Online Teaching Experience Research Articles

Psychological Capital Relates With Teacher Enjoyment: The Mediating Role of Reappraisal.

This study examined the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap) and teacher enjoyment in the context of online teaching and investigated whether the emotion regulation (ER) strategy of reappraisal mediated their relationship. 221 Chinese university teachers were selected as the research sample through snowball sampling in an online survey. After controlling for age, gender, teaching experience, education level, time and energy input during online teaching and online teaching experience, the results showed that PsyCap and reappraisal positively influence the teachers’ online teaching enjoyment (OTE), and reappraisal significantly mediated the relationship between teachers’ PsyCap and OTE, suggesting that optimistic and resilient teachers with more self-efficacy and hope are more likely to find enjoyment during online teaching, and high PsyCap combined with the use of reappraisal leads to greater OTE. The study not only confirms the positive role of reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy in online teaching, but also provides practical implications for the realization of enjoyable online teaching experience.

Integrated Streaming of Anatomy Dissection during Lecture Hours

Streaming of live faculty anatomy dissections was utilized to teach clinically relevant gross anatomy to first‐year Physician Assistant students during the summer of 2021 to correlate lecture with relevant dissection part. The online anatomy dissections by faculty were integrated with PowerPoint presentations before onsite dissection laboratory periods by the students.MATERIAL AND METHODSThe PA students viewed the dissections via zoom sessions during lecture hours coordinated by lecture presenter. During their six weeks of study, each session was scheduled for one hour lecture, followed by 3 hours of dissections. At the beginning of each session, ten quiz questions relative to prior sessions were asked to enhance students’ retention and recall. Following the daily online practical quizzes, students watched step by step dissection and power point lecture integrated with relevant slides and/or cross‐sections. During three hour laboratory time of each daily session, students were divided into small groups to dissect anatomy region for that day assisted by faculty member. Sixty four percent of the PA Class of 2023 completed an anonymous electronic survey at the conclusion of the course.The online survey of the enrolled PA students (n=40) in their first‐year training identified that the online dissections and the teaching format were extremely beneficial to their learning. Ninety seven percent of the students strongly agreed or agreed that the streaming of anatomy dissections was helpful in learning the assigned anatomy. Ninety five percent of the students strongly agreed or agreed that integrated power point presentations were beneficial, and Ninety five percent of the students strongly agreed or agreed that daily integrated quizzes (self‐assessment modules) were beneficial for their retention and recall. Although setting up online dissections and integrating the streaming dissections with relevant power points were time‐intensive, the teaching faculty viewed the online teaching experiences as effective means to further develop students’ knowledge base of anatomy education.

Establishing Cognitive Strategies to Support Online English Language Learners’ Critical Thinking

Shifting to online-based teaching and learning has become the most obvious way to increase pedagogy sustainability in nations with the current implementation of an online learning environment. Research has shown that online learning and teaching in English language subjects influence the cognitive strategy environment. This research aims to determine and explore the cognitive strategy implemented in the online learning environment to support the critical thinking of English language learners. This study is a quantitative descriptive study accomplished online utilising survey methodologies. The sample selection method is simple random sampling. Primary data was collected in this study by distributing questionnaires to 115 respondents via the internet. Data was gathered via the completion of questions provided to all respondents in the survey. In addition, the data were evaluated in order to be characterised and described. The data analysis findings of English language lecturers’ surveys indicate that the cognitive strategy used during the online teaching situation was prosperous and profligate. The cognitive strategies necessitated implementing the online English language learners’ critical thinking included procedural, metacognitive, conceptual, and strategic. This research establishes that the cognitive strategy implementation of online learning is commonly advantageous during remote teaching. The survey indicated that just 73% of English lecturers considered cognitive strategy online platforms as beneficial as traditional meetings for supporting critical thinking. Positive responses were obtained from the questionnaire. In addition, the statement is relevant to their experience and background in online teaching, which indicates a good attitude toward the cognitive strategy that works well in their online learning mechanism. The research suggests that online pedagogy and English lecturers’ must be developed to pave the way for a potential future authentic online strategy. The research may illustrate the difficulties associated with online education and potential areas for improvement..

