Distance Education Practices Research Articles

Pre-service Teachers' Perceptions and Instructional Design Competencies on Distance Education

포스트코로나 시대의 도래로 원격수업은 이제 일상이 되었고, 교육대학 재학생인 예비교사에게는 원격교육과 관련된 역량 강화가 요구되고 있다. 이 연구는 초등교원 양성대학 재학생들이 코로나19 이후 대학 수업에서 경험한 원격교육에 대한 인식과 교육실태, 요구사항을 탐색하고자 수행되었다. 총 122명의 예비교원이 본 연구에 참여하였고, 측정도구는 원격수업과 관련된 경험을 묻는 일련의 질문과 원격수업설계 역량과 관련된 문항 등으로 총 85문항이 활용되었다. 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 대학에서 주로 활용한 교수학습방법은 비대면 원격수업과 대면 교실수업이 병행한 양태였고, 원격수업의 경우 교수가 탑재한 동영상 형태의 강의자료를 정해진 수강시간 내 개별적으로 학습하는 방법이 주로 사용되었다. 둘째, 예비교원들은 하급 과정에서 의문이 생길 때 교수에게 학습내용에 대해 질문을 하는 경우보다 본인 스스로, 또는 동료 학생들과 협업하여 문제를 해결하는 경우가 일반적이었다. 셋째, 디지털 교육콘텐츠 개발 및 제작역량은 예비교원이 갖추어야 하는 가장 중요하면서도 시급한 역량으로 조사되었다.This study was conducted to explore the perception, educational practice, and requirements of distance education experienced after COVID-19 by pre-service teachers attending the University of Education. A total of 122 pre-service teachers participated in this study, and a total of 85 questions were used including a series of questions about experiences of distance education and distance education design competency indicators. The results of the study are as follows. First, the teaching and learning method mainly used in universities was a combination of non-face-to-face distance education and face-to-face classroom education, and in the case of distance education, the method of individually learning video-type lecture materials uploaded by professors within a fixed class period was mainly used. Second, when questions arisen in the learning process, pre-service teachers tended to solve the problem by themselves or in collaboration with fellow pre-service teachers, and it is not common to ask professors questions about the learning content. Third, the competency of developing and producing digital educational courseware was the most important and urgent competency that pre-service teachers should possess.

Toward an Effective Model for Evaluating Distance Education

Distance education has become popular due to their ability to provide learning from almost anywhere and anytime. COVID-19 forced educational institutions to urgently introduce distance education to ensure pedagogical continuity, so all stakeholders were invited to adapt to this new paradigm. In order to identify strengths and weaknesses, the research focuses on the need to create an effective mechanism for evaluating distance education. The aims of this research were to explore and evaluate the use of digital media in general and official platforms in particular in distance education practices. To this end, we have developed and validated a questionnaire before administering it to a sample of 431 teachers in Morocco. Teachers reported lower knowledge and skills in the didactic use of ICT in the distance education process. In addition, although age and educative experience of the teachers continue to modulate the level of instrumental skills. Therefore, resources (digital resources and infrastructure) and the teachers’ ICT training present serious limitations, which require a training more focused on the distance educational paradigm and educational environments that allow teachers to create educational activities able to promote and facilitate the distance learning process.

Implications of distance education on children with disabilities

Once the COVID‐19 was announced as a pandemic by the World Health Organization at the beginning of 2020, almost all countries around the world shifted from traditional face to face education to distance education to prevent the spread of the virus. Türkiye implemented distance education practices through a web‐based platform named education information network (EBA) and EBA TV channels. However, the rapid shift from traditional face to face education to distance education was challenging especially for students with disabilities, their parents and teachers because these students needed individualised education and some services which were impossible to implement remotely. The purpose of this study was to explore (a) the challenges that teachers and students faced during distance education; (b) the implications of distance education on students with disabilities. Further, this study explored opinions of special education teachers regarding how to make distance education more effective for students with disabilities. A semi‐structured interview was conducted with 12 special education teachers. Findings demonstrated that distance education through EBA was neither sufficient nor convenient for most students with disabilities. Limitations of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.

