Limited Internet Access Research Articles

Utilizing a Restricted Access e-Learning Platform for Reform, Equity, and Self-development in Correctional Facilities

Objectives: The goal of this paper is to address the issues that arose because of the exclusion of law offenders in the Greek Correctional Institutions from second chance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, the offenders were deprived of their right to equal access to second-chance education since the pandemics blocked mobility and close contact with teaching personnel. Methods/Analysis: In this paper, we propose a framework based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) that will be deployed to evaluate the acceptance of the CILMS by the learners in Correctional Institutions. We describe a methodology and a set of hypotheses that can reveal the intention of learners to use the system based on several factors, such as trust, perception of privacy, perception of usefulness, and perception of self-efficacy. Findings: We suggest that eLearning and limited Internet access should be added to the list of fundamental human rights for CI detainees as well, in order to counteract their separation from physical society. Inmates are still individuals. In fact, they should be placed in solitary confinement as prescribed by the law. Novelty/Improvement:This viewpoint has been demonstrated with the development and evaluation of acceptance by inmates through the TAM technology acceptance methodology, as well as the proposal of a generic privacy-preserving Web information and services access model for CIs that can, at the same time, provide sufficient information access freedom while respecting the restrictions that should be imposed on such an access for CI inmates. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-SIED-017 Full Text: PDF

Preliminary Validity of a Telephone-Based Neuropsychological Battery in a Consecutive Series of Persons with HIV Disease Referred for Clinical Evaluation.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated use of remote assessments by clinical neuropsychologists. Telehealth was particularly important for vulnerable groups, including persons living with HIV (PLWH); however, limited internet access can be a serious barrier to care. This study examined the preliminary validity of a telephone-based neuropsychological assessment in a clinical sample of PLWH. A consecutive series of 59 PLWH were assessed via telephone at an HIV clinic in the southern U.S. between April 2020 and July 2022. The battery included auditory-verbal neuropsychological tests of memory, attention, and executive functions, and questionnaires assessing self-reported mood and activities of daily living (ADL). Study measures demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. PLWH demonstrated worse neuropsychological performance compared with expectations derived from the normal curve and an HIV-seronegative adult sample (N = 44). PLWH assessed via telephone demonstrated similar impairment rates to that of a consecutive series of PLWH (N = 41) assessed in-person immediately prior to the pandemic. Higher telephone-based global neuropsychological scores were related to younger age, more education, better fund of knowledge, White race/ethnicity, fewer medical conditions, and fewer depression symptoms. Global neuropsychological impairment was strongly and independently associated with greater dependence in ADL domains, particularly for instrumental activities. Although telephone-based approaches to neuropsychological assessment are not ideal, these data provide support for the feasibility, internal consistency, and preliminary validity of this method in a consecutive clinical series of PLWH. The direct comparability of telephone-based and in-person neuropsychological assessments remains to be determined by prospective, counterbalanced study designs examining both PLWH and seronegative individuals.

Digitalization of Education in the Implementation of Kurikulum Merdeka

The Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) recently released several educational platforms like Merdeka Belajar, Rapor Pendidikan, Belajar.id, ARKAS, TanyaBOS, SiPLah and Kampus Merdeka to make a leap in educational progress. However, the user percentage is still low, which may be due to various reasons such as limited internet access and reluctance to learn new technology. Discussion on which priority technology platforms are and how they are used to support Kurikulum Merdeka’s implementation has been limited. Therefore, this paper will analyze the primary educational platforms useful for the implementation of Kurikulum Merdeka. We carried out a systematic review of the relevant databases on the digitalization of education in implementing Kurikulum Merdeka. Although the current educational platforms are still being developed, they provide unique features which facilitate students, teachers, administrators, and principals in the learningmanagement process at all levels of education. This work has the potential to become an essential reference that provides guidelines for using the educational platform to improve the number of users.
 Keywords: Kurikulum Merdeka; Merdeka Belajar; software; digital school; application

VIRTUAL REALITY IN MALAYSIAN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH

