Newly Arrived Migrant Students’ perceptions of second language learning conditions in Emergency Remote Teaching: the case of Flanders

PurposeCOVID-19 pandemic and closure of campuses have required a significant and rapid shift in teaching and training methods across health professions education, including remote teaching replacing face-to-face teaching. This study aims to investigate if emergency remote teaching implemented in the first two years of the medical school at Avalon University School of Medicine served the purpose during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effectiveness of emergency remote teaching and on-campus teaching were compared using course evaluations (students’ feedback) and students’ performance in assessments.MethodsThis is a concurrent mixed research method. The quantitative data collected are course evaluations and students’ performance in assessments between the two semesters September 2019 (on-campus teaching) and May 2020 (emergency remote teaching). There are three semesters in the first year and two semesters in the second year of the medical program. Each semester has around 10–20 students at any given time. Quantitative data were analyzed for p-values and statistical significance using a t-test. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsResults have shown no statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between two semesters (between on-campus teaching and emergency remote teaching) for course evaluations. Even if there is any difference, the mean values were better in May 2020 semester with emergency remote teaching. There was no statistically significant difference (p<0.05) even on students’ performance in assessments between two semesters (between on-campus teaching and emergency remote teaching) except for two courses. The thematic analysis of interviews revealed the advantages and disadvantages of online teaching.ConclusionEmergency remote teaching served the purpose in the first two years of medical school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The advantages of online teaching are flexibility and comfort, and students can save time. The disadvantages are technical challenges, students lacking motivation, lack of personal interaction, and limitations on lab and hands-on experiences.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the experience of language teaching and learning in a radical way. Instructors are faced with the challenge of fully face-to-face teaching to carrying out online lessons exclusively, to re-designing teaching materials and to making urgent use of new technological tools in order to establish a flow transition. However, the current conditions of the pandemic have officially "legitimised" a new type of teaching in a mandatory and imperative way, that of emergency distance teaching in an online environment. This pilot study explores the views of five language teachers in Higher Education (HE) on how their teaching practices changed in the context of remote learning in the fall semester of 2020. In particular, emphasis is placed on the students’ practice of language skills, particularly on writing, and on the pedagogic character of language teaching and learning under the current circumstances.The study aims to explore the following two research questions: 1. which student language skills have been most affected in distance emergency teaching in an online environment, according to the teachers 2. to what extent language learning is pedagogically achieved in distance emergency teaching in an online environment. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were conducted individually from which issues related to the alteration of the pedagogy of foreign language learning in an emergency remote teaching in an online environment were elicited. Data analysis showed that writing is the most-affected skill under the new circumstances, as teachers are no longer able to detect their students' weaknesses. In addition, there is a significant reference to the "black screen" phenomenon which refers to the black screen of Zoom, the videoconferencing software tool through which lessons take place. The participants in the present study did not choose the specific model but, instead, were forced to adapt to the new learning and teaching conditions, therefore, this raises questions about the teachers’ technology knowledge, inexperience with some tools and independence on colleagues for support. Analysis reveals a profound distance between teachers and students, since face-to-face interaction is intermittently disrupted. Also, although teachers continue to enrich their lesson in a multimodal way, they are often forced to become more explanatory since, as they revealed, they "lose" students in the process and also many metalinguistic elements of the lesson are lost. One of the issues brought to light by this study is that further empirical research, based on students' views, is needed to evaluate more fully the conditions of emergency remote language teaching in an online environment. It would be enlightening to see if students' views reinforce or contradict those of teachers. We also need to research the subject anthropologically and psychologically to investigate some of the students' behaviours more thoroughly, to see what pushes them to "hide" behind the screen and to study the security provided by the screen in relation to their weaknesses. Finally, it would be useful in the future to conduct more interviews with language teachers for a wider range of perspectives that can enrich the topic of foreign language teaching in an emergency remote language teaching environment.

2020 started in a hard way for the whole world and it was a remarkably tough year for the educational system. On the 12th March the World Health Organization announced the Pandemic, which changed many things for Georgia and for the whole world. Georgia shifted from offline learning to the online/distant learning, that turned over the whole educational system. Some of the countries met this situation well-prepared, but for others, it was quite new and strange. Georgia was on the second list. My research topic highlights teaching-learning processes while ERT (Emergency Remote Teaching). On closer inspection, it studies changes in the traditional methodology of developing the oral-communication skill of English while teaching online because of the pandemic. First of all, we have to differentiate several terms that emerged through the pandemic into the educational system due to the non-traditional forms of teaching processes. These are: e-learning, distance education/distance learning, online education/online learning, blended learning, hybrid learning. But in pandemic, a new term emerged: “emergency remote learning and teaching”. This term is used by EUA (European Universities Association) in their short report of September, 2020 “European higher education in the Covid-19 crisis”. The same term is used in North America, “emergency remote teaching”, where the majority of universities offered their students online learning next to the traditional forms of teaching to their students before the pandemic as well. Hence, teaching-learning processes that became online just because of the pandemic made vivid differences between the existing online learning forms and the learning that became remote because of the emergency situation. Therefore, my research highlights what changes the traditional forms of teaching gone through, when in the Spring term of 2020, the whole system of Higher Educational Institutions of Georgia adapted their offline teaching courses for the online ones.