Constructing a Digital Competence Evaluation Framework for In-Service Teachers’ Online Teaching

The focus on online teaching and teachers’ digital competence (DC) has reached a new level following the emergence of COVID-19 and its dramatic influence on the educational industry, requiring teachers to be equipped with DC. However, there is no consensus on the measuring framework of teachers’ DC. Therefore, this study aimed to construct a reliable self-evaluation framework for in-service teachers’ DC during online teaching. The data of 1342 teachers with online teaching experience were obtained. The methods of data analysis included exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and item analysis. Results demonstrated that the constructed evaluation framework performed consistently with the collected data. CFA also confirmed a good model fitting of the relevant 10 factors of the teachers’ DC framework. Therefore, in the teachers’ DC evaluation framework, the constructs interacting with each other consist of technical knowledge (TK, four items), learner knowledge (LK, three items), pedagogical knowledge (PK, three items), ethical knowledge (EK, three items), learner technical knowledge (LTK, four items), learner pedagogical knowledge (LPK, four items), learner ethical knowledge (LEK, four items), technical pedagogical knowledge (TPK, three items), technical ethical knowledge (TEK, four items), and pedagogical ethical knowledge (PEK, three items), but in total the scale comprises 35 items. It can be an effective instrument to support in-service teachers’ DC measurement for their online teaching.

Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic: Students’ Experiences, Perceptions and Lessons for Higher Education Institutes

A sudden shift to complete online teaching and learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges for educational institutes, their administrators, teachers and students. This study investigated students’ online teaching experiences with the intention to shape higher education institutes’ (HEI) Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration policies and practices. A mixed-method research approach was used to collect data. The quantitative data were collected using a survey questionnaire and focus group discussion method was used to gather qualitative data. The students’ views of their instructors’ online instructional and assessment strategies revealed that teachers confined themselves to the university guidelines and used the recommended learning management system (LMS) and digital tools but lacked the training to utilise many of the features available in the recommended LMS and digital tools that could be integrated with the LMS due to poor knowledge and ICT skills. This study suggests that HEIs should invest in research to understand students’ choices of digital tools and train teachers to maximise the use of the LMS.

Enhancing students’ beliefs regarding programming self-efficacy and intrinsic value of an online distributed Programming Environment

Several studies have explored the factors that influence self-efficacy as well as its contribution to academic development in online learning environments in recent years. However, little research has investigated the effect of a web-based learning environment on enhancing students’ beliefs about self-efficacy for learning. This is especially noticeable in the field of online distributed programming. We need to design online learning environments for programming education that foster both students’ self-efficacy for programming learning and the added value that students perceive of the tool as a successful learning environment. To that end, we conducted a quantitative analysis to collect and analyze data of students using an online Distributed Systems Laboratory (DSLab) in an authentic, long-term online educational experience. The results indicate that (1) our distributed programming learning tool provides an environment that increases students’ belief of programming self-efficacy; (2) the students’ experience with the tool strengthens their belief in the intrinsic value of the tool; however (3) the relationship between students’ belief in the tool intrinsic value and their self-efficacy is inconclusive. This study provides relevant implications for online distributed (or general) programming course teachers who seek to increase students’ engagement, learning and performance in this field.

Variation in Student Perceptions of Higher Education Course Quality and Difficulty as a Result of Widespread Implementation of Online Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic affected higher education in a myriad of ways. One of the most notable effects however was the rapid and sudden transition of nearly all courses at most institutions to an online environment. And while there are a growing number of courses offered online already, this transition to nearly 100% remote education presented numerous challenges for instructors and students of face-to-face and hybrid style courses. Since student perceptions are closely tied to recruitment and retention, it is important to know if there are differences in student perceptions present in the way different courses are taught. This study extends the work of other authors that have investigated student perceptions by looking specifically at how the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed student views of course difficulty and quality both overall and across discipline or institution categories. Course evaluations from 837 courses from 191 different schools archived on RateMyProfessors.com were used in a general linear model where a statistically significant overall decline of 6% in perceived course difficulty and 4% decline in perceived quality was detected. In addition to calculating this mean decrease, courses were also categorized on the basis of academic discipline (Business, Engineering and Mathematics, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences), institution type (2-Year, 4-Year), and whether instructors had previous experience teaching online courses (No, Yes) to determine any variation in differences that may have appeared as a result of more nuanced details in course type or delivery. Most notably, declines in course difficulty were slightly more apparent with instructors that had no previous online teaching experience. No other discipline, institution type, or teaching experience interactions were detected with either difficulty or quality variation. These data suggest that there were very real changes in perceived quality and difficulty but that these changes were largely universal irrespective of discipline, institution type, or prior experience teaching online (with exception of course difficulty).

