Online Classroom Research Articles

Design and evaluation of a revised ARCS motivational model for online classes in higher education

In recent years, online MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have been quite popular among universities which helps learners to enhance their competency skills apart from learning the regular college/university curriculum. Although distance education and online learning have been adopted gradually recently, it has become the 'New Normal.' In this situation of uncertainty, facilitators must keep themselves updated with the various teaching/learning strategies and encourage learners to get accustomed to the online classroom environment. Furthermore, assisting the learners with active engagement in the classes is essential. Hence, to create an instigated environment for assessing the competency level and addressing the motivational behaviour of the learners in the online courses, a modified version of the "ARCS" (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) model is used in this research work. The core objective of this model is to apply a modified motivational model, namely "ARCS-PC," where PC represents Professional Competency. Professional competency includes Critical Thinking skills, Digital literacy, Creative Thinking, Problem-solving, and Time Management. The incorporation of digital quizzes, assignments, and interactive activities using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools was done in the ARCS-PC Model. The online classroom lectures and activities were conducted using the Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) educational platform. Linear regression is performed to analyze the modified ARCS-PC model. These technology-enabled online classes and ICT tools have helped teach lifelong learning, collaborative learning, a student-centric approach, and better competency skills to effectively engage students in online courses. In our proposed method, an improvement of 11.21 % was observed in the student's performance compared to a maximum of 8.8 % in the existing traditional models. Detailed analysis and quantification of the proposed method are given in the paper.

Making teamwork work in the virtual classroom

The quality of online programmes is expected to improve as more students enrol. Online programmes offer convenience, enabling students to pursue education despite time constraints and work commitments. Students, however, still expect an experience comparable to that of face-to-face classes. As a result, many colleges and universities are beginning to explore the use of teamwork to provide students with a sense of community in online programmes, while also enhancing their learning. Although virtual teams can overcome the limitations of time, space and organisational boundaries that hinder traditional teams, they face other obstacles in distributed environments, including limited technical abilities and a lack of collaborative skills. This practice paper explores the work of a new assistant professor who incorporated teamwork in virtual classrooms into an online educational leadership programme. This paper aims to share the challenges and benefits experienced by the instructor while engaging in group work in an online classroom environment, including the various successes and lessons learned.

Synchronous online meets Hollywood Squares

This article explains a pedagogical approach designed for synchronous online classes. It is designed to encourage online presence and participation. Students are put into smaller non-interactive groups which take turns rotating into encouraged or required visibility (turning on their cameras), and higher expectations of participation. This rotation of ‘Hollywood Square celebrities’ for the day raises the level of discussion, clarifies when students are and are not ‘on the spot’, helps teachers gauge their own effectiveness by providing faces they can see, and adds interest and humanity to the online classroom.

The Implementation of Process-Based Approach in Online Teaching Writing in SMA Bali Hati

This study described the process-based approach implemented for Senior High School students and the challenges of teaching writing in an EFL setting for online classrooms during the pandemic of Covid-19. It was conducted at SMA Bali Hati in the academic year 2020-2021. The study applied a single instrumental case study in which the data were collected through an interview guide, observation sheet, and documentation. The result showed that the preparation was done in the online class. In addition, several problems were faced during the implementation. The results of the study indicate that teachers need to find alternatives to address the challenges.

Mapping learning microclimates in a large-cohort online course

As the number of students in online classrooms continues to rise, understanding the microclimates that influence teaching and learning becomes crucial. This paper presents a map of existing and potential microclimates in a large online course and offers guidance on developing such maps to enhance student well-being and learning outcomes. By drawing on the concept of microclimates from natural sciences, educational microclimates are defined as the norms, attitudes, and behaviors within a subgroup of people in a larger social climate. The study explores various social microclimates within online spaces, aiming to create more inclusive and interactive communities that foster essential skills for students. A six-step process for developing microclimate maps is proposed, highlighting the importance of considering student demographics and engaging in continuous reflection and improvement, seeing the trees in the wood. Ultimately, understanding and leveraging microclimates can lead to better course design and support the diverse needs of students in large online cohorts.