2020 started in a hard way for the whole world and it was a remarkably tough year for the educational system. On the 12th March the World Health Organization announced the Pandemic, which changed many things for Georgia and for the whole world. Georgia shifted from offline learning to the online/distant learning, that turned over the whole educational system. Some of the countries met this situation well-prepared, but for others, it was quite new and strange. Georgia was on the second list. My research topic highlights teaching-learning processes while ERT (Emergency Remote Teaching). On closer inspection, it studies changes in the traditional methodology of developing the oral-communication skill of English while teaching online because of the pandemic. First of all, we have to differentiate several terms that emerged through the pandemic into the educational system due to the non-traditional forms of teaching processes. These are: e-learning, distance education/distance learning, online education/online learning, blended learning, hybrid learning. But in pandemic, a new term emerged: “emergency remote learning and teaching”. This term is used by EUA (European Universities Association) in their short report of September, 2020 “European higher education in the Covid-19 crisis”. The same term is used in North America, “emergency remote teaching”, where the majority of universities offered their students online learning next to the traditional forms of teaching to their students before the pandemic as well. Hence, teaching-learning processes that became online just because of the pandemic made vivid differences between the existing online learning forms and the learning that became remote because of the emergency situation. Therefore, my research highlights what changes the traditional forms of teaching gone through, when in the Spring term of 2020, the whole system of Higher Educational Institutions of Georgia adapted their offline teaching courses for the online ones.

The outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic has changed education dramatically, with the sudden shift from face‐to‐face to emergency remote teaching. Online learning environments may facilitate data‐driven instructional process; yet, our understanding regarding data‐driven decisions is still limited. This quantitative study examined types of learners' data that higher education instructors have access to, are interested in, and decisions they would consider making upon exposure to, while comparing emergency remote teaching with traditional teaching. Data were collected via an online questionnaire distributed among higher education instructors during the first COVID‐19 outbreak ( N = 195, affiliated with 108 different academic institutions in 35 countries). Instructors were requested to refer to a face‐to‐face course that was shifted under these emergency circumstances to online teaching. Findings indicated a broader access to learners' data while teaching the course face‐to‐face and a slightly greater interest in learners' data while teaching the course in an emergency remote teaching mode. These complimentary findings depict a situation in which instructors lack face‐to‐face cues about their students without accessing alternative sources of data. Moreover, when teaching online versus face‐to‐face, instructors showed more interest and higher intention to make decisions based on data about learners' collaborative learning and social and emotional support, which highlights instructors' interest in aspects of learning that are less visible during online teaching. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Evidence regarding the vital role of the instructor in online courses. Online learning environments collect digital traces of learners. Learners' data may assist in the improvement of teaching by implementing data‐driven decision making. Evidence that the COVID‐19 pandemic revealed a major liability in preparation and training for online teaching. The understanding of instructors' perspectives regarding the process of data‐driven decisions, especially in times of ERT, is still limited. What this paper adds We highlight instructors' perceived access to, interest in, and willingness to make decisions based on learners' data. We take a within‐subject approach for determining instructors' perceptions of learners' data during ERT compared with face‐to‐face teaching. We bring evidence to instructors' lesser access to (despite learners' digital traces), and greater interest in, learners' data during ERT. We bring evidence to instructors' higher inclination towards making data‐driven decisions during ERT, due to lack of F2F evidence. We bring evidence to a strong correlation between instructors' interest in learners' data and willingness to make data‐driven decisions. Implications for practice and/or policy Instructors should be trained for socio‐emotional support for students in times of ERT. Higher education institutions should collect data on learners' socio‐emotional status in times of ERT. Policies of data collection in educational institutions should be formed jointly with instructors. Hectic times of ERT force higher education policymakers to rethink their academic paradigm regarding online as well as F2F pedagogical practices.

