Assignment Submission Research Articles

An Extensive Examination of Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) Integration within EnglishWorks! Assessing Efficacy in English Language Enhancement

A Learning Management System (LMS) widely employed to facilitate classroom activities is Canvas. To ensure a conducive environment for online teaching and learning, proficient administration of an LMS is indispensable. The primary focus of this inquiry is to explore the current utilization of Canvas in enhancing English teaching and learning methodologies. Notably, the investigation places heightened importance on EnglishWorks! students' perspectives regarding instructors' utilization of the Canvas platform. Employing a qualitative approach, this study drew insights from EnglishWorks! classroom observations, documentation, and a survey. The analysis's outcomes illuminate how Canvas, equipped with modules for resource sharing, discussion boards, assignment submission, online conferencing, and seamless integration with other platforms, has significantly enriched the process of teaching and learning of EnglishWorks! a US Embassy-sponsored project. These integral features have effectively facilitated the pedagogical dynamics inherent to English education. Despite encountering challenges, students expressed a sense of comfort, enthusiasm, and engagement.

OUTCOME OF ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF TEACHING PSYCHOLOGY ON PERFORMANCE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

The aim was to study the outcome of alternative methods of teaching Psychology on performance among college students. The sample consisted of females, aged between 19-21 years studying in degree Government College. A purposive sampling and before-after experimental-control group design was opted for the study. The sample were administered GHQ as a screening tool to rule out any recent psychopathology in the students. Students with below cut-off scores were administered an intelligence test and only students with average ability were selected for the study. Later on these students were administered digit span test and students with and above digit span of five were further considered for the study. After this the students were administered an objective pre-test on the topics related to psychology. Later the students were randomly divided into 2 groups of experimental and control group. The experimental group were exposed to one month of 4 days a week of alternative method of teaching including power point presentation, assignment submission, group discussion, seminar presentation, documentary screening, collecting material related from newspapers and internet, collage making, dumb sharads activity, pick and speak activity, interactive lecture, self-learning, using case studies, field visit etc. the control group was exposed to regular teaching method. After a month of exposure an objective post-test was done on both the groups. ‘t’ test was conducted to determine the significant difference between mean scores of experimental and control group after the two teaching methods. The results indicated that experimental group had shown significantly better performance on objective test than control group. Such brief alternative methods can be part of the college programmes to promote better performance among students.

Using Multiple Data Mining Technologies to Analyze Process Evaluation in the Blended-Teaching Environment

Under the background of new engineering, the integration of theory and practice in the blended-teaching environment has become the mainstream teaching mode amid science and engineering curriculum reform. Data analysis technology is used to study process evaluation based on the integration of theory and practice in the blended-teaching environment, and a reference for the innovation of process evaluation is provided. This paper makes four key contributions to the blended-teaching environment. The K-means algorithm is used to cluster students into five groups (“serious learners”, “active learners”, “self-directed learners”, “cooperative learners”, and “students with learning difficulties”), according to the results of the students’ process evaluation in the course, integrating theory and practice. The Apriori algorithm and C5.0 model are used to find the key indicators which affected students’ learning performance. They are: classroom performance, assignment submission, classroom testing, problem solving, and online learning. These indicators are used to predict the final learning outcome of students. The Bayesian network model is used to find that there is a strong correlation between learning participation and assignment submission, unit assessment and classroom testing, and classroom performance and work presentation. Data analysis technology is creatively used to strengthen process evaluation. Teaching and learning are promoted by evaluation, so that the true meaning of process evaluation can be revealed. This lays a theoretical and practical foundation for process evaluation, to impact the predominant situation of outcome evaluation and promote the sustainable development of education evaluation.

