This study aims to describe the impact of learning loss on students at universities in Indonesia who are often overlooked in educational discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning loss is only considered to have an impact on students at school. Whereas learning loss is a global phenomenon, which threatens all students around the world, both in schools and universities. The research method used is descriptive research method with a case study approach. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, document analysis, literature study, and observation. Then the data was analyzed adopting interactive analysis from Miles and Huberman. The results of the study indicate that learning loss that occurs in students affects student readiness, not only in the process of achieving competence and learning objectives at university, but also students' readiness to enter the world of work. As many as 87% of students are worried about whether they can get a job after graduating during the COVID-19 period. This concern is reinforced by the phenomenon: around 88% or 9 out of 10 companies are affected by the pandemic in Indonesia. Unemployment is open as much as 3.5 million to 8.5 million people throughout 2020, while Indonesia's economic growth in 2020 is minus 2.07 %.

The embracement of the digital opportunities has become revolutionary for the sector of education where learners and educators can benefit from the infinite possibilities for knowledge sharing. The educators can utilize the digital learning platforms for enhancement of their knowledge and professional capacity building. One such digital platform is “Futurelearn” managed by “The Open University UK”. The study is aimed to examine the usefulness of digital learning platforms specifically Futurelearn for the diversified learning experiences by the educators which can be utilized during their teaching practices. The identified objectives of the study were educator’s knowledge, utilization and gained benefits about the digital learning platforms. The post graduate level educators of Open University having M.Phil with 10 years or above teaching experience were the population of the study. Semi structured interviews were conducted from the 20 sample participants and thematic content analysis techniques were used. Knowledge of digital learning platform, Utility of digital learning platforms, learning opportunities and professional capacity building and Benefits of digital learning platforms for educators were identified themes. The findings of the study revealed that the benefits of digital learning platforms include diversified knowledge, professional capacity building, interactive and better communication with trainers of diversified backgrounds and inclusive and blended learning opportunities.

This article explores prospects and challenges of E-learning in Pakistan at the M.Phil. level. Given the emergence of Covid-19 in the year 2020 in Pakistan brought the integration of E[1]learning/distant learning in our education system; and its practice is not an innovative idea, but its critical application has raised several concerns for the future of academia. Albeit it is the new normal and efforts are being made to make it the vital mode of learning in near future; nevertheless, it has its own shortcomings. This study identifies a few of the challenges: lack of sources, in expertise in technology, English Language, power outage, no standard guidelines from the HEC, no uniform patterns followed by the universities, deception on students’ part is also a significant contributor, etc. This research is thus divided into three segments: the literature review; literature drawn probes E-learning in the new era with its pros and cons; and how it is still a challenge in Pakistan to normalize E-learning for future reference. Second is the qualitative analysis of the responses conducted from the M.Phil. students and the faculty of Area Study Centre for Africa, North and South America, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Finally, the recommendations gathered from the deduced results and focused group discussions. The study argues the prospects of e-learning by combining the literature with the results and a brief study of Higher Education Commission’s role in creating effective strategies for normalizing e-learning.

Educational activities have been shifting to online mode due to school closures during the Covid[1]19 pandemic. Thus, the online mode of education introduces new ways of teaching and assessment. Both formative and summative assessments have been conducted online, which proved to be challenging and ineffective. Educational stakeholders are in trouble due to this transition of education. Considering this very important issue, this research is planned to investigate the challenges and possible effective practices of assessment in higher education. A qualitative research approach was adopted to collect data from university teachers through a semi-structured interview guide. Thirty teachers were involved in this study through convenient sampling techniques. All the collected data were analyzed by adopting thematic analysis techniques. The findings identified the following key challenges for teachers: (a) poor formative assessment due to less participation of students in online classes; (b) poor quality of learning management system and other applications to get connected with students; (c) students cheat during exams and submit plagiarized work. As to exploring effective practices, teachers suggested the following, (a) exams should be based on an open-book strategy but teachers and students should be prepared for this; (b) the university should invest in developing the infrastructure to teach online; (c) the university should develop a policy to handle malpractices of students. The results are also discussed with the help of available research.

The prevalence of online education with the help of advanced digital tools invites universities to foster self-regulated and peer-collaborative learning skills (SRL & PCL) among students. The main objectives of the study were; exploring the insights of teachers for fostering (SRL & PCL) in online learning, tracing difficulties for teachers to stimulate (SRL & PCL), and examining current online teaching practices of teachers that facilitate (SRL & PCL). In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 teachers of public sector universities in Punjab. The suitability & trustworthiness of the interview protocol was confirmed by seeking expert opinion. The qualitative data were analyzed with the help of N-Vivo. The Study concluded that teachers believed (SRL & PCL) skills are immensely needed to nurture SRL and PCL in students in the online teaching[1]learning process. Some challenging factors for teachers were found to be high in intensity like being un-motivated, having low self-efficacy, peer conflicts, the environment of educational institutions, lack of planning skills, support facilities, unsuitable educational equipment, and lack of orientation towards (ICT) skills. The practices of teachers to facilitate (SRL & PCL) included; the use of motivation and emotional drive, promoting the use of collaborative tools, improving self-talk & feedback, promoting reflective dialogues, and promoting peer sharing and active learning. The study also recommended the ways for teachers to nurture SRL and PCL skills in students within online mode.