The aim of this paper is to describe the barriers and enablers in emergency remote education from the views of language teachers amid COVID-19 pandemic. It involved eleven purposively sampled high school English language teachers in the Philippines during the school year 2021-2022. The qualitative data were processed using thematic analysis technique. The results revealed two superordinate themes: 1.) barriers of emergency remote English language education and 2.) enablers of emergency remote English language education. Under the first superordinate theme, barriers of remote emergency education, three subordinate themes emerged: 1.1.) problems in internet connection and materials; 1.2.) unfamiliarity with remote instructional design; and 1.3.) lack of skills in using remote technologies. Furthermore, under the second superordinate theme, enablers of remote emergency education, three subordinate themes were revealed: 2.1.) self-learning in using technology; 2.2.) instructional accommodations; and 2.3.) school and community support. These study outcomes provide practical insights that shape emergency remote education amid the current novel crisis. The barriers should be addressed, and the enablers should be cultivated, so that a successful remote English language education can be attained.

The biggest and most devastating pandemic of the 21st century began to affect our world, with the Chinese Government reporting that a mysterious respiratory disease of unknown origin was detected in 2019. Education has been one of the areas most affected by this deadly disease, which spread all over the world in a short time. In this process, countries went into lockdown and changed the education model and switched to the “emergency remote teaching” model. Consequently, many students have been deprived of face-to-face education. According to UNESCO data, more than 1 billion students were affected on 13 April 2020 due to the disruption of education due to the pandemic. While face-to-face education is suspended in 7 countries today, approximately 37 million students are affected by this situation. In this research, the opinions of the music teachers working in primary and secondary public schools in Turkey and England during the emergency remote teaching about the process were taken. A sample group was formed with a total of 50 music teachers from Turkey and England. The opinions of the teachers were taken with a Likert-type interview form consisting of 6 sections and 22 questions and open-ended answers. According to these answers, the average duration of a lesson is almost equal in both countries, the lessons are generally taught from the same platforms and devices, the teachers in Turkey have more problems with the internet infrastructure during the process. While teachers’ opinions about the COVID-19 processes were generally negative, it was revealed that they developed themselves in digital literacy after the process. In addition, suggestions were received from the teachers for the development of possible new emergency remote music teaching after the process. It has been seen that teachers working in both countries agree on providing equal opportunities to students. At the same time, one of the most striking suggestions is to keep the online alternative education model always ready. This study is important in order to be better prepared for the new possible emergency distance music education.

In this work, we aim to understand professors’ perception of the key competences as well as the best educational strategies and technological tools to guide digital transformation (DT) in education, according to their experience in emergency remote teaching (ERT). In recent years, technological advancement has driven DT in many areas, with education being among them. ERT due to COVID-19 accelerated this transition. Restrictions and lockdowns forced higher education institutions to adopt remote teaching strategies and tools suited for a digital environment. We surveyed 100 professors from a private Mexican university with 15-month experience of online ERT. We asked them through Likert scale questions to self-evaluate their performance and whether they perceived it to be better in online or hybrid environments compared with face-to-face environments in different aspects. We performed correlation, cluster, and factor analysis to identify the relationships and patterns in their answers. Through open-ended questions, we also asked the participants about the challenges and achievements they experienced, and the educational strategies and technological tools they successfully incorporated during ERT. We also conducted text mining to extract the most relevant information from these answers and validated that they were not polarized with negative sentiment using a large language model. Our results showed social intelligence as an underlying competence for teaching performance was highlighted in the digital environment due to the physical interaction limitations. Participants found success in implementing information and communication technologies, resulting in maintaining student interest and building trust in the online environment. Professors recognized the relevance not only of learning management systems and communication platforms, as expected, but also hardware such as tablets, cameras, and headphones for the successful delivery of education in a digital environment. Technology Enhanced Learning transposes game-based, quizzing practices, and collaborative learning to digital environments. Furthermore, the professors recommended learning-by-doing, flipped learning, problem-based learning, game-based learning, and holistic education as some pedagogical methodologies that were successfully applied in ERT and could be implemented for DT. Understanding the gains concerning teaching learning strategies and technologies that were incorporated during ERT is of the utmost importance for driving DT and its benefits for current and future education.

