Teaching Online Courses Research Articles

Addressing Research Fatigue in Energy Communities: New Tools to Prepare Researchers for Better Community Engagement

Two innovative educational products aimed at improving the quality of human-subjects research in and around energy-impacted communities are introduced here. The educational materials include: (1) a self-paced online education course titled “Understanding and Addressing Research Fatigue in Rural Communities” and (2) an accompanying workbook for research planning titled “Engaging in Energy Communities: The Role of the Researcher.” We explain how two recent studies were instrumental in identifying the need for the online education course and the associated workbook. We conclude the paper with guidance on how to access these new resources, which we believe will be particularly useful for graduate students and early-career researchers. We invite feedback from users as well as from colleagues who may wish to use these educational materials.

E-learning Environment's Effectiveness and Efficiency for Educational Institutions: the case of KAU and QU

The present research aims to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of e-learning systems adoption and implementation in context to the Saudi educational sector with specific focus on Saudi universities. It investigates the impact of the system on academic staffs teaching online courses. Adopting quantitative research approach, the IS-Impact Measurement model was used to design the questionnaire to collect the primary data. It was used to find out the effectiveness of the current systems based on the perspectives of academic staff with experience teaching online courses for a year at least. The total outcomes of the whole research ended up proposing a business model to enhance and modify e-learning environments for Saudi universities with specific focus on their quality by assessing and understanding of the impact employees have within their roles.

An Intelligent Recommendation Strategy for Online Courses Based on Collaborative Filtering Algorithm for Educational Platforms

In the context of the new crown epidemic, online education courses have become mainstream. Along with the rapid development of the Internet and the rich reserves of educational resources, how to accurately understand the state of students to provide the required teaching courses, and how to better adapt students to online education to meet the differentiation between each other has become a mainstream problem and challenge at present. Analyze the user data, obtain the decision attributes therein, and explore the classification of online education courses; based on collaborative filtering algorithm, realize the accurate matching between students and courses. The intelligent recommendation strategy of online courses not only helps to improve the usage rate of online courses, but also helps to improve students' individuality, responding to the general policy of "stopping classes and not studying" in major universities, and carrying out more flexible teaching methods.

EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF THE PIVOT TO ONLINE INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON CHINESE MUSIC STUDENTS IN A U.K. UNIVERSITY

There are a growing number of Chinese students studying music at U.K. universities and conservatories. Measures taken to decrease the spread of coronavirus in 2020 led to school closures worldwide, which resulted in current and prospective music students facing new challenges. This qualitative study is based on literature investigating the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese music students studying at a U.K. university. Online semi-structured one-to-one interviews with five Chinese music students explored information about their perceptions and experiences of online learning during the pandemic. The results demonstrate that the pandemic made them experience the following: additional pressure and adjustment of mental status; changes in their learning environment during school closure; changes in the way of approaching online lessons; and changes to strategies of autonomous learning. This study is based on analysis of the literature and interview data exploring the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese music students' learning. It also provides suggestions to teachers that teach online courses and offers ideas for the future of music education institutions.

The Evaluation of Online Education Course Performance Using Decision Tree Mining Algorithm

With the continuous development of “Internet + Education”, online learning has become a hot topic of concern. Decision tree is an important technique for solving classification problems from a set of random and unordered data sets. Decision tree is not only an effective method to generate classifier from data set, but also an active research field in data mining technology. The decision tree mining algorithm can classify the data, grasp the teaching process of the teacher, and analyze the overall performance of the students, so as to realize the dynamic management of the educational administration and help the educational administration personnel to make the right decision, with more reasonable allocation of resources. This paper evaluates students’ academic performance based on the learning behavior data of online learning, so as to intervene in students’ learning in advance, which is the key problem that needs to be solved at present. Taking students’ learning attitude, completion of homework, and attendance as factors, the paper uses decision tree technology to analyze the factors affecting students’ performance, and evaluates students’ performance. Firstly, this paper collects the high‐dimensional behavioral characteristic data of students’ online learning and conducts correlation analysis after preprocessing the behavioral characteristic data. Then, the decision tree C4.5 algorithm is used to construct a performance evaluation model. Students’ performance is evaluated by the model, and the evaluation accuracy is about 88% compared with actual performance. Finally, through the model analysis, it is concluded that the video task point completion is the most influential in students’ achievement, followed by chapter test completion and chapter test average score, and the course interaction amount and homework average score are the least influential in students’ achievement, which has a practical reference value for effectively serving online learning and teachers’ teaching.

