SYNCHRONOUS COMPUTER-SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE WRITING OF THE PROPOSAL DURING THE PANDEMIC

Modern technology has already changed the way we live, but the COVID-19 pandemic has provided us educators with an unprecedented situation in which we are faced with the enormous challenge of teaching online for a long period of time. It is therefore important to analyse various techniques for getting the most out of distance teaching, especially in a synchronous mode. The aim of the study discussed in this article was to analyse students’ attitudes towards collaborative online work undertaken in synchronous mode during the pandemic. Thirty-three first-year BA students studying English Philology participated in this study. Respondents reflected on the process of online, synchronous collaboration via MS Teams by answering an online survey. The results of the study revealed that collaborative learning allows participants to actively participate in an online lesson, interact with others, co-construct a writing task, apply the new language introduced in lessons in a practical task and receive almost instant feedback. Consequently, any sense of isolation the students may feel is reduced and a sense of community is developed. In addition to this, a collaborative task enhances students’ use of academic skills and the development of key competences that can lay the foundation for lifelong learning.

Would-be Language Teachers' Perceptions and Challenges Towards Synchronous Language Learning

Believed to be a practical solution to eliminate the possibilities of any learning gap to befall, the adaption of online learning specifically the implementation of the synchronous mode of teaching and learning has been practiced in various universities in the arena of education amidst the covid-19 outbreak. In light of this, the present study sought to investigate the different perspectives of would-be language teachers towards synchronous learning. Moreover, this investigation aimed to determine the challenges encountered by the students during the course of learning. The participants of the study were seven students in the tertiary level taking a bachelor’s degree either in English or Filipino. Essentially, a descriptive qualitative research design was employed and individual in-depth interviews were conducted. Furthermore, thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the data gathered. With reference to the findings of this study, it has been noted that the respondents perceive synchronous learning differently, which includes both positive and negative remarks. In addition, internet connectivity issues, limited interaction in virtual platforms, technical difficulties, distractions in the environment, and lack of gadgets were the evident challenges experienced by the students during synchronous learning sessions.

An instrumental orchestration for online course at the university level

In this article, we present a proposal for instrumental orchestration that organizes the use of technological environments in online mathematics education, in the synchronous mode for the concepts of eigenvalue and eigenvector of a first linear algebra course with engineering students. We used the instrumental orchestration approach as a theoretical framework to plan and organize the artefacts involved in the environment (didactic configuration) and the ways in which they are implemented (exploitation modes). The activities were designed using interactive virtual didactic scenarios, in a dynamic geometry environment, guided exploration worksheets with video and audio recordings of the work of the students, individually or in pairs. The results obtained are presented and the orchestrations of a pedagogical sequence to introduce the concepts of eigenvalue and eigenvector are briefly discussed. This work allowed us to identify new instrumental orchestrations for online mathematics education.

Promoting Service Leadership Qualities and Well-Being among University Students through an Online Course during COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is a great challenge to leadership education in universities. Although previous findings provide support for the effectiveness of online learning, the impact of online leadership course on students’ learning outcomes and well-being has not been well documented. Using objective outcome and subjective outcome evaluation strategies, the present study examined students’ perceived qualities and effectiveness of an online credit-bearing service leadership course adopting asynchronous mode (primarily online learning) and synchronous mode under COVID-19. Regardless of teaching modes, the subject yielded positive impacts. Specifically, pretest-posttest (N = 228) showed that there were positive changes in students’ service leadership qualities, life satisfaction and psychological well-being. For students’ perception of the course (N = 219), results indicated that most students were positive in their learning experience and satisfied with course design, lecturer quality and the benefits of the course to their development. Students’ changes and subjective perceptions were positively correlated, but with a low effect size. The findings reflected that online service leadership course adopting asynchronous or synchronous mode was effective, and students were positive about their learning experience.

Competencies and preferences of online psycho-education for caregivers of transition-aged autistic youth

PurposeThe need for more accessible services is apparent and has become more urgent due to the pandemic, COVID-19. While online psycho-education exists, its feasibility is rarely tested. This study explored the online learning experiences and technology competencies of caregivers of transition-aged autistic youth. Their preferred online transition-related training topics were also explored.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative survey was developed based on the review of related literature. The survey was distributed to caregivers of autistic children in the USA.FindingsResults showed that these caregivers are open to online learning (84%) while preferring asynchronous (74.6%) over synchronous mode (12%). The highest-rated topics include life/independent living skills, employment and social and community involvement.Originality/valueThis paper presented valuable information for researchers and educators who are interested in developing online learning programs for the caregivers of autistic children.

