Teaching Responsibilities Research Articles

Hurdling Physical Education Classes in an Online Learning Modality

With the global crisis’s impact on education, an online system was the only remedy to mitigate the problem. In the field of physical education, teachers experienced its impact in numerous ways. This systematic review explores the problems and challenges encountered by physical education teachers in an online setting. It was identified that technological disparity caused teachers to feel burdened to carry out their teaching responsibilities. Moreover, migrating to an online setting brought out issues of their unpreparedness and lack of training on the use of ICT-related tools and applications. Space and facilities to perform physical activities were identified as an impediment in a physical education class.

Status of Enhancing Learners’ Higher Order Thinking Skills in the Teaching of Reading Skills at Ethiopian Higher Education: Analyzing Reading Exercises and Learners’ Perceptions

Abstract In the twenty-first century, the broad availability of information and technological innovation has resulted in a paradigm shift in the goal of education. As a result, in order to produce engaged citizens capable of facing the demands and obstacles of the century, boosting learners' higher cognitive skills has become a priority in modern education. Language teachers' responsibilities in modern language teaching have expanded to include improving students' thinking skills. In line with this idea, this study was aimed at examining the role teaching reading skills at a higher education institution has in enhancing learners’ higher-order thinking skills. In order to achieve the main objective of the study, an analysis was carried out on the levels of thinking that questions in reading exercises aim to elicit from the learners and how the students perceive the reading exercises from the perspective of enhancing higher-order thinking skills. The findings of the study show that the reading exercises are dominated by lower-order questions; there are fewer higher-order questions in the exercises. Thus, the reading exercises are not capable of enhancing learners’ higher-order thinking skills. The students also have the perception that the reading exercises are not meant to develop their higher-order thinking skills. There is no statistically significant difference between male and female participant students among their perceptions identified in the study.

Assessing Burnout and Well-Being in Higher Education Health Science Faculty

This study aimed to examine and compare the extent of burnout among health science faculty at a higher education institution and their self-reported perception of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The design of the study was cross-sectional, descriptive survey research. An electronic questionnaire was developed to measure the constructs of burnout and well-being. Validated instruments used in the survey included the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and the World Health Organization-5 Well-being Index. The Qualtrics ® platform was used to distribute the survey to all full-time faculty within the College of Health Sciences. 45 respondents from nursing, community and environmental health, kinesiology, social work, respiratory care, allied health sciences, and radiologic sciences completed the survey. Significant differences were observed in the extent of burnout and perception of well-being between faculty members who had clinical teaching responsibilities within their faculty role compared to those who did not, <em>p</em> = 0.005, Partial Eta Squared = 0.318. Faculty with a 9-month contract appointment had significantly lower OLBI-Disengagement scores (p = 0.024) and OLBI-Full Burnout scores (p = 0.047) compared with those with another contract length. There was a significantly negative relationship between the extent of burnout and perception of well-being. In this sample of health science faculty, burnout, as characterized by increased exhaustion and disengagement, was moderately prevalent and associated with poorer well-being.

Digital competence for emergency remote teaching in higher education: understanding the present and anticipating the future

Higher education has increasingly adopted online and blended models of teaching. Guided by institutional policy and digital competence frameworks, the integration of digital tools and competences is perceived as essential. The pivot to emergency remote teaching (ERT) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of digital technologies and the need to deploy and support digital competences. Researchers captured a range of remote teaching practices in higher education across this period that highlight the adaptability of teachers despite a lack of preparation for such an event. This study reviewed empirical studies of ERT from the past 2 years to derive a conceptual frame for ERT digital competence, which was then applied as a lens to analyse teaching or digital competency frameworks from Australian universities. The findings of this paper demonstrate the pre-pandemic teaching and digital competency frameworks captured digital competencies relevant to ERT in varied ways. Practically, the findings provide a starting point for understanding digital competences needed for ERT to ensure future preparedness in responding to a crisis that disrupts educational provision. We also suggest universities can better support the development of teachers’ digital competence through practical operationalisations that connect technical and pedagogical knowledge, make digital possibilities across modes of delivery explicit, and acknowledge the need to protect wellbeing of educators.

Faculty Development for Community Preceptors: a Narrative Review of the Literature.