Challenges and Opportunities in Adhering to UDL Principles to Design Online Courses

In this article, we share the opportunities and the challenges in adhering to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to design higher education online courses. We highlight specific instructional design examples to discuss the opportunities and challenges that we have encountered. We conclude by reflecting on UDL as a design tool and ponder the following question: Do design tools guide or serve us? By reflecting on our combined 40 years of design practice experience, we believe we offer valuable design knowledge of the UDL framework to scholars of design, educators, and practitioners.

Challenges and Opportunities in Adhering to UDL Principles to Design Online Courses

In this article, we share the opportunities and the challenges in adhering to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to design higher education online courses. We highlight specific instructional design examples to discuss the opportunities and challenges that we have encountered. We conclude by reflecting on UDL as a design tool and ponder the following question: Do design tools guide or serve us? By reflecting on our combined 40 years of design practice experience, we believe we offer valuable design knowledge of the UDL framework to scholars of design, educators, and practitioners.

Teaching Advanced Concepts in Regulation of the Lac Operon With Modeling and Simulation

Success in biochemistry and other life science courses requires that students understand important biological concepts. One of these concepts is how gene regulation ensures that homeostasis is maintained in an organism. The <em>lac</em> operon is a well-studied and historically important example system that displays the key features of a &ldquo;repressible&rdquo; operon. Unfortunately, students still hold many misconceptions after repeated formal instruction, and they may benefit from a more immersive approach when learning about this system. Mechanistic computational models and simulations are an important pedagogical tool that can help students learn about the systems-level and dynamic aspects of biological processes such as gene regulation. We developed a modeling and simulation lesson called <em>Advanced Concepts in Regulation of the Lac Operon</em> that uses a guided approach to teach biochemistry or other upper-level undergraduate students. In this lesson, students simulate the <em>lac</em> operon model&rsquo;s behavior to instantly observe the effects of changes such as altering the components, their regulation, or adjusting the cellular environment. Students predict the simulation output, observe and record the simulation results, and explain the model&rsquo;s behavior. Students are also encouraged to think critically about the system by answering conceptual questions. The lesson was designed to be self-directed and can be implemented in a variety of educational settings, including in-person, online, and laboratory courses. <em>Primary image:&nbsp;</em>Regulatory mechanisms and components of the <i>lac</i> operon. (All images used in the lesson, background reading, and slides were created by Christine S. Booth, using Inkscape 0.92; www.inkscape.org.)

TRAINING OF EDUCATORS FOR THE SOCIAL INCLUSION AND TRAINING OF UNACCOMPANIED FOREIGN MINORS IN SPAIN

The article begins with an introduction to the Spanish context, focusing on migration, diversity, and the specific profile and needs of immigrant minors arriving alone in Spain, which raises the new professional roles of social educators working in intercultural diversity contexts. The second section of the article deals with educators' training of immigrant minors and young people, a relatively neglected and under-served field. Sections three and four are dedicated to present two training experiences we have carried out, on a four-month online course for under-age educators and a short-term face-to-face course on the same topic

Massive open online course for type 2 diabetes self-management: adapting education in the COVID-19 era

IntroductionType 2 diabetes self-management education is an essential component of type 2 diabetes care that is traditionally delivered in a face-to-face setting. In response to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, innovative...

ДЕЯКІ АСПЕКТИ РОЗВИТКУ ЦИФРОВОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ ФАХІВЦІВ З НЕФОРМАЛЬНОЇ ОСВІТИ ПРИ ПЕРЕХОДІ В ОНЛАЙН-ФОРМАТ