Investigating Students’ Perspectives on the Use of E-learning MOODLE

E-Learning has developed rapidly, with many Learning Management Systems (LMS) being used to support learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided great opportunities for these developments, one of which is MOODLE LMS which lecturers and students can use to support teaching-learning activities. This study aims to investigate the perspectives of students of the Primary School Teacher Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, in a state university of West Kalimantan, on the use of the institutional e-learning facilities, namely MOODLE LMS in terms of ease of use and usefulness in the distance learning process amid the Covid-19 pandemic. This study was conducted with qualitative research methods and data collection in the form of semi-structured interviews. This study found that 8 (eight) of the interviewed respondents reported that the MOODLE LMS was very easy to use, especially when logging in, accessing materials, receiving and submitting assignments, and learning about the instructional system when navigating it. MOODLE LMS also allows for quick and on-time assignment submission, provides the convenience of interacting with lecturers, makes learning more interesting and fun, and increases learning motivation. This study is expected to encourage more educators, especially lecturers, to use MOODLE LMS to engage their students in more meaningful learning and complete quality face-to-face interaction in post-pandemic.

Analysis of the prevalence, evolution, and severity of dishonest behaviors of Spanish graduate students: the vision of academic heads

Most of the studies aimed at analyzing academic dishonesty amongst university students target the undergraduate cluster. This study aims to improve this situation by exploring and describing the opinion and perception of postgraduate degree academic heads (i.e. university vice-rectors, heads of the doctoral programs, heads of the postgraduate office, etc.) about the prevalence, evolution, and severity of dishonest behaviors and misconducts potentially committed by students in order to generate evidences that can help improving institutional strategies and policies to confront academic misconduct. The research it is based on the results of an online questionnaire administered to 102 postgraduate studies academic heads from 42 Spanish universities in relation to: improper conduct during exams and tests, dishonest behavior in the preparation or writing of assignments and dissertations, dishonest practices of a general nature and, finally, dishonest behavior in research. The study results highlight that the most prevalent practices and those that have increased the most are related to the preparation and submission of academic assignments and written activities and, also, research related activities. Regarding the severity, there is considerable consensus among Spanish academic heads that most of the dishonest actions analyzed are very serious and critical behaviors. In general terms, the results obtained point out focus areas of possible interventions aimed at the prevention, detection and punishment of fraudulent and dishonest behaviors in postgraduate studies, with the analysis of the degree of consensus/dissent among academic heads being a key element when designing and implementing these reforms and institutional interventions. This paper covers a deficit of evidences regarding academic integrity in postgraduate level and it does it using relevant informants: academic postgraduate heads, a target group that has high relevance as can generate synergies of change and improvement on the situation described by the present study.

Predicting Students' Performance in Final Examination using Deep Neural Network

The academic result is the most important thing in a student's career. This result depends on their academic performance and many other factors. Educational data mining can help both students and institutions develop their academic performance. For analysis of their performance, we can use new techniques Deep Learning, Convolution Neural Networks, Data Clustering, Optimization Algorithms, etc. In machine learning. Using Deep Learning, we will predict the student’s performance yearly in the form of CGPA and compare that with the real CGPA. A real dataset can boost the prediction performance. We used a real dataset from the Institute of Science, Trade & Technology (ISTT). We used a total of 18 data factors to predict the performance and the data factors are: Class Performance, Test Marks, Class Attendance, Due Time Assignment Submission, Lab Performance, Previous Semester Result, Family Education, Freelancer, Relationship with Faculty, Study Hours, Living Area, Social Media Attraction, Extra-Curricular Activity, Drug Addiction, Financial Support from Family, Political Involvement, Affair & Year Final Result.

Comparison of Multinational Medical School Students Experiences in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis

Background: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries, and governments around the world have implemented different measures and guidelines for the containment and mitigation of the COVID-19 virus. In addition to implemented policies and initiatives, social media and personal beliefs have affected medical students’ social, emotional, financial, and academic stability and success both domestically and internationally. Methods: This qualitative study, recruited students enrolled in the Global Seminar for Health and Environment elective course in their respective medical schools to complete a weekly, non-graded journaling assignment for 6 weeks. To measure outcomes, open-ended questions within the assignment asked students across four different countries (United States, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and Honduras) questions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic including personal beliefs and knowledge, policies and initiatives within their country, global policies and initiatives, and social media presentations. Thematic analysis was then completed using the QCoder package in R Studio. Results: A total of 142 assignment submissions were collected and analyzed. International medical students reported more restrictions in their country, a larger mental health impact, and more individuals in their country showing a lack of regard for policies and initiatives. United States medical students were more likely to express a decrease in academic opportunities and academic performance. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect medical students globally. The pandemic has changed the medical school experience for both international and United States medical students and affected them not only academically but mentally, and socially.