Higher Education in the COVID-19 Era: Challenges and Opportunities of Using of Distance Education

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a major health crisis and quarantined half of the planetary population, and as a result, it has caused a momentary rupture or even, in the invisibility of the magnitude of this virus total suspension of higher education. It is in this perspective that the treatment of a subject related to this Pandemic is, for us, very important, and especially to study its impact on higher education. Moreover, especially that there is little or no research that has addressed this issue in the case of Tunisia. The objective of this contribution is to report on research that we conducted at the Higher Institute of Technology Studies of Kairouan in Tunisia (HITS of Kairouan), with the aim of studying the experience feedback from the practice of Distance Education, through the Virtual University of Tunis (UVT) platform, in the COVID-19 confinement period (for the years 2020 and 2021). In this context, we will divide our research into three parts. The first will be reserved for the presentation of the general and current context of the COVID-19 phenomenon. Next, we will explain the extent and impact of this virus on higher education around the world. Finally, a third empirical part will be devoted to the presentation of our research, while demonstrating the impact of COVID-19 on teaching within the HITS of Kairouan, and also the opportunities and constraints of the use of distance education.

The Impact of Distance Education, Due to COVID-19 On Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Practicing Effective Inclusive Pedagogical Approaches in Greece

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic appeared, due to which strict health measures were announced by the World Health Organization around the world. Among these health measures were the strict adherence to hygiene, the use of a protective mask and social isolation. These measures were, immediately, implemented in schools worldwide. School, after all, is a living social system, which is included in the wider society and interacts with it. For this reason, every important social phenomenon that brings about changes in the way of life of humanity (pandemic, war, etc.), directly affects the school environment, forcing its adaptation to them. Therefore, schools in Greece implemented distance education for all the students, during the 2020-21 school year, applying inclusive distance education practices for children with special educational needs and disabilities. In Greek schools, children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder belong in the category of “students with special educational needs”. Unfortunately, as proven by research, COVID-19 had a negative impact on children, diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, having affected children’s behavior to such an extent that great difficulties are observed in their adapting to the social conditions of school. Because of these results, inclusive pedagogical practices are formed in Greek public primary education to help these children adjust into the school learning environment. This theoretical study will document the above facts and will, also, present these practices.

DISTANCE EDUCATION AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENT SATISFACTION

Covid-19 pandemic globally affected many sectors including health, economy and transportation. Distance education practice was widely preferred in many stages during this period. Non-stop distance education also continued in universities within the education sector. The subject of this study was to measure the student satisfaction from education within the course of distance education during pandemic period. The aim of the study on Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University graduate and postgraduate students was to understand whether distance education process had a positive effect on the satisfaction of the students from education. Survey technique among quantative research methods was used in the study. The results of the study showed a significant effect of "instructor support", "personal relevance and authentic learning" and "student autonomy and active learning" among the sub-dimensions of distance education on student satisfaction. Permanence of distance education in higher education institutions at certain rates may provide successful results.

An Examination of Pre-Service Teachers' Metaphorical Perceptions about Turkish Language Lessons Taught through Distance Education

This study aims to determine the mental images created by pre-service teachers regarding Turkish lessons taught within the framework of four basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) depending on the distance education practices carried out during the COVID-19 epidemic. In this study, phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used. Criterion sampling, which is one of the purposive sampling methods, was used to determine the sampling method of the research. The study group of the research consists of 90 teacher candidates, 78 women and 12 men, who participated in the research voluntarily. Pre-service teachers' views on “Turkish lessons taught in the distance education process” were determined through metaphors. In this context, pre-service teachers “Turkish lessons in the distance education process… like/similar; because…” They were asked to fill in the open-ended question form. Content analysis technique was used in the analysis of the obtained data. The general findings of the research are 80 different metaphors related to the Turkish lesson of the teacher candidates participating in the research, and these metaphors were collected in 10 different categories. As a result of the analysis of the findings obtained from the research, it was determined that the pre-service teachers explained Turkish lessons with metaphors that could be described as positive for them, but they also produced some negative metaphors. Especially in the distance education process, it has been determined that negative metaphors are produced due to the problems related to application, communication, interaction, lack of motivation and technological infrastructure arising from systemic problems.