Virtual Reality (VR) technology was crucial in aiding remote teaching and learning session during the Covid-19 pandemic. Transitioning to the post pandemic era, VR technologies are deemed as a useful tool to facilitate learning. Several literature reviews have analysed and synthesized the use of VR in education; however, academic activity lacks a recent systematic literature review (SLR) on VR in the field of English as a Second Language Learning (ESL) in the context of Malaysian ESL learning. 13 scholarly manuscripts from 12 journals were retrieved from the year 2011 to 2021, analysed, and synthesized under the following focus: (a) VR technology utilized, the duration of educational activities, and the language learning settings in the Malaysian ESL context; (b) the possible benefits and drawbacks of adopting VR as a teaching tool in the Malaysian ESL classroom; (c) future directions regarding the educational use of VR. The study concluded that VR technologies encourage English language learning; intrinsically motivate pupils to learn; provide convenience for feedback and communication; practicality; and creates an enjoyable authentic classroom environment. However, challenges like lacks of technical support for practitioners; limited internet access; limited application designated for language learning; participants’ unfamiliarity with VR; outdated software and/or hardware; and dearth number of research papers were also identified in this study. It is suggested that in the future, bigger-scale research on main language skills should be done; further research on VR technologies available; increase duration of study; research in other areas and levels of schools, and initiate more experimental studies.

Coalition-In-Progress

For institutional survivors and their younger peers labelled/with intellectual disability, the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns carry over past experiences under government-directed isolation and mandatory medical interventions. The sudden convergence of past and present necropolitical ableism in labeled persons' lives colours this crisis, as we—a group of survivors, younger labeled people (who have not lived in institutions), and researcher/allies—attempt to simply stay in touch amid digital divides that cut off our once vibrant, interdependent in-person activities. No longer able to gather, and with limited Internet (or no) access, we resist social abandonment through phone calls. During phone conversations we discuss the affective contours of this time: grief over the past, loss of agency, restrictive rules in group homes, the dynamics of protest, fear sparked by public health orders, and a mix of anxiety and hope about the future. Taking this telephone-based dialogue as evidence of our lives in these times, we present a brief body of collectively written found poetry, a form of poetic inquiry composed of phone call snippets. This piece, coauthored by twenty members of the 'DiStory: Disability Then and Now' project in Toronto, Canada, offers a snapshot of coalition-in-process, keeping in touch amid a crisis that threatens our togetherness and—for some more than others—our lives. Following Braidotti, we couch this found poetry in a brief commentary on our slow, in-progress attempt to 'co-construct a different platform of becoming' with one another amid a divergence of historical and contemporary inequities.

The Students’ Perceptions on Virtual Learning during The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of ASM Santa Maria Semarang

This study aims to analyse the students’ perception of the effect of virtual learning during the covid-19 pandemic. The subject of this research is 40 students in the secretary program, consisting of students from urban and rural areas. The distribution course of the secretary program must be 70% of practice and 30% of theory. Therefore, this research reveals how they perceive virtual learning for those who have more training than theory courses. Employing an online survey using google forms, 12 qualitative questions in the questionnaire were delivered online. The result of the study shows that students’ perceptions of virtual learning are positive. They realise that virtual learning is the only solution to helping the smooth teaching and learning process. However, students feel burdened with the internet quota and signal quality. They still understand the material provided by the lecturer though they find difficulties regarding communication with their lecturers and handling study virtually. Students also faced challenges finding references, doing the assignment, and collecting the assignment. Those difficulties can be caused by their limited internet access. Meanwhile, they can easily use virtual applications since they belong to the ‘Z’ generation, familiar with the technology.

Developing Population Health Surveillance Using mHealth in Low-Resource Settings: Qualitative Assessment and Pilot Evaluation.

BackgroundPopulation surveillance data are essential for understanding population needs and evaluating health programs. Governmental and nongovernmental organizations in western Myanmar did not previous have means for conducting robust, electronic population health surveillance.ObjectiveThis study involved developing mobile health (mHealth)–based population health surveillance in a rural, low-resource setting with minimal cellular infrastructure in western Myanmar. This was an early formative study in which our goal was to establish the initial feasibility of conducting mHealth population health surveillance, optimizing procedures, and building capacity for future work.MethodsWe used an iterative design process to develop mHealth-based population health surveillance focused on general demographics (eg, total census, age category, sex, births, and deaths). Interviews were conducted with international consultants (nurse midwives) and local clinicians (nurses and physicians) in Myanmar. Our analytic approach was informed by the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety work systems model to capture the multilevel user needs for developing health interventions, which was used to create a prototype data collection tool. The prototype was then pilot-tested in 33 villages to establish an initial proof of concept.ResultsWe conducted 7 interviews with 5 participants who provided feedback regarding the domains of the work system, including environmental, organizational, sociocultural, technological, informational, and task- and people-based considerations, for adapting an mHealth tool. Environmental considerations included managing limited electricity and internet service. Organizational needs involved developing agreements to work within existing government infrastructure as well as leveraging the communal nature of societies to describe the importance of surveillance data collection and gain buy-in. Linguistic diversity and lack of experience with technology were both cited as people- and technology-based aspects to inform prototype design. The use of mobile tools was also viewed as a means to improve the quality of the data collected and as a feasible option for working in settings with limited internet access. Following the prototype design based on the findings of initial interviews, the mHealth tool was piloted in 33 villages, allowing our team to collect census data from 11,945 people for an initial proof of concept. We also detected areas of potentially missing data, which will need to be further investigated and mitigated in future studies.ConclusionsPrevious studies have not focused heavily on the early stages of developing population health surveillance capacity in low- and middle-income countries. Findings related to key design considerations using a work systems lens may be informative to others developing technology-based solutions in extremely low-resource settings. Future work will involve collecting additional health-related data and further evaluating the quality of the data collected. Our team established an initial proof of concept for using an mHealth tool to collect census-related information in a low-resource, extremely rural, and low-literacy environment.