Blackbody radiation and photoelectric effect: continuing education for teachers

This work reports an activity conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP-School) Meeting in January 2022, intended for teachers in the field of Exact and Earth Sciences, in the mode of continuing education. It involves a dialogued and interactive activity, with hands-on practical activities (do it yourself) and suggestions for implementation with high school students in face-to-face or online classroom settings. The purpose of the proposal is to review and delve into topics related to Modern and Contemporary Physics (MCP) along with Physics educators working in Basic Education. Additionally, it aims to bring about reflection on pedagogical practices and collective consideration of alternative approaches to addressing MCP subjects, taking into account the students' potential and interests. To evaluate the proposal, an online questionnaire was administered, consisting of an open-ended question and other closed-ended questions. According to the teachers who participated in the course and responded to the questionnaire, the time dedicated to completing the course was beneficial for exchanging experiences, deepening knowledge, and gaining access to materials to be used in the classroom. In this sense, the proposal achieved its objective.

Exploring Pre-service English Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in the Practice of Online English Classroom

This study focused on the concerns regarding pre-service teachers' experience of how to integrate technology into classroom teaching and the appropriate approaches to apply educational technologies for their students in the online classroom. The qualitative case study was used to get an in-depth analysis of pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy. Moreover, this study used the self-efficacy theory proposed by Bandura to explore pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy when using technology on purpose to teach in online ways. There were 10 participants from the private university in Indonesia with the English education department as their major. The data were collected in the form of observation, written interviews and in-depth interviews. The study revealed that there are some factors that would increase pre-service teachers' self-efficacy including their experience with technology, such as observing role models, social persuasion toward integrating technology, and physiological and emotional states of the pre-service teacher. However, the number of individuals and the area included in this study limit the scope of this investigation. As a result, more research is likely to address a broader range of topics, as well as viewpoints from in-service teachers.

Classroom Facial Expression Recognition Method Based on Conv3D-ConvLSTM-SEnet in Online Education Environment

A Facial Expression Recognition (FER) method based on Conv3D-ConvLSTM-SEnet in an online education environment is proposed to address the issue of low accuracy in current classroom expression recognition (FER) methods. Firstly, ConvLSTM is used to integrate the local feature extraction ability of CNN and the temporal modeling ability of LSTM, and based on this, the rich spatial features of the image are characterized. Then, by introducing Depth Separated Convolution (DSC) to change the number of output channels and separate each channel, the Feature Maps (F-M) are sequentially concatenated to obtain a multi-channel output F-M. Finally, based on ConvLSTM and SEnet modules, a Conv3D ConvLSTM-based FER model was proposed by redistributing the extracted abstract features and basic texture features, achieving high accuracy classroom FER. The proposed classroom FER method and the other five methods were compared and analyzed through simulation experiments using the CK[Formula: see text], FER2013 and JAFFE datasets, respectively. The results indicate that the proposed method achieves the highest accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score, with improvements of at least 1.85%, 2.41%, 1.18% and 2.05%, respectively, compared to the other five methods on the FER2013 dataset. The proposed method can perform FER on students in online classroom teaching, detect their emotions in real-time, and help teachers make better course teaching adjustments based on this.

Design of a Knowledge Graph-based Interactive English Teaching Platform for College Students

Abstract In this paper, we first studied the construction technology of knowledge graphs, used the BERT model for named entity recognition, extracted the Relationship between different entities through semantic analysis, and stored the database based on table structure and graph structure. Then, the knowledge graph technology is utilized to construct the English interactive teaching platform, and modules such as online classroom, operation and maintenance management, and database are designed to clarify the process of English interactive teaching. Finally, a comparative analysis was conducted to study the effects of English interactive teaching on students’ performance, teaching satisfaction, and classroom behavior. The results show that chi-squared=18.276, df=3, p-value=0.000656, p<0.001, the difference in students’ achievement after using interactive teaching is obvious. The mean value of classroom silence behavior is distributed below 20%, which indicates that interactive teaching is effective. This study has important reference significance for the design and development of interactive teaching platforms in colleges and universities.