The Productive Engagement SPACE: A Guide to Improve Critical Learner Interactions in e-Learning Environments.

The Productive Engagement SPACE: A Guide to Improve Critical Learner Interactions in e-Learning Environments.

K-12 teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of online EFL teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract During the Coronavirus disease outbreak, education in schools and universities was conducted through online platforms worldwide. School teachers in China have had a taste of online teaching, which never appeared to be a necessity before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This research explores the effectiveness of English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching at the primary and secondary school levels during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The research tools comprise questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. A total of 132 teachers from more than 10 provinces completed the online questionnaire, and 12 teachers were involved in semi-structured interviews. The results showed that while some EFL teachers adopted effective online pedagogies, others encountered challenges in online teaching. The teachers who had comprehensive Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) or with previous online teaching experience tended to be more optimistic about teaching effectiveness in online language education. However, less training and a lack of TPACK and skills can hinder effective online teaching.

Online Teaching and Learning Experiences of Higher Education Lecturers and Students in the COVID-19 Era: A Leap to Digital Pedagogies?

The swift transition from face-to-face contact to online learning due to coronavirus (COVID-19) in teaching and learning is unprecedented on the globe, fraught with a myriad of challenges, and many developing economies being hardest hit. However, several efforts have been made, albeit at different levels in the various parts of the world to adjust and to continue with tuition under the difficult circumstances. The study intends to determine the potential of online teaching and learning in a developing country to propose a more applicable and sustainable integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in teaching and learning in crises and unforeseen circumstances. The study was conducted as a survey based on a case study of a tertiary institution. The objective was to find out lecturers’ and students’ experiences of online instruction since the beginning of lockdown periods due to COVID-19 in early 2020 so as to map future trajectories. The major findings include a lack of digital literacy among both lecturers and students; inadequate data and properly functioning gadgets; resistance to change revealed in limited adoption on the part of both lecturers and students despite efforts to provide training being made; a lack of systematisation of integration of ITCs in teaching and learning making commitment to transition to online modes difficult; a lack of commitment to attending online sessions and plagiarism in assignments by students. However, adequate commitment to online instruction is crucial to embrace the fourth industrial revolution.

“I’m Not Trying to Recreate the Classroom”: A Qualitative Study to Help Faculty Make Sense of Online Interactions

ABSTRACT Instructors who are new to online teaching experience negative emotions regarding the transition to online instruction and the experience of teaching online. Meanwhile, experienced online instructors find online instruction to be superior to traditional face-to-face instruction. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was conducted at a public university in the US to answer the question: How is online teaching conceptualized by faculty who teach online? 25 online instructors with varying levels of experience teaching online participated in the study. Data were gathered through individual semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the IPA methodology. Findings revealed that experienced faculty conceptualized teaching very differently when it was conducted online. They also cognitively reframed their understanding of student-instructor interactions. This paper presents a visual model for understanding online interactions and calls for a reconceptualization of education to better align with the 21st-century technological milieu.

Exploring predictors of teachers' self-efficacy for online teaching in the Arab world amid COVID-19.

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT), and the unexpected transition to online teaching due to COVID-19 necessitates that teachers should have the knowledge, competent skills and strategies to integrate digital tools and platforms effectively. Literature suggests however that many teachers do not feel confident enough or lack perceived capability in teaching using advanced technologies in classrooms, and do not have positive self-efficacy beliefs towards their online teaching. Hence, the purpose of this mixed-method study is to investigate teachers’ self-efficacy (TSE) in online learning environments amid COVID-19. A total of 150 K-12 teachers from six Arab countries were invited to participate in the study. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that perceived self-efficacy of online teaching was high. Two main factors, receiving support to design online instruction and receiving professional development in online teaching, significantly predict participants’ sense of self-efficacy. Teachers who have previous experience in online teaching scored higher on their self-efficacy than teachers with limited or no experience. Student engagement had the weakest correlation between the four scales with the overall self-efficacy. Parental involvement was discovered through the qualitative analysis to be an emerging factor that could enhance teachers’ self-efficacy. Recommendations and limitations are further discussed.