PENERAPAN E-LEARNING DALAM PEMBELAJARAN DARING DI PRODI MANAJEMEN PENDIDIKAN ISLAM FAKULTAS ILMU TARBIYAH DAN KEGURUAN PADA MASA PANDEMI COVID-19

During the covid-19 pandemic, new rules in the world of education have started, namely the shift of a learning process form face to face to online. Therefore, the researcher aims to find out what e-lear ing media are widely used in the online learning process and the advantages and disadvantages of learning in the Islamic Education Management Study Program, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach. Google classroom and whatsapp are online learning media that are quite in demand by users, both as the only media or as supporting media. The advantages of implementing e-learning are that students become independent, flexible, save on stationery, and students become active. The drawbacks of implementing e-learning are that the interaction between lecturers and students becomes more distant, students who do not have the motivation to learn tend to fail, limited internet access, and the teaching and learning process tends towards training rather than education.

“If I wasn’t in a rural area, I would definitely have more support”: social needs identified by rural cancer caregivers and hospital staff

Background The social needs of rural families facing cancer warrant investigation to inform psychosocial care planning and policy development. Methods Using purposive sampling, we interviewed 24 rural caregivers and 17 hospital staff from an academic cancer center in the U.S. South. Social needs were defined as the support needed to effectively provide informal caregiving across economic, physical, interpersonal, and service domains. We used the framework method to code and synthesize findings. Findings Caregiver economic and physical needs were interconnected and most pressing, including common examples of distance to care and transportation barriers. Caregivers desired additional support from the health system, insurance providers, and community resources. Staff identified similar need patterns and gaps in health system capacity. Conclusions Rural cancer caregivers experience multiple unmet social needs. Supportive interventions for this population will benefit from flexible implementation and multilevel, multisector approaches. In particular, interventions that address financial hardship and limited internet access are needed.

Being Real on Instagram Reels: An Authentic Tool to Enhance English Speaking Skills

As technology rapidly develops new features, empirical testing of their capability to assist in educational purposes are always needed. This study takes a look at Instagram Reels, which is seldom explored as a language teaching tool, especially for vocational high school students. This study aims at describing students’ perceptions, challenges, and strategies in using Instagram reels as an authentic tool for improving speaking skills. The research used descriptive qualitative research methods. The subjects of the study were five eleventh-grade students from one of the public vocational high schools in Bali, Indonesia. They were selected by conducting a purposive sampling technique. The observation and interview were conducted to collect data. The findings show that a) the perceptions of students on the implementation of Instagram reels to improve speaking skills were favorable. Most students agreed that implementing Instagram reels as an authentic tool in speaking was adaptable, effective, and authentic. It also increased the students’ speaking abilities, which were referred to as positive attitudes. Instagram reels boosted students’ consciousness, motivation, and enhancing their vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, accent, and cultural knowledge. b) Students faced a variety of challenges when using Instagram reels as a learning medium, such as limited internet access and a lack of digital literacy. To overcome the challenges, students used some strategies, namely using WIFI facilities at school or other public places, practicing a lot, and seeking additional information to improve digital literacy skills using Instagram reels.