Membangun Sistem Informasi Presensi Kuliah Berbasis NFC di Prodi Informatika Unjani Yogyakarta

The Unjani Yogyakarta campus, specifically the Informatics Study Program, currently relies on manual methods such as calling students individually or using journal book signatures for attendance. This approach has drawbacks, including flexible attendance time, time-consuming procedures, and potential disruptions to student focus during lectures. To address these issues, the author conducted research to develop a student attendance information system for the campus. The system utilizes a client-server architecture and incorporates NFC technology on Android smartphones and RFID cards. The research aims to establish fixed attendance times and enable digital attendance through Android devices. It also facilitates monitoring of lecture activities for program administrators by integrating mobile and web applications. The system, developed using JAVA for mobile clients and PHP with CodeIgniter and Bootstrap for the web server, was built using the Research and Development method. The resulting student attendance application streamlines the attendance process for program administrators and lecturers. However, it should be noted that the system relies heavily on an internet connection and can serve as an alternative for online classroom attendance.

The Effect of Psychological Safety on the Performance of Students in Graduate-Level Online Courses

Psychological safety underpins high-performing teams in the business world. This study explored the effects of the feeling of psychological safety on graduate students participating in online courses. Psychological safety plays a crucial role in student grade outcomes and even the emotions the student feels in the online classroom environment. A significant difference in grade outcomes was found along with an effect size of 1.813 when comparing final grade outcomes between courses with a felt level of psychological safety to courses that did not reach a level of psychological safety. The presence of psychological safety affected the individual students' feelings by lowering the feeling of sadness and raising the feeling of excitement. Therefore, when creating and delivering online graduate-level courses, it is imperative to use specific teaching behaviors and design strategies to support those behaviors to build psychological safety within the online classroom and foster high performance by students.

Book Review: Teaching in the Online Classroom: Surviving and Thriving in the New Normal

Book Review: Teaching in the Online Classroom: Surviving and Thriving in the New Normal

Online Assessment in Large Undergraduate Courses During COVID-19 Emergency Response Teaching

The transition to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented and forced many universities to quickly embrace online distance learning. This context created new challenges, particularly around assessment strategies. Empirical research has demonstrated that formative assessment fosters more active learning in online classrooms. However, formative assessment strategies are not always adapted well to online platforms based on the nature of the subject matter and the size of the class. This qualitative case study sought to understand instructors’ experiences and strategies for conducting assessment remotely, specifically for large-size undergraduate courses. The investigation relied on data from semi-structured interviews with University of Maryland, College Park instructors who received a Teaching Innovation Grant from the Provost’s Office in Summer 2020 intended to fund sustainable online delivery beyond the emergency response teaching phase. For this analysis, we analyzed the transcripts of 13 interviews, representing a diverse range of programs, schools, and faculty seniority levels at the university. Findings show instructors experienced several successes during course retooling, including significant increases in student performance. Most instructors also indicated that they would continue to keep new online assessment strategies for the future, regardless of whether that future includes online, blended, or in-person delivery. Despite the anticipation that the pandemic would fuel more opportunities for cheating, there was only one experience of academic dishonesty.

Perceptions of University Students in Bangladesh towards the Challenges and Benefits of Online Classes: A Samir Bhadra Qualitative Approach

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions of students regarding the challenges and benefits of online classes based on their online classes’ experiences particularly during pandemic COVID-19. Following the interpretive research paradigm and cross-sectional design, this research is qualitative in nature. Using a semi-structured questionnaire the researchers conducted 30 in-depth interviews of the 23 public and private university students who are attending their classes virtually during the pandemic. The collected data was analyzed following a content analysis approach to evaluate the relationship among the ideas, the interview data, and the theoretical context. This study finds that in developing countries like Bangladesh, the online class system is a relatively new concept, so the participants face some difficulties such as low internet connection, electricity support, teachers’ capacities, and lack of institutional support as well as their technological engagement. As such participants face challenges that they do not learn as well as they would in regular classes. Moreover, the participants must comprehend the contrasts between traditional and online classrooms in order to improve their competence. However, participants are taking e-learning for extra advantages due to COVID-19 pandemic in order to reduce detachment from education and session gap. This study will be helpful to the policy-makers to develop proper rules to cope with such difficult situations, particularly when it comes to delivering communicative education to students particularly in a crisis situation. Keywords: , , .

