research considered the perspectives of 13 instructors teaching in an online master’s program at a large Midwestern public university.  Results indicate instructors viewed instructor presence as an important component in online courses but their reasons varied. Furthermore, the instructors discussed a number of communication strategies they used, the importance of using such strategies to connect to students, and the potential impact of these strategies on student participation and learning. Additional themes from the interview data are discussed, and implications for online teaching and learning are suggested.</p>


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