This study was mainly focused on the “Paradigm shift from traditional teaching to online mode during the Pandemic days. Main objective of present study were to: evaluate the impact of paradigm shift on higher educational institutes during pandemic and to compare the achievements of graduates through traditional ways of learning and online mode. This research was descriptive in its nature. For data collection, the survey method was used by the researcher. All the required information was collected through a self-made questionnaire for university students. The sample of this study was 3 universities from two different districts and 414 students. The data which was collected through a questionnaire was analyzed by using, mean, frequency, standard deviation, and ANOVA tests use for the independent variables. Major findings of the research asserted that the learners and teachers encountered issues and challenges while learning and teaching through innovative technology. It was recommended that the university should facilitate the learners for the provision of internet and tutorials for the use of modern apps. The IT department of HEIs should play the role in this regard. Teachers should be provided with the pedagogical and andragogical in service trainings to incorporate innovative information communication technologies such as open educational resources (OER) and social media as a tool of teaching to the students to enhance teaching learning process (TLP).

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes in all spheres of life globally. The pandemic has adversely affected many sectors, and education is one of them. The paradigm shift of online teaching from face-to-face or conventional setup forced educators and teachers to accept these challenges and use different means of communication to deliver education to the students. As a result, traditional teaching has shifted to online. This shift has also raised various issues, constraints and challenges for the faculty members. Thus, this study aimed to determine the constraints and challenges of online teaching faced by the teachers of public sector universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. For data collection, an online survey was conducted with university teachers and a questionnaire based on five point Likert scale was used for this purpose. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and independent sample t-test were conducted for data analysis. This study provides insight into the challenges and identifies the constraints as a reference source for the university management and teachers.

The outbreak of COVID-19 and its impact on learning globally cannot be overemphasized. Specifically, the pandemic severely affected adult learning and these further compounded issues bedeviling literacy promotion, especially in developing nations like Nigeria. This study assessed the impact of COVID-19 on adult learning and the place of technologies in facilitating adult learning in Nigeria. A qualitative research method through the lens of the interpretive paradigm was adopted for this study. The study is underpinned by the Theory of Andragogy and the Technology Acceptance Model. An in-depth interview with forty-six adult literacy facilitators across selected states in the country forms the participants of the study. The interview transcript was analyzed using a thematic framework. Findings revealed amongst others that COVID-19 impaired adult learning significantly in Nigeria. There exists a strong belief among literacy facilitators in the country that technologies can be used as an instructional delivery mechanism for learners in adult literacy programmes. Thus, radio, television, and mobile phone ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively among suggested technological tools to facilitate adult learning in Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was suggested that there is a need for literacy stakeholders in the country to rethink adult literacy delivery modalities beyond the traditional approach. Also, it is suggested that enabling environment should be provided and familiar technologies such as radio, television and mobile phones should be used with adequate guidance and encouragement to improve learners’ access and participation in literacy programmes. While technology is not the silver bullet that will solve obstacles facing access to and participation in adult literacy programmes, there is a need to explore opportunities in the use of technologies to facilitate adult learning in Nigeria.

Aim of the study was to identify factors which are affecting assessment practices in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system, including factors affecting assessment of assignments, components of workshop and term final examination. The study was intended to answer the questions, how feedback, student faculty proportion, motivation, learning styles and personal problems affect assessment practices during assessment of assignments? What difficulties, students of B.Ed face during presentation of Lesson Plans and compilation of Portfolios? How style of questions, environment and examiners affect assessment practices during term final examination? Population of the study was all students of B.Ed (1.5 year), (2.5 year) and 4 year students, enrolled during semester Autumn-2018, in Multan region of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). Sample comprised of 131 male and 119 female students. Sample was taken by simple random sampling technique. The study was descriptive in nature, and self developed questionnaire was used to collect data from sample students Validity of the research tool was determined through expert opinion method. Coefficient of alpha reliability for validated questionnaire had a value of .76 for respondents’. Data was collected and analyzed by employing SPSS to calculate frequencies, means, standard deviation, and percentage. t-test was used to calculate gender differences. The study concluded that all factors which are affecting in Open and distance Learning (ODL) system are also affecting on assessment practices in Multan region of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), The study recommends on the basis of findings that factors which affect assessment practices in Multan region may be given due consideration to minimize student difficulties. (1) Assessment of assignments by providing timely feedback on semester assignments, deploying faculty keeping in view the enrolment, motivating students and by adopting flexible teaching styles. (2) Component of Workshop, training regarding lesson plan preparation and portfolio compilation need improvement. (3) Term Final Examination, exam personnel may be deployed on merit, old technological items may be replaced with new ones and physical facilities may be improved at Multan regional campus of AIOU.