Filipino Teachers’ Attitudes towards Distance Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, distance education has subsequently turned into the dominant mode of teaching, especially in the Philippines, where the majority of schools are still physically closed. Over a year since distance education was fully implemented in the country, it is essential to understand the general attitudes towards distance learning of Filipino teachers who have been teaching at various educational levels, including elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels, particularly in terms of student interaction, student performance, tool use, and availability, the support they have received from their schools, their willingness to handle distance and learning classes, as well as their experience in online teaching. The quantitative study was conducted with 151 respondents, using an online survey. Regarding their general attitude towards distance learning, the majority believe that distance education is not a viable alternative to face-to-face learning. In terms of student performance, a big majority believe that students learn less in distance-education classes; and academic dishonesty is more prevalent in such a setting. Teachers also had a more negative attitude towards the availability of an infrastructure for distance learning and the difficulty of managing the technology needed. Still, they have a more positive attitude regarding the support they receive from their schools. Overall, the study revealed that respondents have mixed attitudes towards distance learning, although there is a statistically significant difference between their gender and their attitudes towards distance learning. Moreover, the benefits of distance learning can be maximized, if appropriate training and support are provided to both teachers and students.

COVID-19: Making the Best out of a Forced Transition to Online Medical Teaching-a Mixed Methods Study.

IntroductionThe first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decreed confinement in Spain from March until the end of term in June 2020, forcing an abrupt transition to exclusive distance learning in universities. We aimed to describe and analyze the perceptions and experiences of undergraduate medical students and faculty members as a consequence of this educational shift so as to identify the key elements for successful online medical learning.MethodsA convergent mixed methods design was employed, using both quantitative and qualitative data collected successively through Phase 1: Online teaching follow-up program; Phase 2: Discussion groups (two focus groups and a nominal group with students and faculty, respectively) and a survey of students from first to fifth year; and Phase 3: Triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data.ResultsThirteen strongly interconnected categories were identified. Four of them played an organizational role: course planning, coordination, communication, and pedagogical coherence. The remaining nine categories were learning outcomes, teaching methodology, online resources, evaluation, time management, workload, student motivation, participation, and teacher-student relationship. Among the key aspects of learning were those that promoted rapport between faculty and students, such as synchronous sessions, especially those based on clinical cases.ConclusionsPromoting student motivation and participation at all levels were the main lessons learned for enhancing online learning and teaching experiences in undergraduate medical education. Key elements to reach this goal are, among others, planning, coordination, communication, and pedagogical coherence.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01518-9.

Online Teaching Satisfaction amid the Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a Vietnamese Higher Education Context

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most higher education institutions around the globe to move their teaching and learning to online modes. This has had enormous impacts on teachers, especially those with limited experience in online teaching. This study was conducted to identify significant predictors of teacher satisfaction and their live online teaching experience during the coronavirus pandemic in Vietnam. The study used a mixed-methods approach with exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression techniques, and thematic analytical strategies to analyze survey data from 206 Vietnamese university lecturers. The study results indicated that online interaction, support from the institution, technology-related issues, and students' online efficacy were the key factors affecting lecturer satisfaction. In addition, the study results offer practical implications for educational managers in their long-term investment in online education in a developing country context.

Nursing students' and faculty members' experiences of online education during COVID-19 across Southeast Asia: A Photovoice study

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused extraordinary disruptions to education systems globally, forcing a rapid switch from conventional to online education. Although some qualitative studies have been carried out exploring the online education experiences of nursing students and faculty members during the COVID-19 pandemic, to our knowledge, no study has used the Photovoice approach. ObjectivesTo explore the experiences of nursing students and faculty members as related to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. DesignA descriptive qualitative design using Photovoice was adopted. SettingThe study took place across five countries and one city in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Hong Kong). ParticipantsFifty-two nursing students and twenty-eight nursing faculty members who participated in online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsEach participant submitted one photo substantiated with written reflections. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Ethical approval was obtained from institution-specific ethics boards. ResultsThree themes and eleven sub-themes emerged from the data. The three main themes were: 1) Psychological roadblocks to online education; 2) Developing resilience despite adversities; and 3) Online education: What worked and what did not. ConclusionThrough Photovoice, the reflections revealed that nursing students and faculty members were generally overwhelmed with the online education experience. At the same time, participants were satisfied with the flexibility and convenience, opportunities for professional and personal development and safety afforded by online education. However, concerns over academic integrity, practical skills and clinical competencies, engagement and participation, the duality of technology and social isolation out-shadowed the advantages. It is worthwhile to explore the concerns raised to enhance online education across the nursing curriculum.