Background Effective teaching of university chemistry in an online environment not only requires teachers to have specific discipline content knowledge; it also requires them to have knowledge and skills in technology-enhanced teaching practices. When transitioning from traditional face-to-face teaching into online contexts, teachers must learn new strategies and methods, along with a shift in their beliefs. Whilst online learning of chemistry is commonplace in many higher education institutions globally, the integration of computer and digital technologies in teaching chemistry in developing countries had been limited prior to the 2020 pandemic. Purpose In this study, the experiences, perceptions, and teaching strategies of university chemistry teachers in the Philippines have been explored during the transition of their instruction to emergency remote teaching at two timepoints during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sample Data were collected in the form of survey responses from 139 participants representing 35 universities and colleges across the nation. Results No strong relationships were found between participants’ experiences and their academic rank, length of service, or institution type, suggesting university chemistry teachers took similar approaches to quickly adopt and adapt available technologies to deliver the required curriculum. Since the Philippines continues to struggle to establish a robust infrastructure to promote online and technology-enhanced learning, participants had to devise pedagogies and practices that would allow accessible learning experiences for their students by curating online tools that would require minimal bandwidth and low internet data consumption. Using abductive methodology, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework was employed as a guide in interpreting university chemistry teachers’ experiences and perceptions about their implementation of emergency remote teaching using online technologies. Whilst participants had limited prior experiences in employing online learning pedagogies, key elements of the CoI framework became apparent through the new technologies and practices implemented by university chemistry teachers which fostered teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence.

The continuous progress of new technologies transforms rapidly the field of education and it offers the necessary functional and friendly infrastructure for the development of distance education in schools. SDE can support a wide range of learning needs and offer effective solutions to the problems of geomorphology, pandemics, lack of teachers, supplementary or differentiated teaching, etc. by supporting both teachers in their work and students to enhance their performances. Innovative and flexible forms of learning are encouraged in SDE such as individualized, collaborative, experiential and exploratory learning. The expansion of the autonomous and complementary SDE in the range of formal education is considered necessary in Greece in the context of supporting equal educational opportunities.Fragmentary initiatives had been launched in formal and non-formal education system or innovative actions in the SDE, till the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Then SDE evolves rapidly in the form of "Emergency Remote Teaching". This form was temporarily activated in response to the crisis, with the positive response and participation of teachers without a wide range of options and full management control. The complex conditions that are being faced require new roles for all stakeholders in school education. Educational systems are tested on the ways / methods of maintaining the educational practice outside of school in matters of pedagogical responsibility and technological readiness.With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the forced closure of schools, a great project of Emergency Remote Teaching began in Greece with synchronous, asynchronous teaching methods and TV broadcasts. Educational RadioTelevision (EduTV) of the Ministry of Education today supports students and teachers, encouraging their participation in authentic learning environments, which can inspire and offer conditions for collaborative creativity and cultivation of 21st century skills.EduTV produces educational audiovisual content specially designed and developed based on the Distance Education principles, which can furthermore support interactive communication. In addition to production, EduTV contributes to SDE in the dimensions of mass broadcasting through public television, distribution in digital repositories with open licenses, enabling integration and interaction in online learning environments. The open source H5P software offers teachers a strongly powerful tool to create their own interactive videos as part of their educational plans and practices in classrooms, Web learning environments or combining them by inserting interactive elements.The paper first presents an introduction to Distance Education and its principles and then emphasizes in SDE and the concepts of autonomous and complementary SDE. The second section approaches the role of EduTV in SDE on the one hand in its traditional form with the production and dissemination of audiovisual material and on the other hand with the utilization of streaming media on the Internet. The third section focuses on the initiatives of the EduTV in both SDE and Emergency Remote Teaching. Moreover it highlights the potential of video-lessons accessible by students with hearing problems, produced during the pandemic.The paper highlights the conclusions from the contribution of EduTV in front of the challenges that arise from the convergence of television and Internet technologies as well as from the complex conditions of 21st century education. The contribution of EduTV to SDE is highlighted as well as the ways in which it can support traditional school education and propose solutions to the complex pandemic situations or the geomorphological situations of the Greek school and moreover the special educational needs of students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities worldwide to deliver emergency remote online teaching and learning. This study analyses teaching practices at a globally ranked Australian university. These practices were adopted to develop connection with students in the absence of face-to-face learning. Complex adaptive system theory is applied, and a mixed research method adopted to examine the evolution of the remote classroom and to understand behaviour as a process of self-organisation. We find that social connection is the underlying mechanism by which the classroom evolved to meet the learning outcomes within the remote online teaching and learning environment. In response to initial transition and institutional pressures, educators attempted to replicate online their work in a face-to-face environment, creating surrogate social connectedness. Our study findings not only extend the literature on the continuing impact of the pandemic on higher education but also highlight the need for pedagogy to drive change and the importance of social connectedness.