Community teaching physicians (i.e., community preceptors) have assumed an important role in medical education. More than half of medical schools use community settings to train medical students. Whether community preceptors are well prepared for their teaching responsibilities is unknown. In addition, best practice for faculty development (FD) of this population of preceptors has not been defined. The authors conducted a narrative review of the literature to describe FD programs for community preceptors that may be helpful to medical schools for future planning. Many databases were searched from their establishment to May 2022. Studies that described FD programs for community preceptors were included. Data were organized according to program aim, duration, setting, participants, content, and outcomes. The Communities of Practice theoretical framework was used to present findings. From a total of 6308 articles, 326 were eligible for full review, 21 met inclusion criteria. Sixty-seven percent (14/21) conducted a needs assessment; 57% (12/21) were developed by the medical school; 81% (17/21) included only community preceptors. Number of participants ranged from six to 1728. Workshops were often (24%, 5/21) used and supplemented by role-play, online modules, or instructional videos. Few programs offered opportunities to practice with standardized learners. Content focused primarily on teaching skills. Five programs offered CME credits as an incentive for engagement. Participant surveys were most often used for program evaluation. Learner evaluations and focus groups were used less often. Participants reported satisfaction and improvement in teaching skills after attending the program. Faculty development for community preceptors is primarily delivered through workshops and online materials, although direct observations of teaching with feedback from FD faculty and learners may be more helpful for training. Future studies need to focus on the long-term impact of FD on community preceptors' teaching skills, identity formation as medical educators, and student learning.

Negotiating the Messiness of Teaching Linguistic Justice Online:  Reflections of Multilingual Writing Instructors During COVID

This qualitative phenomenological study explores how multilingual writing instructors define linguistic justice and how they incorporate linguistic justice in their online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global health crisis officially declared in March 2020, pushed educators around the world to become online instructors overnight. This rapid move to an online environment magnified technology, language, race, and socioeconomic inequalities. In higher education, online environments are prone to linguistic inequalities and linguistic racism. For decades, scholars in the field of composition have argued that in order to dismantle elitist monolingual ideologies, writing instructors, multilingual and monolingual alike, should investigate their own positions and pedagogical practices regarding language (teaching) practices. Thus, through the use of reflexivity, the authors served as researcher-participants and collected four different sources of data. The findings demonstrate that while the authors implement linguistic justice in their courses, their translinguistic histories impact their pedagogies differently. Furthermore, the data suggest that reflexivity prompts them to monitor their own attitudes, ideas, and actions by putting them on pause and allowing them to become uncomfortable – even frightened at times – about their experiences at the intersection of teaching and practicing linguistic justice. An implication of this study is that through reflexive interactions, practitioners can begin to make sense of their nuanced positionalities and become more transparent about their teaching roles and responsibilities as well as their identities in other areas of life in relation to linguistic justice.

Comparison of voluntary and forced digital leaps in higher education – Teachers’ experiences of the added value of using digital tools in teaching and learning

The study examines the benefits of digital tools in teaching and learning as experienced by university teachers in two different time periods: 1) during the controlled digital leap before the Covid-19 pandemic (2017–2019) and 2) during the emergency imposition of remote teaching in response to the lockdown aimed at containing the Covid-19 pandemic (2020). Teachers in different academic fields at a large multidisciplinary Finnish university (N1 = 303 and N2 = 265) responded to two open-ended questions as part of a broader questionnaire. The research identified four kinds of benefits related to digital teaching: (1) practical and administrative and (2) independence of time and place, implying practical and technical benefits; as well as (3) enhancing learning and (4) developing teaching, which are primarily pedagogical benefits, related to teaching and learning. Voluntary and forced digital leaps provided different kinds of consequences in teaching and learning. Digital tools generally provided practical and technological benefits for teaching and learning during the controlled digital leap, but they also had positive pedagogical effects. The forced digital leap, in turn, demonstrated the value of time-and-place-independent online teaching and learning. It also exposed differences among academic fields in how teachers experienced the benefits of using digital tools. Support of and training for university teachers should take into account the different needs of faculties and disciplines, and promote dialogue between pedagogical and technological interests.