Teachers’ Perceptions of the Platforms Used for Assessing Learners’ Speaking Performance: Types, Benefits, and Challenges

In the teaching and learning process, one of the roles and responsibilities of teachers is to assess the skills and what is taught to students. In the assessment activity, the teacher can get feedback on the extent to which students understand what the teacher teaches. Even though the learning is done virtually, the assessment still has to be done. This study investigates teachers’ perceptions of the types, benefits, and challenges of platforms used to assess young learners’ speaking performance. The research data was obtained by conducting interviews with respondents through Google Meet and adopted the interview questions by Mpungose (2020) about the online assessment platforms. The researcher determined the respondents by using a purposive sampling technique where respondents used an online platform in assessing young learners’ speaking performance during distance learning. After the data was collected, the researcher analyzed it using an interactive model by Miles et al. (2014). This study indicates that there are various platforms that teachers can use to assess young learners’ speaking performance, including Zoom, Google Meet, Google Classroom, WhatsApp, and YouTube. The five platforms were revealed to be very useful to make it easier for teachers to assess learners’ speaking performance. Teachers can easily assess aspects of their pronunciation, fluency, grammar, and vocabulary through these five platforms. Besides helping assess learners’ speaking performance, this study also shows various challenges in its implementation, such as connection problems, assignment submission, and poor video and audio quality.

The Student’s Perceptions towards the Use of Google Classroom in Online Classes

The purpose of this research is to identify and describe the perception of the sixth-semester students towards the use of Google Classroom in online classes. The subjects of this study were fifty-six Regular A students, in the English Language Education study program, Universitas Tanjungpura. The data in this descriptive study were collected through a close-ended questionnaire which was divided into two sections, students' perception and features of Google Classroom. Furthermore, the data in this study were analyzed using descriptive statistics which were described and interpreted through diagrams and pie charts. The research findings indicate that most students have positive perceptions towards the use of Google Classroom in online classes. In addition, the feature that helps students the most in online classes is submitting assignments. In short, it can be concluded that Google Classroom has played an essential role during online classes in terms of its accessibility and feature of assignment submission section.

Connecting students in a large class using virtual tutorials: instructors’ perspectives of student interactions and peer learning

During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide attempted to stem the spread of the virus through measures including social distancing (Onyeaka et al., 2021). At the National University of Singapore, classes were moved online where students could continue with their education remotely (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020). In the past two years, in our Cell Biology course with more than 200 students, we re-designed the course online based on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model (Garrison et al., 2000) and created social presence through small-group tutorials mediated on MS Teams. Based on Vygotsky’s idea of zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978), we incorporated guided group annotations of research articles, and facilitated discussion sessions on short answer questions (SAQ) related to the lecture topics to foster collaborative-learning. During each 90-minute tutorial, the course coordinator (YFM) and two tutors (LSC and LZW) visited each virtual tutorial group for about 10 minutes per group to facilitate discussions and address students’ questions. With only three instructors in a large class, there was limited time each could spend facilitating discussions within each group. As such, not all groups met with an instructor during some of the tutorials. Nonetheless, the students would have met us in at least two tutorials by the end of the year. During the first year, we noted discussions among students and interactions between students and ourselves. However, not all groups were actively discussing the tutorial activities. We also observed that only a few students in each group were actively engaged in the tutorials. Furthering improvement in the second year, we had students take turns acting as group leaders during the tutorials to take attendance and facilitate their peers to be on-task for group discussions. For the SAQ activities, students were tasked to answer the questions individually prior to online discussion sessions. During virtual tutorials, they then shared and discussed viewpoints with their peers. Post tutorials, students submitted their refined answers and reflected on whether the tutorials had enhanced their understanding or if they had contributed to the group discussions. Participation marks were awarded for these submissions. Consequently, there was increased student engagement during the tutorials, based on instructors’ observations during the tutorials. Prior to this, we were not able to interact with students and only noted limited student engagement with the module content during large-class lectures. However, there were several aspects that can be improved. We could: set clearer expectations by explaining the rationale of organising small-group tutorials to students. explore designing more challenging group tasks where students will need to produce group artefacts (to encourage more discussion). provide better scaffolds targeted at guiding focused discussions amongst students Overall, the virtual, small-group tutorials afforded opportunities for student interactions and overcame the need of physical venues to house many groups of students in face-to-face classes. We intend to incorporate such online tutorials into our subsequent blended learning design for large-class modules. However, teaching and learning activities need to be specifically designed to foster social presence. Ample time should be provided for individual attempts prior to group discussions and submission of group assignments would encourage better student interactions and peer learning.