Perspectives of Preschool Children’s Parents on Early Childhood Education During COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines the parents’ perspectives on the adaptability and suitability of distance education for preschool children, distance education experiences at earlier ages and child-parent interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the data collection tool, the study used the questionnaire titled The perceptions of Parents regarding their Preschool Children’s Adaptation to the Pandemic and Distance Education Practices during COVID-19 Crisis. A total of 146 parents replied to the questionnaire, which consists of three parts and 49 items. This descriptive study was conducted through quantitative data analysis. The results of the study showed that parents believe distance education practices are not efficient enough regarding improvement in children’s learning processes and development areas. In addition, they believe that, despite the presence of various activities, the contribution of distance education to their children’s development is quite limited when compared to face-to-face education in old normal. Also, parents opine that increasing amount of screen watching time, insufficient interaction and communication in distance education trigger some behavioral and emotional reactions in children. The findings highlight the re-examination of the functionality of distance education approaches and implementations in early childhood and the determination of their content and target audience intently.

The Comparison of Distance Physics Education Applications and Practices and Determining the Problems

In this research, we studied distance education practices in high schools which were closed by the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MNE) due to the COVID 19 pandemic and evaluated comparatively within the scope of the physics course. In this context, a comparative evaluation has been made by examining live lecture applications on television (EBA TV), remote live lessons (EBA live lessons), and another internet application (Zoom). The research covered a 13-week period starting with the interruption of the face-to-face education on March 16, 2020, until June 12, 2020. This research included six physics teachers, 15 science teachers, 20 parents of high school students, and 1.275 students in three different Anatolian high schools and four middle schools in Trabzon. In this study, we used the scanning model. The collected data were analyzed by calculating weekly average follow-up values and percentage values. At the end of this research, it was determined that the viewership of the physics lessons on EBA TV in the 1st weeks of distance education was 89% and that the viewership of EBA TV decreased considerably as the process continued. On the other hand, in online education applications and practices, it is seen that there were important problems arising from the lack of technological appliances, family situations, assessment, and evaluation. As a result of this study, we present proposed solutions for these problems.

Medical students’ views on the distance education practices of the neuroanatomy course during the pandemic

Background/Aim: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in late 2019. This highly contagious and pathogenic coronavirus causes acute respiratory disease pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). More than 1.2 billion students in 186 countries are currently affected by school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational activities, including clinical medical education, were also stopped during the pandemic. To maintain the continuity of medical education, distance learning approaches were developed, including online/offline teaching methods. Within the scope of this training, the effect of distance learning on students’ experience of neuroanatomy teaching was investigated.
 Methods: The study sample included 61 students who agreed to participate. The data of the students who accepted to participate in the study were obtained via a questionnaire form created using the “Attitude Scale towards Distance Education”. The questionnaire was uploaded to the forms section of the Microsoft Teams program, and the link address was sent to all students who took the Neuroanatomy course from the International Faculty of Medicine 2nd year students via e-mail.
 Results: Most students (n = 44, [72.1%]) stated that they could access the internet without any problems, while others had problems. Some students (n = 10; 83.6%) had to share their remote connection devices with their family members during distance education. Some students (n = 9, [14.8%]) had to use mobile phones for homework and exams. Less than half of the students (n = 27, [44.3%]) responded that 3 h per week neuroanatomy teaching was sufficient; most (n = 34, [55.7%]) responded that this was insufficient (P < 0.01). Many of the students who took the distance learning neuroanatomy course (n = 27, [44.3%]) believe that the course has contributed to their professional development (P < 0.01). During distance education, active participation of the classmates – by turning on their microphones – increased the students’ motivation (n = 53, [88.3%]).
 Conclusion There were difficulties in understanding the neuroanatomy lectures delivered by distance education. The Turkish students had greater problems in understanding relative to the international students, who were much more focused. Students will likely derive greater benefit from doing the neuroanatomy course face to face.