Eight Priorities for Instructional Videos in the Online Classroom

To enhance student engagement and learning in the online classroom, instructional videos need to be thoughtfully created, curated, and integrated. Key considerations include making the videos learner-centered and relevant, ensuring easy access, keeping video length short, focusing on clarity over perfection, providing alternative means of accessing the information, fostering student interaction, and personalizing videos to enhance the sense of class participation and connection.

A Data Mining-Based Approach to Managing Intercultural Teaching Activities in Online Classrooms

Driven by globalization and technological advances, online education is coming into its own form, opening a window for students to learn across cultural boundaries. In such a context, the intercultural teaching activities in online classrooms are particularly important, as they provide students with a good opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and merge into different backgrounds. However, most of the currently available methods of intercultural teaching activity management focus on conventional education modes or strategies, and there isn’t a deep enough analysis about the features of network environment. Aiming at these matters, this study gave an in-depth discussion on the current status of the management of intercultural teaching in online classrooms, and introduced the technology of data mining to propose a more comprehensive and systematic solution for educational issues caused by cultural differences.

Students’ Perception of English Online Learning During Covid-19 in North Sumatera

With the impact of Covid-19, everything has been changing especially in the education field. The learning-teaching process transforms into an online platform. This is one of the alternative solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic era, But the transition from the offline class to the online class has proved challenging for some students and teachers. The purpose of this study was to analyze why students do not perceive online classrooms as providing the same learning experience as the traditional classroom. The Research questions are about the perceptions and experiences of the Senior High School students in North Sumatra in the online classroom as opposed to the traditional classroom during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Qualitative descriptive approach was used in this research. There were 24 students of senior High School from different schools taken as participants. The Data were collected through questionnaires which were distributed to the students and interviewed. The research findings showed that students prefer classroom learning (offline meetings) to online learning for some reasons. The results of the study will help school administrators focus on making the online class more engaging for students.

The Influence of Online Classroom Games (OCG) on Undergraduates’ Academic Excellence: A Study in the Context of Hybrid Learning

Hybrid learning has gained momentum globally, offering a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face education. As it involves combining traditional classroom instruction with online elements, hybrid learning has expanded possibilities for enriching education. Due to this fact, educators are constantly seeking innovative ways to engage students in the ever-evolving educational landscape. Hence, exploring diverse teaching tools beyond traditional methods is crucial. This concept paper explores the influence of Online Classroom Games (OCG) on the academic attainment of undergraduates, utilizing a qualitative approach to gather data. Initially, the interview transcripts will be gathered from 4 programs in the cluster of Business and Management faculty involving 16 participants. They will be carefully reviewed to identify recurring patterns. The findings of this study will offer empirically-based strategies to heighten student engagement and improve learning outcomes in the contemporary educational sphere. Ultimately, the outcomes of this research aspire to aid the educational community in readying itself for the hybrid and flexible learning system, as recently introduced by the Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).

Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation of Students’ Classroom Experience in Online Teaching

Under the COVID-19 outbreak, the traditional teaching mode in universities is limited, and online teaching is in full swing. However, various factors that affect students’ online classroom experience in teaching have characteristics of fuzziness and uncertainty. Therefore, using the course of human resource management as an example, this paper employs the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the classroom experience of online teaching students. This paper aims to minimize the impact of human or subjective factors by developing a scientific, rational, and practical multilevel fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model for assessing students’ classroom experience in online teaching courses.

Remote classroom management: a survey study of teachers’ online practices

The transition to virtual learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered the work of many teachers. Despite the expansion of remote instruction, more research is needed to demonstrate what works for classroom management during virtual learning. We report the findings from an online survey related to online classroom management. Nearly 300 educators from 30 states completed the survey. We examined special and general education teachers’ perceived knowledge, use, and effectiveness of evidence-based classroom management practices translated for remote instruction and report findings related to self-efficacy when managing classrooms online. Results provide empirical support for the application of established classroom management practices in virtual learning contexts. Differences between special and general educators are explored and implications for special educator training and professional development are discussed.