Native Craft Study at University Level as a Tool for Maintaining Craft Heritage: The Example of the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, Estonia

AbstractThe present paper describes the native craft education and research carried out at the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy in Estonia. ‘Native crafts’ are understood as creative technical and cultural practices, applications, and developments that are based on traditional local crafting techniques, materials, design principles, and skills. The mission of the academy is to represent the values that reinforce and re-establish local and national traditions and identities through active participation in the cultural process. Its courses, which were launched in 1994, have been developed to cover the majority of the traditional crafting techniques, skills, and materials that are used throughout Estonia. By means of these courses, the academy has assumed responsibility for teaching, preserving, and integrating Estonian vernacular culture and skills. It is the only institution in Estonia advancing the practice-based research and popularization of Estonian traditional costumes, jewelry, and construction, for example, at the level of higher education. The present paper provides an overview of the BA and MA program in native crafts and their main developmental trends. It also offers a more detailed overview of costume studies as part of the textile program. It covers the history, techniques, and regional peculiarities of traditional costumes, as well as the innovative ways in which traditional materials, patterns, and ornaments can be used in modern fashion.

Exploring Team-Based Teaching of Basic Sciences and Clinical Practice: Experiences of Pharmacy Students at a Malaysian Pharmacy School.

Interdisciplinary learning combining foundational science concepts and clinical practice applications is important in many healthcare-related programmes, including pharmacy. The coherent, structured interdisciplinary curricula designed by specialists may not always be perceived as integrated by students. Team teaching, an education approach where two or more instructors share teaching responsibilities within a classroom setting, may help eliminate this perception. This study aims to explore whether team teaching can improve Asian students' experience of learning in an undergraduate pharmacy programme in Malaysia. A single 2-h interactive lecture session was delivered using a team-based approach to year 4 undergraduate pharmacy students enrolled at the School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, from 2015 to 2017. All students who attended the team-based teaching lectures were provided with an anonymous link, which requested responses on their views towards team-based teaching. Fifty out of 104 participants from three different cohorts responded to the survey of this study. Over 75% of students reported that they learnt better with theteam teaching approach compared to traditional lectures delivered by one lecturer and that the team teaching approach was superior to private study. About 60% of the participants agreed that the team-based teaching approach helped develop their information-synthesising and problem-solving skills. This study provides evidence for using team teaching for design and delivery in an Asian context. The approach was well received by the participants.

Exploring the readiness of a Brazilian technological university during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe paper investigates the learning practices carried out by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the transition from strictly face-to-face to remote teaching in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It also analyses how these practices could be used as a baseline to support new perspectives on learning in the technological education field.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a single-case study of a Brazilian technological university.FindingsThis study’s findings indicate that institutional planning and providing support to faculty and students were essential measures for a successful transition from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching. Planning includes careful selection by the HEI of the tools that make a virtual learning environment and the strategies used to replace face-to-face teaching with emergency remote teaching. Our study points out the lessons learned during the pandemic. It presents guidelines for HEIs on how to prepare for a return to face-to-face teaching, embodying some learning dimensions such as synchronous or asynchronous, active or passive, individual or collective, and mediated or not mediated by information and communication technologies (ICTs).Originality/valueThe paper provides reflections on the four dimensions to support decisions to leverage learning in each educational institution. This paper's main contribution is that the concept of teaching and learning must be comprehensive and inclusive according to the particular HEI context.

Teaching as a pedagogical responsibility: an introduction

ABSTRACT In this special issue, the research interest is focused on classroom activities. To adequately understand and examine the classroom situation, the wholeness and complexity of the teaching situation should be maintained and paid attention as much as possible throughout the research process. In dialogues and comparisons between the German concept of Didaktik and the American concepts of curriculum theory and pedagogy, the differences between a European, continental, and Anglo-Saxon conceptualization of education often have been emphasized. Inspired by both the German tradition of Bildung and the American philosophy of pragmatism, we here understand classroom activity as communication on selected parts of collective knowledge and social culture, shaping the conditions for both the continuity and renewal of society. Furthermore, the concept of didactics is viewed as the conceptualization of empirically based pedagogical problems in classrooms. Even if both the traditions of Bildung and pragmatism embrace a reflective approach, Dewey’s pragmatism places more emphasis on freedom and openness in terms of communication across social boundaries and on a mutual dependency between education and democracy. In terms of democracy, a Deweyan view of pragmatism could thus contribute to the German didactic tradition and the meanings of the concepts of didactics and pedagogical responsibility.