The Teachers' Challenges on Teaching English Subject at MTsN 4 Tanah Laut during The Pandemic Era of Covid-19

Abstract. This pandemic has changed several aspects of human life, such as economics, society, politics, and education, throughout the world. At the same time, most of the teaching and learning processes have to be conducted from home because offline interactions between students and teachers are limited. Instead, the teaching and learning processes have to be conducted mostly through online learning. This study tried to investigate the challenges faced by the teacher of MTsN 4 Tanah Laut in teaching English. The subject of this research was one English teacher who was actively teaching online at MTsN 4 Tanah Laut. This study applied a descriptive qualitative method. The data were gathered from observations and interview. The findings showed that there were five challenges faced by the English teacher in teaching English, namely managing all online classes, limited media in teaching speaking skills in online classes, limited media in teaching listening skills in online classes, limited internet access, and learning media, and students who were not active in class. However, the teacher also gave solutions for each challenge mentioned before, namely, the teacher remains active and continued her class, the teacher suggested for the students to change the provider used by the student because the area where students live is known as a place that is difficult to get internet access, and for making students active in the online class, the teacher asks in Indonesian the same question (previously using English) so that students could be brave in answering the teacher's questions. This study is expected to be useful for English teachers to improve the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning English during online learning. Based on the findings, it is suggested to schools to maximize the supporting infrastructure and facilities and arrange an effective teaching schedule so that learning will run well and optimally.

Development of learning cycle box media and strengthening entrepreneurship in Pakis, Magelang

The prolonged Covid-19 pandemic demands online learning in all lines of education. However, the community faces economic limitations for purchasing internet packages and natural conditions with limited internet access. The learning cycle box media development activity was made to increase the attractiveness of the school-age population to return to learning. The method is carried out through observation, discussion, mentoring through learning cycle boxes, production practices and online marketing. The results achieved were an increase in the learning motivation of the school-age population, as evidenced by the enthusiasm of attendance during learning activities and the implementation of entrepreneurship strengthening activities in the Wiropati Hamlet community. The sustainability of the program is highly guaranteed, with the involvement of Sahabat Rumah Baca as the youth driving force in Wiropati Hamlet and PKK women.

Disconnection More Problematic for Adolescent Self-Esteem than Heavy Social Media Use: Evidence from Access Inequalities and Restrictive Media Parenting in Rural America

Some argue that social media use displaces time that adolescents spend with friends and family and is therefore associated with lower psychological well-being. They reason that young people who experience “disconnection,” because their parents actively restrict media use, or they have limited material access to the Internet, are better protected from psychological harm. Prior research has misspecified and exaggerated the magnitude of the relationship between screen time and adolescent psychological well-being. If the harm associated with heavy (excessive) or even average use of new media has been overstated, then the recommendation of disconnection may also be problematic. New media use is heavily integrated into youth culture and sociality, restrictive media parenting practices or digital inequalities may rob adolescents of experiences that would otherwise be protective of self-esteem. We conducted a survey of rural adolescents, who are more likely to experience disconnection at home because of a lack of physical availability of broadband, not simply affordability. Based on that survey, we find that a negative relationship between screen time and lower self-esteem is eclipsed by a more substantive, negative relationship to inequalities in material access to the Internet and restrictive mediation of media by parents. Findings show that new media use does not substantively displace time spent socializing with family and friends and in other social activities (e.g., volunteering). Omitting the supportive, indirect relationship between time on social media and self-esteem, through time spent socializing, exaggerates the negative relationship between social media use and adolescent well-being for girls, and for boys, misspecified the direction of the relationship. Adolescents, who experience heavy restrictive mediation of media by parents or have limited Internet access at home, tend to report substantively lower self-esteem than heavy users of any new media.

Rural Health: the Dirt Road Less Traveled.

The demographic of older adults living in rural areas of the United States is changing. In fact, the most rapidly aging areas in the United States are rural communities, generally defined as having an urban core of <50,000 people.1,2 Of the 56 US counties with the oldest populations, 54 are designated as rural areas.3 Compared with urban populations, rural-dwelling populations have more chronic health conditions, higher rates of disability, and higher fall rates.4 These medical vulnerabilities are compounded by socioeconomic disparities such as lower educational attainment, higher rates of poverty, and lower rates of broadband internet access.5 ... Physical therapy could play a vital role in improving health and physical function for rural-dwelling older adults; however, maintaining staffing within rural facilities has several challenges.6 First, physical therapists may avoid rural practice for a multitude of reasons, including housing, transportation, technology, culture, and educational preparation. Second, there is little evidence to guide preparing students for rural practice or to help rural communities recruit, retain, and support growth of rural physical therapists. Third, therapists seeking professional growth in rural areas may have barriers attending continuing education courses and accessing contemporary research resources or other mentored experiences owing to geographic limitations or technological barriers unique to rural communities (eg, limited broadband internet access). To address these challenges, we will detail contemporary concerns related to education, cultural awareness, and staffing in rural areas. Then, we will outline specific, actionable steps that the profession can take toward ameliorating rural health disparities, including physical therapist didactic and clinical education, supporting lifelong learning for the rural workforce, and advocating for large-scale policy changes to bolster rural physical therapist practice environments.