원격교원연수에서 교사의 자기주도성과 교수실재감, 사회적실재감, 인지된 학업성취도의 관계

The purpose of the study is to explore the effect of self-direction on academic achievement in distance training program mediated by teaching presence and social presence and examine the structural relationship between those factors. To achieve the research purpose, path structure of the research model were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis of the structural equation model with 379 samples collected from the teachers who had participated in the program. As a result, this study found that first, the self-direction of the learners in distance education showed a positive effect to academic achievement. Second, their self-direction showed a positive effect to academic achievement by partially being mediated by the teaching presence and social presence. This study is meaningful in terms of broadening the understanding of factors affecting academic achievement in a distance education environment and the relationship by investigating the structural relationship between self-direction, teaching & social presence, and academic achievement for learners. Significant implications are followed to support and design teaching and learning practices in distance education.

Development of nursing students' critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills

AimThis study aimed to compare the critical thinking and clinical decision-making levels of first-year nursing students studying at two different universities that provide synchronous and asynchronous online distance education. MethodsThis research was applied as a pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design. The study was conducted with the students taking the course Fundamentals of Nursing at two nursing schools that provided undergraduate education in the west of Turkey (School A and B) between May and June 2020. Seventy-one first-year students from School A and 56 first-year students from School B participated in the study. The Student Descriptive Information Form, Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, and Clinical Decision-Making Scale were used for collecting data. ResultsThe study revealed that online distance education methods did not create a difference in the first-year nursing students' critical thinking and clinical decision-making levels. However, a positive significant relationship was found between critical thinking level and clinical decision-making. ConclusionIn this study, it was concluded that synchronous and asynchronous online distance education was not superior to each other in terms of critical thinking and clinical decision-making levels of first-year nursing students. Based on the results of the research, critical thinking and new research can be done on how to make effective practices in improving the level of thinking and clinical decision-making. Thus, different research results can be compared and it can be decided how to make more effective practices related to distance education practice.

Implementation of solar panels and photovoltaic systems as an alternative for efficient energy saving at Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia-UNAD

The Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia- UNAD, is a public, educational organization of the National Order that through the conception and practice of Distance Education was not affected in the development of activities in the time of pandemic, according to its solid technological infrastructure to promote the virtuality.One of the principal changes implied by the preventive isolation because of COVID-19 was to reassess the context of the management system and the expectations and demands of the stakeholders, generating new opportunities and risks as a result of the sanitary situation. This situation, strengthening the commitment of the Environmental Management System with climate change based on the sustainable development objectives and the 2019-2023 internal development plan, which refers within its main goals, to the installation of 8 solar tables and 2 photovoltaic systems for outdoor lighting in different locations, in addition to operational control activities that contribute to mitigating the impacts of the activities associated with the work at home and on-site modality, giving environmental legal compliance and expanding the scope to ISO 14001:2015 certification in new centers, thus promoting new challenges that have allowed the positioning in good environmental practices of the University at the national level. Keyword: Sustainable Development Goals, Energy, photovoltaic lighting systems, carbon footprint

Özel Yetenekli Öğrencilerin Covid-19 ve Uzaktan Eğitim Hakkındaki Algılarının Metaforlar Aracılığıyla İncelenmesi