From professional support to academic pathway – negotiating professional identity in a time of organisational change (case study of two middle managers at a UK university language centre)

In the past five years some UK Universities have introduced the Academic Education Pathway contracts (AEP), incorporating the elements of leadership, teaching and scholarship for recognition and promotion of professional services staff with teaching responsibilities. While colleagues have been encouraged to apply for the new contracts at the departmental level, the University policy guidelines have been conflicting and ambiguous. Many newly AEP transferred departmental middle managers have reported stress related to the application process, uncertainty about career progression, increased workload, and professional identity regulation largely due to the element of research added to the new role. The novelty of the AEP contract and the anecdotal evidence of the burden placed upon the individuals experiencing role incongruity has identified the gap in the knowledge of professional identity construction of UK University middle managers at a time of contractual organisational change. This study will investigate the previously unresearched area of University Language Centre managers with teaching responsibilities. Despite similarities in experiencing organisational change, the participants of the study make different identity claims aligning or resisting the dominant societal and organisational discourses, such as the discourse of New Managerialism, thus highlighting the nuanced and culturally specific approach to professional identity negotiation. The study is framed by the concepts of Educational Leadership, Middle Management and Organisational Change. While the findings may not be generalized beyond the context of this study, the implications can be significant for UK Higher Education policy makers.

Sustaining Print Media in the Contemporary Era: a case study of Afghanistan

Print media forms the foundation of all media. It is called an effective tool for the development and advancement of knowledge and information, and the press has the responsibility of teaching, guiding, and advising human thoughts (Pater, 2016). Therefore, it is necessary for the managers of print publications, journalists, and experts in this field to use this essential tool and confront the digital media and tools of the new technological era. Serious steps should be taken regarding the situation and ways to attract readers should be understood and implemented. The results of this research will help print media officials and journalists to enrich, continue, and succeed their print publication in some way and follow up with the purpose of benefiting from this essential tool and increasing their capacity.Research has found this growth, perfection and technological era have made the editing and publishing of newspapers and magazines an industry and utility. It is also useful for print media managers to provide high standards of service according to the demands and needs of the people of the society. The print media should be designed in such a way that it is appealing based on technological tools and in accordance with the principles of printing and page making, that it has innovation and the art of reading, and that it causes its audience to quench their thirst. It should be filled with the taste of its readers and audience, the tactics of attracting the audience, and be aware of their life, knowledge, needs, and desires.

The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century

<i>The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century</i>

A change of art: Learning research strategies in a new subject area through a LibGuide redesign

In the spring of 2020, the art librarian left my institution for another position. As a member of the Humanities team, I volunteered to take on the instruction responsibilities of Art and Design in addition to my other instructional duties. The previous art librarian had a master’s degree in art history and a strong relationship with the School of Art. My departing colleague and I had a brief conversation regarding art history research strategies. While I was nervous and mostly on my own (because none of my colleagues had a deep knowledge of art research practices), I knew that my generalist background would guide me.

Curriculum of Homecoming and Pedagogy of Responsibility as the Future of Home Economics Education

본 연구에서 저자는 가정과교육이 앞으로 나아가기 위해 Wendell Berry와Wes Jackson의 철학에 근거하여 홈커밍 (homecoming) 교육과정 내에서 책임의 교육을 채택해야 함을 혁신적으로 추론하였다. 이와 같은 방식으로 학생들은 자신이 항상 가정(개별 가구와 지구)으로 돌아갈 것과 이 가정의 존재 자체에 대해 영구적으로 책임이 있다는 것을 더욱 잘 인식할 수 있다. 홈커밍 교육과정에 기반한 가정과교육은 장소기반교육(place-based education), 정원기반학습(garden-based learning), 생태 문해력 교육, 서비스러닝(service learning) 및 시민 참여를 수반하게 된다. 수반되는 책임의 교육은 사회적 정의와 생태적 정의를 모두 고려하면서 생명 체계를 보호하고 다양한 인간 문화를 지원하는 성향의 교육적 실천과 관계를 포함하게 된다.

Transition of English Language Teaching in Saudi Arabia: A Critical Evaluative Study

As the paper revolves around English language spread and teaching in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), it becomes necessary to mention that there are influential socio-political reasons to consider, along with the internal economic factors. Therefore, such factors are crucial for researchers and pedagogues to study and deal with such issues mot only in KSA but across the globe. This paper tends to explore global socio-political factors that exerted an effect on KSA political forces that shaped the transformation process within the English language teaching programs. This paper adopts a critical approach to evaluate the extent literature on ELT status, current practices, programs, and future prospectsin KSA and call for a new evaluative approach that is more critical. Keeping the focus of the study in view, main research questions formulated were related to the status of ELT in KSA, the role of vision-2030 in changing the status of ELT, Saudi English workforce readiness to take up the future challenges of ELT, need of native teachers to teach English in KSA, etc. Main findings were: the status of English has changed in recent year, and it is going to change very fast in coming years to maintain pace with the Saudi vision 2030. In addition, it was found that the need of recruiting native teacher is not imperative anymore as the younger Saudi graduates are going to take up the teaching responsibilities quite independently.