Students’ wellbeing in online dance coursework amid pandemic

The students online dance coursework performances are affected due to low family income. This study aims to understand the students' wellbeing in the new education setup amidst the pandemic. It used a descriptive qualitative research design ensuing the six steps: familiarizing with data, creating codes, theming, reviewing, defining, and naming and producing the final report by Clarke and Braun1 thematic analysis of qualitative data interpretation. Anchored on the interview and focus group discussion using google meet recording. For the twenty-two student respondents in online dance coursework, the central theme identified is low family income which ripples the effect having four sub- themes identified based on the patterns of the responses. The following sub-themes derived are: (a) unreliable gadgets, (b) limited internet access, (c) overwhelming activities, and (d) emotionally distressed with sub-themes of the pandemic, family problems, environment, and due dates resulting in delayed to no submission of output. Listening to students' realities reveals that most of their families have low incomes, hampers them from attending an online dance class. And it creates a ripple effect on students' lives, be it in school activities, family, and personal responsibilities and concerns, leading to depression and stopping attending online classes. The teachers play a significant role in the well-being of the students by alleviating and motivating them to pursue their education amidst the challenges. From time to time, conduct and provide an accommodating, safe, non-judgmental and conducive for learning environment during informal talks about students' present situations. Then plan, organize, and provide alternative activities appropriate to students' context.

Teachers' perceptions of teaching physical education using online learning during the COVID-19: A quantitative study in Turkey.

IntroductionThis quantitative study aimed to determine physical education teachers’ (PETs) perceptions of online physical education (OLPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.MethodsAn OLPE teaching survey during the COVID-19 was used, comprising PETs’ opinions on OLPE teaching as well as the advantages, disadvantages, difficulties, and suggestions for OLPE teaching.ResultsA significant difference by gender was identified in the individual approach to student learning, greater student independence, and ongoing monitoring of student results for teachers, parents, and students. In addition, a significant difference was found by gender in the difficulty in implementing the core curriculum content as well as by school type in the lack of proper home equipment, absence of or limited Internet access, and problems with connecting the computer, tablet, or smartphone to the Internet. Moreover, PETs stated that OLPE teaching is not only the best way to transfer basic information, but it also gives them an opportunity to learn digital technology by devoting time for research for self-improvement. However, they stated that students do not perceive OLPE as a lesson, as student participation is lacking. Moreover, there are deficiencies in students’ social-emotional development. They also stated that the content of the lessons was insufficient, and they were unable to make the lesson interesting.ConclusionPETs’ suggested recommendations included enriching the course content, increasing the lesson time, developing a new curriculum, and creating a platform to access course resources.

Student Efforts in Rural Areas to Face Problems Nahwu Mobile Learning Online

Online learning that a solution to education during the COVID19 has created a problem for the unprivileged society as limited internet access, but they have kept participating; students made several efforts. This study aims to determine the actions of students living in rural areas in overcoming the problems of online learning nahwu for students of STIQ Amuntai who live in rural areas. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach. The subjects of this study were several students of the IIB PBA STIQ Amuntai. They live in rural areas and settle far from the Amuntai sub-district, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Data were obtained through interview and documentation techniques with 20 students. The data were analyzed using data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing, then data accuracy with the persistence of observation and triangulation. The results of the study are the efforts made by these students in overcoming problems such as unstable signals, lack of focus in studying, low telephone specifications, limited internet quota, difficulty understanding material, little reference material, and boredom, namely: a) going to a place that has a signal (network) stable b) go to a place that is not noisy; c) study in groups on one mobile phone; d) search for free wifi; e) foster self-motivation; d) preparation of materials and independent search of additional literature. Therefore, this study suggests that institutions need to be involved in solving problems related to limited access to offline learning or collaboration with internet network providers.