У статті презентовані результати емпіричного вивчення проблеми адаптації професійної освіти до онлайн-режиму в ситуації вимушеного карантину. Мета дослідження полягала в створенні моделі компетенцій викладача / тренера для забезпечення освітньої діяльності онлайн. Обставини гостро актуалізували нагальну потребу забезпечення безперервності освітньої діяльності в нових умовах, показали реальний стан психологічної готовності фахівців освітянської галузі до діяльності в умовах невизначеності. Ключовими ознаками цього стану можна вважати певну фахову та психологічну дезорієнтацію, яка поставила під загрозу якість і сталість результатів освітньої діяльності. Фахівці формальної й неформальної освіти були змушені швидко адаптуватися до нових умов, в основі яких – цифрова трансформація. Фокус уваги нашого дослідження зосереджено на фахівцях, які працюють у сфері післядипломної освіти. Важливим аспектом досліджуваного питання є певна плутанина щодо сутності онлайн-навчання. Це стосується різнотлумачення у середовищі фахівців поняття «дистанційне навчання», зокрема розрізнення синхронного (в режимі реального часу) і асинхронного (у відкладеному часі) режимів освітнього процесу. Принципові відмінності у підходах до методів та психологічних технологій їх застосування вимагають особливої підготовки відповідних фахівців. Результати презентованого дослідження розкривають ряд психологічних труднощів, з якими зіткнулись фахівці післядипломної освіти в ситуації необхідності переведення діяльності в онлайн-режим. В першу чергу, це навчальна діяльність із питань підвищення кваліфікації, проведення навчальних курсів для дорослої аудиторії. Важливим завданням для викладачів / тренерів постало збереження сутнісних ознак і результатів такого навчання: інформація, інструментарій і досвід, які наявні в офлайн-режимі навчання. Основним результатом дослідження можна вважати визначення ключових напрямів психологічної підготовки фахівців до роботи в онлайн: психологічна готовність до управління груповою динамікою та обмеженими комунікаційними інструментами, цифрова компетентність – володіння специфічними цифровими навичками (платформи, програми, окремі інструменти роботи в онлайн), методична компетентність – здатність добирати та поєднувати прийоми й техніки роботи з інформацією, адаптовані до онлайн-середовища.&#x0D; Література&#x0D; &#x0D; Василенко, О.В. (2014). Розвиток системи неформальної освіти дорослих в умовах соціально-економічної кризи. Актуальні проблеми професійної орієнтації та професійного навчання в умовах соціально-економічної нестабільності, 2(2), 138–&#x0D; Ващенко, Л.І. (2019). Підготовка фахівців для роботи з дорослими у сфері неформальної освіти. Імідж сучасного педагога, 4(187), 24–&#x0D; Корбут, О.Г. (2017). Дистанційне навчання: моделі, технології, перспективи. Режим доступу: http://confesp. fl. kpi. ua/ru/node/1123.&#x0D; Плинокос, Д.Д., &amp; Коваленко, М.О. (2016). Неформальна освіта: теоретичні аспекти і наукові підходи. Наукові праці Кіровоградського національного технічного університету. Економічні науки, 29, 53–60.&#x0D; Сисоєва, С.О., &amp; Осадча, К.П. (2019). Стан, технології та перспективи дистанційного навчання у вищій освіті України. Інформаційні технології і засоби навчання: електронне наукове фахове видання, 70(2), 271–&#x0D; Harasim, L. (2000). Shift happens: Online education as a new paradigm in learning. The Internet and higher education, 3(1-2), 41–&#x0D; Iordache, C., Mariën, I., &amp; Baelden, D. (2017). Developing digital skills and competences: A quick-scan analysis of 13 digital literacy models. Italian Journal of Sociology of Education, 9(1), 6–&#x0D; Kebritchi, M., Lipschuetz, A., &amp; Santiague, L. (2017). Issues and challenges for teaching successful online courses in higher education: A literature review. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 46(1), 4–&#x0D; Latchem, C. (2014). Informal learning and non-formal education for development. Journal of Learning for Development, 1(1).&#x0D; Sun, A., &amp; Chen, X. (2016). Online education and its effective practice: A research review. Journal of Information Technology Education, 15, 157–&#x0D; Lischewski, J., Seeber, S., Wuttke, E., &amp; Rosemann, T. (2020). What influences participation in non-formal and informal modes of Continuous Vocational Education and Training? An analysis of individual and institutional influencing factors. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 2821. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.534485&#x0D; Rodríguez, M.U., Cantabrana, J.L.L., &amp; Cervera, M.G. (2020). Validation of a tool for self-evaluating teacher digital competence. Educación XX1, 24(1), 353–373. doi: 10.5944/educXX1.27080&#x0D; Perez-Lopez, E., Atochero, A.V., &amp; Rivero, S.C. (2020). Distance Education in COVID-19: An Analysis from the perspective of university students. Ried-revista iberoamericana de educacion a distancia, 24(1), 331–350. doi: 10.5944/ried.24.1.27855&#x0D;

Computer assisted instruction during quarantine and computer vision syndrome

Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is a set of visual, ocular, and musculoskeletal symptoms that result from long-term computer use. These symptoms include eyestrain, dry eyes, burning, pain, redness, blurred vision, etc, which increase with the duration of computer use. Currently, with the closure of schools and universities due to the continued COVID19 pandemic many universities have taken the process of online education courses and the use of mobile phones, tablets، computer monitors and e-readers is increasing day by day. CVS not only reduces study and learning quality and productivity of the students, but it also has a high economic burden by increasing musculoskeletal injuries and ophthalmologist visits due to visual and ocular symptoms. With the expansion of online education programs, it is necessary for students to be aware of these complications, as well as to teach them appropriate strategies to control and prevent these harmful effects of computers.