Teachers’ Experiences in Evaluating Learning Process: A Case Study of Online Learning

Evaluation of learning is a crucial step in understanding the progress of students' competence and determining the success of the learning process. This study aims to explain, with reference to the 2013 Curriculum, the experience of teachers conducting evaluations during online learning. This study focused on nine English teachers from nine public schools in Jambi City, including five junior high schools, two high schools, and two vocational high schools. This case study employed an interview instrument which data were then qualitatively analyzed. The findings of this study include teachers' comprehension of learning evaluation, forms of assessment, barriers in the learning process, and the effectiveness of implementing learning evaluation. First, teachers have a comprehensive understanding of learning evaluation, which includes students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes. However, teachers consider the number of student competencies that must be assessed in online learning to be burdensome, specifically due to limited hour of meeting. The teachers emphasize on delivering the material and decrease the number of competencies that students must acquire. Second, teachers assign daily tasks to assess students' knowledge, video projects to assess their skills, and pay attention to the punctuality of assignment submission and classroom interaction to assess students' attitudes. Third, the obstacles of learning include the absence of gadgets, limited of internet quotas, the difficulty of the internet access, the lack of student participation, and the absence of parental support for online learning. Fourth, the limited abilities of teachers, the difficult conditions of students, and the limited time contribute to the ineffectiveness of the online learning process. In conclusion, the evaluation of online learning cannot completely reference the curriculum.

Insights from a study on non-submission of assignments: How can students best be supported?

Non-submission of summative assignments has an impact on a significant minority of students but is not well understood (Prinsloo, 2019). At the University of Northampton, 70% of Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) students have a non-submission on their academic profile as they enter Level 4 and nearly 10% of all student assignments overall are not submitted (Coulson and Loddick, 2021). Students who fail to submit initially are offered a second submission point, but their grade is capped at 40%: data suggests that addressing this could close 50% of the GEM (Global Ethnic Majority) attainment gap. A study was initiated in partnership with IFY academic staff to research into the experience and implications of non-submission of assignments for GEM and non-GEM students in IFY. The project aimed to understand the long-term implications in terms of academic outcomes through understanding why students fail to submit and how they recover from this. Data on student outcomes in recent years was interrogated and interviews were planned with current and former IFY students who had failed to submit at least one assignment. These interviews were conducted by existing IFY students to encourage an open dialogue. Following low levels of participation in the research, the project was widened by inviting all undergraduates who had failed to submit at least one assignment to complete a survey with open-ended questions exploring the non-submission. Insights from this study will be reported, which will inform the practice of both Learning Developers and lecturers. If we can offer timely and appropriate support, we may be able to promote assignment submission, which in turn could improve student retention. This would allow more students to achieve their goals and contribute to a sustainable model of higher education.