0482 Virtual Reality Guided Imagery for Insomnia (iVR): Preliminary Feasibility and Outcomes

Abstract Introduction Chronic insomnia affects approximately 10% of adults and is associated with reduced quality of life, fatigue, impaired cognition, and increased risk for illness. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a recommended frontline treatment for chronic insomnia, but is not widely accessible as the number of trained CBT-I clinicians (&amp;lt;500) falls significantly short of the number of patients needing treatment. Digital delivery holds great potential for increasing access to CBT-I as well as other behavioral treatment approaches. Our team recently developed and conducted preliminary testing of a novel, brief virtual reality guided imagery for insomnia (iVR) in adults with chronic insomnia. Methods 12 adults (Mage=38.2 years, SD=20.7, 50% female) with chronic insomnia completed 4-weeks of iVR delivered via Oculus Go headsets equipped with blue light blocking lenses and pre-loaded with a guided relaxation application, sleep hygiene instructions, and modified stimulus control instructions. Participants completed a Satisfaction Survey at post-treatment and the following outcome assessments at baseline, post-treatment, and 1-month follow-up: Insomnia Severity Index, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Fatigue Severity Scale, and 1-week of sleep diaries (sleep onset latency, wake time after sleep onset, total sleep time, sleep quality [1-poor, 5-excellent]). [KM1] Paired one-tailed t-tests were used to examine preliminary outcomes. Effect sizes (ES) are reported as Hedges G. Results Adherence (#treatment weeks completed, M=3.5, SD=0.78) and Satisfaction (greater &amp;gt;8.8/10 on average for overall experience and likelihood of recommending to a friend) were high. Insomnia severity (7/28, ES=1.13, p&amp;lt;0.01), wake time after sleep onset (12 mins, ES=0.40, p=0.03), sleep onset latency (10 mins, ES = 0.36, p=0.04), and sleep quality (0.5/5, ES=1.08, p&amp;lt;0.01) improved following treatment. Gains were maintained at 1-month along with additional improvements in total sleep time (36 mins, ES=0.67, p=0.03) and trending improvement in fatigue (9/100, ES=0.46, p=0.05). State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Fatigue Severity Scale scores did not improve. Conclusion Our pilot findings suggest iVR is feasible and promising treatment for chronic insomnia. Because the intervention can be pre-installed, iVR may be particularly useful for individuals with limited internet access (e.g., rural populations, military). Future research with a larger sample, randomized controlled design, and longer-term follow-up appears warranted. Support (If Any) Healium, Inc-PI McCrae

Challenges In Learning English Online During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Non-English Department Students

Several challenges are faced in implementing online learning, such as being less familiar with online learning. This study aimed to analyze the challenges faced by students majoring in Non-English Education in online English learning during the Covid 19 pandemic. The research design used was descriptive and qualitative. Data were obtained from 412 students majoring in Non-English Education. Data collection techniques used are questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaire was made in a google form and filled out by respondents online, while the structured interview technique was carried out using the Zoom application. Data analysis activities include data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing/verification. The results showed that the biggest challenge came from students' psychological problems, such as; limited opportunities to interact with lecturers and colleagues directly, lack of feedback or clarification from lecturers or colleagues, more independent learning to solve problems, and lack of student-centered learning activities. Another big challenge is technical problems such as an unsupported internet network, limited internet access, or an unstable internet connection.

Shedding Light into the Need of Knowledge Sharing in H2020 Thematic Networks for the Agriculture and Forestry Innovation

Providing ready-for-practice materials in an easily accessible and user-friendly way is one of the challenges of Horizon 2020 Thematic Networks (TNs) to promote agriculture and forestry innovation. Those materials are the result of the co-creation and knowledge exchange among TN actors. Using a survey, we investigated the most efficient communication and dissemination (C&amp;D) channels, types and formats of TN-produced data, as well as the involvement of TN actors. Additionally, we propose to collect TN outputs in a single digital platform, such that they are more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR), ensuring the TN’s impact. An open and interactive platform may allow us to overcome challenging issues such as language barriers, limited Internet access and differing cultural backgrounds. The results obtained from the survey suggest which content should be stored in such a digital knowledge reservoir for agriculture and forestry. For example, newsletters and visual materials are often preferred by farmers and foresters. Additionally, face-to-face interaction is confirmed to be the most preferred way of retrieving information, especially by researchers and farmers/foresters. Future work will further investigate the variations in needs of different user profiles. As such, the proposed platform can stimulate knowledge exchange among all TN actors.