Face-to-Face and Online Instructional Delivery Formats: a Mixed-Methods Study of Teacher Self-Efficacy in Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions in South Korea to administer Spring 2020 semesters online. This mixed-methods study examined instructor/professor competence for the instructional delivery formats of Face-to-Face and online teaching. Quantitatively, the researcher measured teacher competence for Face-to-Face and online instruction by measuring the Teacher Self-Efficacy levels of non-Korean instructors/professors in South Korean higher education institutions. The qualitative questions assessed the advantages and drawbacks of each instructional delivery format. Findings indicate that instructors/professors are significantly more effective teaching Face-to-Face courses than online courses. However, instructors/professors with online learning experience were significantly more effective teaching online courses than those without online learning experience. It is recommended that all instructors/professors engage in professional development geared towards equipping educators with the tools needed to succeed in the online education environment.

Assessment of cognitive, behavioral, and affective learning outcomes in massive open online courses: A systematic literature review

This systematic review on massive open online courses (MOOCs) in higher education examined the research on the assessment of learning outcomes based on 65 peer-reviewed articles published between 2017 and 2019. This study aims to investigate the learning outcomes, related instruments, and assessment characteristics of these instruments in MOOCs. Learning outcomes that were examined in the studies that were reviewed concerned cognitive, behavioral, and affective learning outcomes. Twenty-five types of assessment approaches were employed to examine these outcomes and to identify the assessment characteristics. The results indicate that a consideration of the assessment of learning outcomes at the beginning of course design could support the formulation of explicit assessment goals and, in this way, instruct learners to work toward learning outcomes. A combination of knowledge tests and skill tasks can be used to examine cognitive outcomes in a particular MOOC. Outcome-oriented feedback rubrics are beneficial to support learner essay performance and interpretations of the utilization of rubrics could better guide providers to give peer feedback. A variety of behavioral and affective outcomes reflect multiple aspects of participant learning in MOOCs, which might contribute to better understanding by teachers and the provision of learning support. Furthermore, assessment tasks throughout the course may differ in difficulty and complexity, which could align with different levels of learner motivation. The findings provide a holistic picture of learning outcomes and related assessment instruments in current MOOCs. Curriculum designers and teachers could benefit from this study to consider appropriate learning outcome variables and instruments to apply in their MOOC practices. Future research might investigate the motivation of learners to participate in a MOOC and how this changes during a MOOC. This could help MOOC designers and teachers to align how learners are motivated, what they want to learn, and what they actually do learn.

Factors Influencing Intentions to Teach Online Among Physical Therapy Faculty in Saudi Arabia from Faculty Perspectives of View

among physical therapy faculty in Saudi Arabia the theory of planned behavior was used to predict intentions based on attitude, subjective norm, and perceived control. Gender, years of teaching experience, and the numbers of online courses previously taught were analyzed. A sample of 103 faculty members teaching in physical therapy programs in Saudi Arabia was recruited. The results showed that attitudes and subjective norms significantly influenced the intention to teach online courses. Academic rank was statistically significant. There was not a statistically significant gender difference. The participants of this study had positive attitudes as well as subjective norms; therefore, we highly recommend physical therapy programs in Saudi Arabia to promote online teaching method. For future studies, we suggest looking at application of online teaching on both faculties and students

116 Oklahoma State University Continuing Education Online Courses for Extension Educators in 2020

Abstract The Smith–Lever Act of 1914 established a system of cooperative extension services to connect the land-grant universities to the people. Agricultural extension educators serve as the “front door” to the University, providing research-based information in a wide variety of agricultural topics such as livestock, crops, entomology, natural resources, etc. A bachelor’s degree in agriculture is a requirement for employment as an agricultural extension educator in most states. Generally, most new hires are knowledgeable in one or more areas and perhaps possess a degree focused in the same area. However, many educators are not fluent in all the agriculture sectors they are required to address on a daily basis. Our objective is to gradually develop an online in-service program specifically designed to strengthen educators’ knowledge and proficiency in basic beef cattle production. These courses will consist of five to ten modules each with an estimated five hours of course work per subject. The courses will include reading material, listening and visual material, interactive activities, and quizzes to aid in learning the basics. The Introduction to Beef Cattle Nutrition course is intended to enhance extension educators’ knowledge of the nutrient requirements of beef cattle, body condition scoring, ration calculation, etc. Extension educators will be expected to pass quizzes at the end of each module with an eighty percent or higher. Oklahoma extension educators will enroll in the Introduction to Beef Cattle Nutrition course during the 2020 calendar year and complete over a ten-week period. A survey at the end of each module will allow the authors to see how effective the course was, and if the representative feels more confident in discussing and helping producers with their herd nutrition upon completion.