TEACHING ESP USING MYKLASS IN UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH YOGYAKARTA: STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

Many non-English departments study English for Specific Purposes (ESP) to improve students' vocabulary related to their field. UMY has established a program called MyKlass as a facility to do online learning. This program provides many features, such as sharing materials in the form of documents, pictures, or media; conducting quizzes; assignment submission; and attendance. However, teaching ESP using MyKlass also faces some difficulties such as students' motivation to read the material, the teacher's control in evaluating students' study progress, and students' problem in improving English vocabulary in specialized language. Using a questionnaire distributed to 234 Accounting and Mechanical Engineering students, the writers found out the students' perception of using MyKlass from their motivation and perception in learning ESP using MyKlass, their perception of the aspects of benefits, and their perception of learning ESP Using MyKlass. Most of the answers showed positive responses; therefore, we can conclude that ESP online learning using MyKlass has been very beneficial to the students regardless of the technical problems that students sometimes encounter.

Education Delivery in Higher Learning Institutions during the Times of Covid-19: A Case Study of the Great Zimbabwe University

This study examined the pedagogic or teaching and learning experiences of institutions of higher learning during the COVID-19 period, with particular emphasis on the Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe. The study was guided by the case study research design. The study involved 37 students and 13 lecturers. Results showed that some respondents missed part of their lectures and submission of assignments some were apprehensive about missing their graduation while others struggled to pay the tuition. Further, it was revealed that while the WhatsApp platform proved cheapest and most popular amongst students and lecturers, a number of challenges were faced, including lack of orientation on the adopted learning platforms, unpredictable power supply and garget breakdowns which might have affected student grades. Results also showed that GZU provided limited data bundles, masks and sanitizers to lecturers during COVID-19. The recommendations of the study include the establishment on an institutional policy that addresses and curbs the negative impact of emergency periods. It is further recommended that loans, bursaries and scholarships be introduced. The study finally recommends that there be a concerted effort of stakeholders towards ensuring adequate provision of resources to curb the impact of lockdowns and other emergencies.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE INTERNET ACCESS AND ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONLINE LEARNING AMONG STUDENTS AT HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS

The spread of COVID-19 has shifted teaching and learning methods at all institutes of higher learning in Malaysia from traditional methods to online distance learning. To cope with this new teaching method, students face some difficulties. One of the most challenging is the lack of internet access and accessibility that constrains students’ engagement and motivation toward online distance learning. The unaffordability to purchase internet data and poor internet connectivity are common problems that have often been voiced by students, as this greatly affects their attendance, communication, and submission of each class assignment. To reduce the burden faced by the students, government and telecommunication services providers introduced some initiatives to enhance internet access and accessibility. Thus, this study aims to review the impacts of internet access and accessibility initiatives on the effectiveness of online learning during the COVID-19 era. The conceptual reviews will acknowledge the policymakers on the barriers faced by the students, the impact of internet initiatives on online learning, and the recommendations to improve current practices on internet access and accessibility, It can be used by the policymakers to provide relevant initiatives to assist teaching and learning among students.

INVESTIGATING AN ONLINE ENGLISH TEACHING IN AN INDONESIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Investigation of online English learning is implemented in Jombang. This study aims to determine the online learning process during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the inhibiting factors in the implementation of online learning are the lack of parental support, few students who have smartphones, student laziness and lack of motivation to learn, difficult to control and evaluate student assignments. While the supporting factors obtained by the teacher when carrying out online learning are more online learning materials, time and place efficiency, and learning materials can be stored safely on smartphones. This research was conducted with descriptive methods and data collection techniques by interviewing English teachers. The result of the research is the implementation of online English learning in one of the elementary schools in Jombang, using the WhatsApp application as an online learning medium. Submission of materials and assignments is done through the WhatsApp group media.