Online aviation learning experience during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Hong Kong and Mainland China

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has triggered an unexpected digital revolution, speeding up universities' digital transformation worldwide. It has brought heavy disruptions to travel and mobility worldwide, but it drives the opportunity for hosting region‐wide or even international academic exchanges through learning programs, workshops, and conferences via an alternative online mode. This study reports on a case study of a 1‐month online aviation learning program that engaged 108 university students from Mainland China and Hong Kong during the lockdown. At first, we first recruited students in Hong Kong; however, the program registration was unsatisfactory. This could be attributed to the students' perceived future aviation career prospects and readiness of emergent remote teaching during the pandemic. In the program, we designed an alternative blended learning approach to attract students to sustain their aviation learning. First, we transformed the activities from face‐to‐face (F2F) to online settings using digital technologies including flight simulation and virtual visits in a web‐conferencing environment. Second, we extended the reach of the event and attracted a larger audience in the neighbouring regions in Mainland China. It turned out that we could successfully recruit 108 students from 20 cities. In the end, students' interviews and motivational surveys indicated that this online learning experience could effectively enhance students' knowledge and motivational gain. Since the government has relaxed the policy of homeschooling, we organised two F2F meetings for students in Hong Kong to connect them together. This blended mode of teaching favoured the students in Hong Kong who showed a greater motivation than those in Mainland China. Furthermore, follow‐up interviews for teachers revealed how they invest in new technological equipment and knowledge to support the radical changes. Overall, the virtual event eliminates geographical barriers which successfully motivate a larger audience and gain some online collaboration between universities. This article offered useful evidence for engineering educators to reflect on online informal learning, lab settings and academic exchanges, and motivate more students to revitalise aviation education and industry. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Emergency remote teaching (ERT) caused a temporary shift of instructional delivery to an alternate online mode due to crisis circumstances. After months, educators gained rich online teaching experience and resources, and developed strategies to digitally transform teaching online. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, many aviation educators were facing various teaching challenges due to the industry downturn and motivation problems. Although prior research had explored the potential of hands‐on activities such as flight simulation and online learning in university settings, few studies have examined students' motivations for online aviation learning, few studies discussed how these technologies are digitally transformed to a blended learning environment. What this paper adds The pandemic drastically affected students' learning in almost every discipline, but in seriously affected industries such as aviation and tourism, extra efforts are needed to investigate how educators support students to sustain their learning and recover the related industries. Motivation questionnaires and interviews were conducted to paint an initial picture of an online aviation education program across university students from Hong Kong and Mainland China. Implications for practice and/or policy This study shifted to examine the implications of the pandemic‐imposed online teaching strategies including flight simulation and virtual tours which could improve future university education after the pandemic. This study showed the need of face‐to‐face blended learning mode to address university students' learning needs to connect physically with professionals and classmates. This study understood how educators motivate university students in urban cities from Hong Kong and Mainland China to their online teaching in the aviation discipline.

Faculty and Student Online Experiences Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Study (Part 1)