Is quality assurance compatible with technological innovation? Case studies of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in United Kingdom higher education

ABSTRACT Both innovation and quality assurance are prominent concerns in higher education institutions but research is ambiguous with respect to the relationship between quality assurance and innovation. Specifically, it is unclear whether quality assurance supports innovation or, conversely, acts as a hindrance. As a relatively new innovation, massive open online courses (MOOCs) yield insights into the relationship between quality assurance and innovation in higher education institutions. This article explores how quality assurance is adapted to accommodate MOOCs based on case studies in five universities in the United Kingdom. Our findings suggest that quality assurance does not support innovations such as MOOCs because most universities use a relatively superficial approach that focuses on technical requirements rather than academic quality. The study provides suitable empirical evidence to support a cogent argument that universities should evaluate MOOCs through quality assurance, both to identify strengths and to expose weaknesses that need to be developed.

Instructor qualities and student success in higher education online courses

As both universities and students demonstrate an increasing interest in offering and taking online courses, a better understanding of the causes of student outcomes, such as student achievement has become increasingly important. This study investigated an additional variable, the role of the teacher, which has been hidden within and in many instances even left out of previous studies. A multivariate linear regression indicated that the instructor qualities of years of experience, level of education and practical experience predicted 5.6% of student achievement, while an instructor’s level of training predicted 2.1% of student achievement in online courses of higher education. Although the amount at which these teacher qualities make up the overall formula for student success is small, this study has added to our understanding of additional factors impacting student success in higher education online courses.

Higher Education Online Courses Personalized Recommendation Algorithm Based on Score and Attributes

Education through the online platform has gained popularity. While the online course keeps increasing, its benefit does not increase in a proportional way. Personalized recommendation systems can well solve this problem by mining users’ interests and preferences. Aiming at the cold start problem, this paper improves the collaborative filtering algorithm by combining the user score and project attribute characteristics of the online course platform. The network communication technology is used to obtain the user ratings and project attribute data to verify the feasibility of the recommendation algorithm, adjust the parameters in the model, and compare the accuracy of the algorithm. The designed algorithm can provide accurate and rapid personalized recommendation services, which is convenient for users and conducive to the development of the platform. The improved algorithm solves the cold start problem compared with the traditional algorithm with a significantly improved prediction accuracy. The scheme can also be modified according to the changes in user preferences and can achieve good real-time recommendation effect.

FEATURES OF THE FUNCTIONING OF THE ONLINE EDUCATION MARKET IN THE WORLD AND IN UKRAINE

Introduction. The modern online education market is developing rapidly. This is due to several aspects: the growing number of active Internet users and the availability of portable devices; the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the transfer of education to distance learning; an increase in the total income of market participants and social and economic contribution to the economic development of countries. Therefore, in order to increase the efficiency of the further development of this market, it is important to study the peculiarities of the functioning of the main elements of the global online education market and to reveal the potential of its implementation at the national level. Methods. The study is based on the use of the dialectical method of cognition of economic processes, scientific developments and publications on the formation and development of the Internet education market in the world and in Ukraine. The article uses methods of scientific abstraction, analysis and synthesis, generalization, structural-functional, empirical-statistical and comparative analysis, etc. Results. The study identified the essence of online learning; the peculiarities of the functioning of the online education market are revealed; certain disadvantages of e-learning were noted; the demand for online education by content and structure of consumers is analyzed, it is established that more than half of all online educational services in the world are provided to the academic sector in the areas that are easiest to monetize – business and technology; the world market of online education is characterized on a regional basis and the dynamics of its development is analyzed; the features of the activity of the main providers of online educational courses in the global and Ukrainian markets are revealed. Discussion. Promising areas of online education market research that will help increase the efficiency of its functioning are the involvement of individuals and legal entities to receive online educational services by employees as a means of increasing the productivity of institutions, focus on the development of adaptive and microeducation, modularity and multichannel of Internet education, gamification and state support of the online education market. Keywords: online education, e-learning, mass open online courses (MOOC), online educational services, educational platforms.