The use of google classroom in teaching writing skills

Writing is one of the skills that English learners must master. However, in Indonesia where English is taught as a Foreign language (EFL), it has become the most challenging skill to learn. One of the factors is the difference in the usage of subject and verb in the sentence. This paper aims to see the impact of Google Classroom usage on the learning process of writing simple sentences, specifically the accuracy of writing the Subject Verb (S-V) agreement and students’ perception of using this online tool in writing activities. A mixed-method approach is used in this study where one group pretest-posttest of writing accuracy is done for 77 Electrical Engineering students, Jakarta State Polytechnic. For qualitative data analysis, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) are conducted. The result shows an increase in the accuracy of students’ writing accuracy specifically on the writing of S-V agreement. Furthermore, students believe that Google Classroom in the writing class is beneficial due to lesson hand-outs distribution and assignment submission efficiency.

ACADEMIC WRITING COMPETENCY BY USING BLENDED LEARNING STRATEGY

Covid 19 disease has brought the new atmosphere for teaching and learning process. Where the real activity for lectures and students was very limited to do face-to-face activity. It is the fact that education and other side of world activity forced now. Learning from Home (LFH) as the one of alternative instructed by stakeholder to carry out the teaching and learning even though they are not in the classroom. This study present how the blended learning will be applied in academic writing Subject. This study is a case study design where the writer describes and evaluates blended learning in Academic Writing subject learning process to deliver the materials based on syllabus, writing practice by doing task, assignment submission and grading, students concern with the teachers’ elaboration and Foreign Language action and students evaluation. The participants will allow in this study are 13 students of ffifth semester students of English Education Program, Mandailing Natal Islamic State Collage. The data is collected through observation and short interview analysis. The result of this study shows that the students appreciated and benefited from the blended learning used in Academic Writing Subject. It help motivated the students to became independent learners and increase their ability in writing paragraph, essay, undergraduate proposal or thesis and so on.

Educational Approaches That Enhance Online Clinical Clerkship during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective This cross-sectional national study determined which educational approaches are associated with the effectiveness of online clerkship for medical students. Method A survey was conducted for medical students at 78 medical schools in Japan from May 29 to June 14, 2020. It comprised the following aspects: (a) participants' profiles, (b) number of opportunities to learn from each educational approach (lecture, medical quiz, assignment, oral presentation, observation of a physician's practice, clinical skill practice, participation in interprofessional meetings, and interactive discussions with physicians) in online clerkship, (c) frequency of technical problems, and (d) educational outcome measurement (satisfaction, motivation, knowledge acquisition, skill acquisition, change in self-study time, and understanding of the importance of medical care team). Results Of the 2,640 respondents, 2,594 (98.3%) agreed to cooperate. Ultimately, 1,711 matched our inclusion criteria. All educational approaches but assignments were positively associated with satisfaction and motivation. All educational approaches excluding assignment submission and interprofessional meeting were positively associated with knowledge acquisition. Observation, practice, and interprofessional meeting were positively associated with skill acquisition. Only assignment submission was positively associated with the change in self-study time. Educational approaches excluding medical quizzes were positively associated with understanding the importance of the medical care team. Technical problems were negatively associated with motivation, knowledge acquisition, and skill acquisition. Conclusions Educators should implement various educational approaches, especially observation and practice, even in online clinical clerkship. They also need to minimize the technical problems associated with the Internet, as they reduce the effectiveness of online clerkship.

Teachers' views about school students' behavioral problems in the Emirate of Sharjah: An exploratory study

This study explored teachers' views on the behavioral problems among school children in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The population comprised cycles one (grades 1–4) and two (grades 5–8) teachers in the Emirate. In collecting data from the teachers, a survey questionnaire was administered, and a total of 378 were returned. After analyzing the major scales using SPSS version 26, the findings suggest no critical concern on behavioral issues for students in the study. However, further analyses of the subscales reveal students finding it challenging to concentrate, lateness in assignment submission, and less motivation concerning students' behavioral problems. Drawing on the results, we conclude that students' behavioral issues in the Emirate are surmountable with active collaboration and involvement of school leaders, the Ministry of Education, teachers, and parents.