Promoting student-centred blended learning in higher education: A model

This empirical study is conducted in a blended learning setting of a technology-focused private university in Bangladesh to offer a model that could help attain a comprehensive goal of blended learning. The main objectives of this study are to examine course design in a blended learning setting, strategies adopted by the course teachers to maximize students’ online interactions in a collaborative manner and how well these strategies had an impact on quality of blended teaching and learning in tertiary education. Drawing upon a quasi-experimental approach, qualitative data were collected by observing the teaching and learning activities of a course named ‘Bangladesh Studies’ over a four-month semester. Findings of this study suggest a model that would allow better student–teacher interaction in both synchronous and asynchronous modes of teaching and learning based on three sequential stages such as referring to and discussing online peer-group comments in the regular face-to-face classes in asynchronous mode (stage 1), off-campus synchronous mode of interactions to utilize students’ personal study hours (stage 2) and off-campus asynchronous mode of interactions to offer flexibility for collaborative learning (stage 3). It is argued that the model that has been offered could be useful in promoting innovative and contextual pedagogy which will essentially involve students in sharing, interacting and collaborating discussions for knowledge construction and hereby enable overall cognitive development of students in a blended learning environment.

DISTANCE EDUCATION AND LEARNING PROCESSES. A SURVEY AT UNIVERSITY OF CATANIA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The emergency situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic required all Italian universities to implement alternative teaching strategies to traditional face-to-face lessons. At the University of Catania, this situation prompted the start of distance learning paths in a synchronous mode at the very beginning of the emergency. At the same time, the lecturers were encouraged to video-record the lessons in order to make them available to students also in asynchronous mode. On the basis of this emergency situation, an investigation was immediately launched to identify the consequences of the new teaching methods on student learning processes; the research began in the first phase of the lockdown in Italy (March 2020) and ended in January 2021. The aim of this contribution is to present the results of the research conducted on a sample of 300 students following bachelor degree courses of the Department of Education at the University of Catania. The research aims to detect the students’ points of view on the strengths and weaknesses of the synchronous and asynchronous ways of presenting lessons and their respective impact on learning processes. The results of the research could provide useful insights to rethink university teaching even when the emergency situation comes to an end.

Real-time hardware emulation of wind turbine model with asynchronous generator under hardware-in-the-loop platform

Renewable energy sources are becoming as one of the major generation strategies around the world. The wind energy systems have been technologically advanced and integrated to the power system in a rapid routine. This paper looks into the modelling as well as operational exploration of a three blade wind turbine connected to asynchronous generator. State-of-the-art wind turbine topologies and a comparative summary of real-time simulation technologies for electrical systems are described. A 2.4 MW wind turbine with three blades is modelled for the analysis of power characteristics. The shift from sub-synchronous to super-synchronous mode is analysed for type-A wind energy conversion system (WECS) with 2 MW asynchronous generator by using MATLAB/Simulink model. The step-by-step standard operating procedure for modelling and real-time simulation of 2 MW type-A WECS having asynchronous generator under hardware-in-the-loop platform is elucidated. The steady state and transient behaviours of the WECS are validated by the real-time emulation under a hardware-in-the-loop platform.

Towards a New Platform Based on Web 2.0 Technologies Supporting Collaborative Clinical Reasoning Behavior Skills

Clinical Reasoning (CR) is a complex skill that must be learned by students during their training. However, it is difficult to learn and it is not immediately apparent how training should be organized to develop and improve students' clinical reasoning behavior. The use of Web 2.0 technologies in e-learning and e-health provides opportunities to consider effective teaching and learning methods, with an emphasis on collaboration. The importance of collaboration in medical education and practice is growing, and by working together professionals can build a better future. When a shared information need becomes a collaborative site, it is called Collaborative Information Behavior (CIB). To date, there is no system that fully supports CIB in clinical reasoning learning. This paper focuses on studies conducted in the field of CIB. In addition, research related to the clinical reasoning learning in medical pedagogy is also considered. A model dedicated to the design of a collaborative clinical reasoning behavioral environment in synchronous mode is proposed. The proposed model was concretized by a collaborative environment supporting behavioral competencies in collaborative clinical reasoning based on Web 2.0 technologies (MEDcollab), which aims to make student learning visible and accessible to educators.