Background: With the declaration of a global pandemic in March 2020, post-secondary institutions closed campuses, learner clinical experiences were suspended, and teaching moved to a fully online format. Prior to data collection, a literature review yielded few results beyond editorials, student and faculty reflections, and blog postings in relation to COVID-19. It is crucial that we learn from the experience of students and faculty to evaluate the novel teaching and learning realized during the pandemic and prioritize a scholarly plan including potential innovative approaches for future educational programming. Objectives: The overall goal for this multi-site research was to capture the perspectives of nursing students, and nursing faculty members on their teaching and learning experiences online during a declared pandemic and provincial state of emergency. Design: Descriptive survey study Setting: Online environment in one province in Eastern Canada Participants: Nursing students and faculty in three Canadian bachelor of science in nursing programs during the spring and summer semester 2020. Method: Participants were invited via email to complete an online survey (via Opinio) related to their experience of learning or teaching in the fully online environment. Results: Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, means, modes) statistics to describe the experience from the participants’ perspectives and inferential (Chi-square test, t-test) statistics to investigate perceptual differences between the faculty members’ and the students’ perspective related to the effectiveness, engagement, and comfort in the online learning and teaching experience. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The focus of this article is the presentation and discussion of the quantitative data. Conclusions: The resulting knowledge provides an in-depth understanding of the fully online learning and teaching experience during a global pandemic that is invaluable to inform future program planning in relation to online learning and teaching in a practice profession. Résumé Contexte : Avec la déclaration d’une pandémie mondiale en mars 2020, les établissements postsecondaires ont fermé leurs campus, les activités cliniques des apprenantes ont été suspendues et l’enseignement est passé à un format entièrement en ligne. Avant la collecte de données, une revue de la littérature a donné peu de résultats au-delà d’éditoriaux, de réflexions d’étudiantes et de professeures ainsi que d’articles de blogue concernant la COVID-19. Il est essentiel que nous apprenions de l’expérience des étudiantes et des professeures pour évaluer les nouveaux enseignements et apprentissages réalisés pendant la pandémie et prioriser un plan soutenu par la recherche comprenant de potentielles approches avant-gardistes

A Learning Mindset Needed from Faculty in Online Program Management and University Partnership Business Model

Many universities are transforming themselves from single mode on-campus universities to dual mode universities after recognizing the importance of providing online education programs and the kinds of opportunities they offer. These universities often have their faculty work with instructional designers (ID) in-house or at times outsource online course development to an Online Program Management (OPM) provider. The ID process involves course development where faculty and instructional designer (ID) work together to build the online course. A gap exists in the literature around how faculty interact with such IDs provided by OPMs and what impact the ID process has in their teaching design, and their pedagogical knowledge and development. This research uses a Case Study to analyze how the nature and dynamics of the ID process in a business partnership between a research university and an OPM provider influence faculty. This case study included a private research university that had recently joined a partnership with an Online Program Management Provider (OPM) to develop and offer online Master’s degree programs. The Activity Theory conceptual framework was used to direct inquiry and analysis. Results show that the impact on faculty pedagogical knowledge and development is different for each faculty and is dependent on faculty assumptions, personality, attitudes, training in pedagogy and technology, and past online teaching experiences. A learning mindset from the faculty side is very important to get the best of this relationship. This research supports e-learning practice by guiding that faculty should not be participating just due to the pressure by their upper-level management but because they really want to teach online. Faculty should be ready to check their own assumptions and knowledge they have about pedagogy before getting into this process. This study is a novel approach to understand the impact on faculty teaching design using Activity Theory framework. It shows how Activity Theory could be a useful technique to solve problems in e-learning research and practice.

I Felt Like I was Going Crazy: Understanding Mother's and Young Children's Educational Experiences at Home During COVID-19.

The COVID-19 disruptions to children’s education have been a major issue for families. This study examined how demographic, family, and mental health characteristics of 375 low-income children and their mothers from the City of Toronto were associated with children’s educational experiences at home during COVID-19. Many mothers (82.3%) reported that they and their children (80.0%) experienced challenges related to children’s education at home during the pandemic. However, a small percentage of mothers (1.1%) reported that this mode of learning was better for them and their children (4.3%). The most frequently reported challenges faced by mothers was taking on the role of a teacher (43.7%) and balancing their children’s remote learning with other responsibilities (19.4%). The most frequently mentioned challenges faced by children was that children lacked both motivation (21.1%) and socialization (21.1%) and had difficulty focusing (26.9%). White mothers from households with higher income and with a higher number of adults in the home reported that their children experienced higher levels of challenges related to their education at home. Maternal and child challenges with children’s education at home were also related to higher levels of maternal and child mental health challenges. Our findings suggest that the online educational experiences set up following the onset of the pandemic were difficult for many children and mothers to implement in the home. Given the significant associations of these challenges with child and maternal mental health, we encourage educators to provide flexibility, empathy, and support with learning from home to both children and mothers.