Interprofessional peer-assisted learning and tutor training practices in health professions education-A snapshot of Germany.

Peer-assisted learning (PAL)-especially peer tutorials-are gaining momentum in health professions education, particularly in interprofessional education. As little is known about the use of peer tutorials or the preparation of tutors in this context in Germany and in other countries, this study aims to provide an overview of these interventions. A cross-sectional study with a descriptive-exploratory design was conducted. German institutions for health professions education were contacted, and individuals with pedagogical responsibilities were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey was informed by two studies in which seven domains were identified as important. These included facts about the institution, the offer of PAL, the use of tutorials, and the design of tutor training. The survey used mostly closed-ended questions. The questionnaire was completed by n = 100 participants. Overall, n = 46 participants indicated that PAL was offered at their institution. Of these 46 participants, 32 (70%) indicated that uniprofessional PAL was offered, 2 (4%) indicated that interprofessional PAL was offered, and 12 (26%) indicated that both forms of PAL were offered. Peer tutoring was the most common format in both cases (73% for uniprofessional and 64% for interprofessional PAL), and mandatory interventions were mostly used to prepare the tutors. These interventions were held by educators or lecturers and were offered mostly face-to-face as workshops or as discussions. Deepening the tutors' social competencies through training was given high relevance. Regarding content, focus was placed on communication, (self-)reflection, and group management. Eighty-eight participants expressed recommendations for future directions in terms of preparing tutors for interprofessional PAL. Minor differences between the use of uniprofessional and interprofessional PAL and tutor training were found. Nevertheless, implementation strategies varied. In future, preparatory measures for tutors should be more uniformly designed and geared to the specific requirements of uniprofessional and interprofessional learning, and that at best on an empirical basis.

Against the tide: Recruiting, managing, and developing leadership faculty in graduate and professional leadership programs

This article examines several vexing problems faced by faculty within leadership programs including university finances, balancing teaching, service, and research responsibilities, burnout, poor communication, and structural barriers to creating diversity among faculty. Using insights from practitioners and my experiences, I also share strategies that may help the leaders of higher education leadership programs address these challenges.

Online teaching and its impact on self-monitoring of faculty members: learnings for the future from a pandemic

PurposeThis research aims to combine and extend the literature on the self-monitoring approach used by faculty members in online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model. The study also highlights the challenges faced by faculty members in online teaching.Design/methodology/approachBased on a mixed methodology approach, the primary data was obtained from the faculty members of the post-graduate business schools. This data enabled the measurement of self-monitoring adopted by the faculty members and the relationship of the factors by using the TAM model. Multivariate regression was adopted to study the relationships between the elements in the TAM model and faculty members’ self-monitoring. Secondly, a few exploratory questions were asked to the respondents about the challenges faced by them during online teaching.FindingsThe quantitative analysis conducted using multiple regression directed that the faculty’s contentment with any digital platform influenced their engagement, attention and participation while taking an online class as a part of the self-monitoring process. The perception of the technology platforms used for online teaching affected the faculty members’ self-monitoring dimensions: attention, participation and engagement. Based on the qualitative approach, the thematic analysis pointed out five major challenges for faculty members in conducting online classes: I.T. support, hesitation, interaction with peers and students, proficiency with an online platform and evaluation challenges.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted during the complete lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic; many faculty members were initially trained to get familiarized with the online teaching platforms and educate students. Hence, this study enriches the literature on online teaching during pandemic times.Practical implicationsTo ensure that the faculty impacts quality online education and the students obtain the knowledge and skills required, faculty need to alter their pedagogy based on the technology they use to focus on their students’ teaching, learning and needs.Originality/valueThis study measures self-monitoring and its dimensions for faculty members, which is unique in nature. This was the first time the faculty members were imposed with the responsibility of online teaching and ensuring that the learning-teaching process was fruitful. This study has both-theoretical and practical implications as the paper focuses on various insights which can make online teaching-learning more effective.