While some students had experience receiving online education prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency remote modality offered a different experience given that higher education faculty had limited time for planning and, most of them, did not have any experience in online education. This research aims to identify the differences between undergraduate students’ perceptions and preferences on emergency remote and online education. Researchers identified a set of online education courses–that pre-existed COVID-19 times–and courses that were transformed into remote education courses–designed as a response of the COVID-19 emergency. Participants of this study are a group of students who, during the same academic semester, participated in both online and (emergency) remote courses. Researchers used a survey to understand students’ perceptions and preferences assessing their experiences in different dimensions (e.g., interaction and evaluation). Researchers used the add-on preferential groups model to identify which of the two modalities was preferred by the students for each dimension. The quantitative analysis was complemented using content analysis of responses to open-ended questions, seeking to gain a better understanding of students’ perceptions and preferences between online and emergency remote education. The results show that students have a positive view of the online and remote modalities; however, each of these modalities offers students advantages for specific dimensions. For example, the remote modality was preferred for having greater interaction among peers and with the instructor. On the other hand, online education provided more flexibility. Students suggested improving assessments’ approaches and instructors’ technological skills for both modalities.

Previous research has shown a range of benefits of extensive reading for second or foreign language (L2) learning, as well as learners’ positive attitudes towards extensive reading. However, during emergency remote teaching around the globe as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, where all L2 classes have been moved online, little research has investigated online extensive reading as well as learners’ perspectives on this activity. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate Vietnamese EFL learners’ perspectives on online extensive reading during emergency remote L2 teaching amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Eighty-seven Vietnamese EFL learners at a local university participated in the study. They were involved in one online extensive reading over 12 weeks. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participants. The results showed that all the learners had positive attitudes towards online extensive reading during emergency remote L2 teaching. Learners reported enjoying the variety of topics and genres found in online extensive reading, the suitability of the texts for their L2 proficiency, the usefulness of the program for enhancing their L2 competence as well as general knowledge, along with the convenience that the program offers. Learners also suggested several improvements in the website interface and the addition of more topics, genres, and quizzes.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced traditional higher education institutions to switch to Emergency Remote Teaching through internet platforms and traditional modes which created significant disruptions. Language educators also were required to conduct online assessments. Using a collaborative autoethnography, we analysed our experiences on Emergency Remote Teaching as three language educators at three Malaysian higher education institutions during the COVID-19 epidemic. We were experts in traditional face-to-face classrooms but novices in online learning environments. The framework for our research was resilience theory. Resilience describes our ability to alter and adapt in the face of adversity. We employed theme analysis to evaluate our self-reflective field notes, which were supplemented with social media posts, from April 2020 to April 2021. Our findings indicate that four themes arose from our research. The findings suggest that four themes emerged from our study; i. strategies used during Emergency Remote Teaching, ii. multiple roles, iii. resiliency, and iv. challenges. The findings give insights into educators' tactics for adapting to the Emergency Remote Teaching environment, their many responsibilities, their resiliency, and the problems they experienced. We feel that our experiences with Emergency Remote Teaching have helped us become better competent language instructors who advocate the synergy of online and offline language study. Our research adds to a better understanding of the experiences that language educators had during Emergency Remote Teaching and the use of these experiences in higher education professional development. These findings are important for policymakers, administrators, and educators as they develop strategies and policies to assist educators in times of crisis.

Background In order to continue educational provision during the Covid-19 pandemic, many education systems switched to some form of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) in 2020. Research suggests that this may have disproportionately affected students from underprivileged communities. In this context, there is, therefore, a pressing need to consider how ERT may have impacted learners who are likely to be most affected by educational inequalities, including newly arrived migrant students (NAMS). Purpose As studies have highlighted the particular importance of interaction for effective distance learning, the research aimed to examine how NAMS in Flemish secondary schools experienced interaction with learning content, teachers and fellow students in online classes during ERT. Methods A total of six semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 23 NAMS from six secondary schools in Belgium. The interviews were centred on questions about participants’ experiences with online interaction and participation. All focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, after which transcriptions were coded and analysed qualitatively. Findings The analysis revealed that, during ERT, participants reported experiencing a higher amount of learner–content interaction, mainly consisting of self-study material and tasks. Participants also indicated a lack of learner–teacher interaction, which was attributed to the shortage of speaking opportunities and students’ decreased inclination to interact with instructors. In addition, most participants reportedly experienced few opportunities for learner–learner interaction during online classes. Conclusions Study findings provided insight into the NAMS’ experiences of being suddenly and unexpectedly compelled to be autonomous learners during ERT. Students’ reports suggest that the quality of learner–content interaction may have been compromised by limited learner–teacher interaction in the ERT situation. This draws attention more generally to the importance of interactive learning in the support of NAMS and the need for educators to be empowered to develop interactivity-rich remote learning environments.