Purpose: Places where people could contact the coronavirus, have been closed, and schools and universities are also included in this scope. In order to ensure the continuity of education, distance education practices were started immediately, and children were expected to adapt to this process in a short time in the home environment. Computer and television-based education at all levels were brought to the fore, and the educational needs of children were tried to be met. However, in this process, the issue of unique and free programs implemented at home for gifted children who need personalized learning and teaching methods rather than standardized education has not been on the agenda. In this context, the perceptions of gifted students aged 5-12 about COVID-19 and distance education metaphors were analyzed with content analysis within the scope of qualitative phenomenology study, and the effect of this process on children was tried to be revealed.Design/Methodology/Approach: This study was carried out within the scope of phenomenology to evaluate the opinions of gifted primary and secondary school students on COVID-19 and distance education metaphors. The study group of the research consists of 84 primary and secondary school gifted students between the ages of 5-12 who attend Istanbul Aydin Children's University in the spring semester of the 2019-2020 academic year.Findings: Gifted students who were in a substantial period in terms of development answered the questions according to their perception of the questions, and it was seen that they mostly gave thought-value responses. The study was analyzed in five categories for how students perceive questions. It is seen that students perceive both concepts as behaviour, thought, emotion, knowledge and sensory and respond accordingly.Highlights: The use of metaphors can provide easy-to-understand explanations for threatening and unexpected events and guide children's behaviour. When the relevant literature is examined, it is seen that there are no studies involving gifted students at the K-12 level to understand the metaphorical perceptions of distance education and COVID-19. For this reason, the research will be a source of relevant literature.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students, Teachers, and Parents According to School Counselors’ Perceptions

This study examines the positive and negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and distance education practices on students, teachers, and parents from the perspective of school counselors. This research was carried out within the scope of phenomenology design, a qualitative research method. The data were obtained via purposive sampling through online interviews conducted with 55 public school counselors at the end of the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year in Turkey. Content analysis was utilized to analyze the obtained data. The school counselors expressed that the pandemic had positive and negative relational, individual/psychological, and academic effects on students; positive and negative effects on the application of education and personal lives of teachers; and positive and negative effects on the parent–child–education relationship and the personal lives of parents. The results are discussed in relation to the relevant literature and recommendations are made.

Evaluation of Distance Learning Practices (From the Instructors Perspective): Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

This research aims to examine distance education practices from the perspective of instructors in terms of Planning, implementation and evaluation. It is aimed to reveal the current situation regarding the planning, implementation and evaluation of distance education practices by ensuring that the distance education practices related to the teaching methods and techniques used in the courses, content and process are evaluated from the perspective of the instructors. The study group of the research consists of 20 instructors. In the research, qualitative data were obtained by the case study method. In the study, the data were collected using the semi-structured interview technique developed in consideration of the purpose of the research. Qualitative content analysis was used in the analysis of the data obtained. The results of the research reveal the positive and negative opinions of the instructors in terms of planning, implementation and evaluation. Considering the findings by institutions, practitioners, and the Council of Higher Education that implement distance education may contribute to increasing the quality of education.

IMPACT OF DIFFERENTIATED TEACHING IN DISTANCE EDUCATION PRACTICE ON GIFTED AND TALENTED PRIMARY STUDENTS

The main purpose of the present study was to develop and apply a mathematics program that meets the academic and mental needs of gifted and talented primary school students during distance education and to test the effectiveness of the program. The current study involved 120 gifted and talented fourth-grade students, 60 of whom were in the experimental group and 60 in the control group. The distance learning program was prepared based on the parallel curriculum model and the differentiation techniques proposed by the grid model were used. For the collection of data, the Mathematics Achievement Test and the Attitude Scale for Mathematics were given to the students in the experimental and control group as pre-test and post-test. The paired-samples t-test was used to compare the pre-test-post-test scores of students in the experimental and control group. The independent group’s t-test was used to compare the post-test scores of the students in the experimental group with the post-test scores of the students in the control group. Also, covariance analysis was used to compare post-test achievement and attitude scores after controlling pre-test scores in the experimental and control groups. The results of this study indicate that a differentiated mathematics program delivered via distance education increased the achievement and attitude toward mathematics in the experimental group. It was also stated that conducting similar studies for different courses and comparing results will contribute to distance education.

DISTANCE EDUCATION IN RUSSIA: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Distance education has long been an integral component of the education system of the Russian Federation and the former Soviet Union. A great many students and teachers in the country have been benefiting from the merits of distance education. The statistics announced by the state officials indicate strong evidence for the presence of mainstream remote learning. However, there is little information with regard to distance education of the country in the western literature. This necessitates an overview of the system and the history of the integration. This article, thus, sheds light on the general information regarding the history and demography of the general and higher education system across the country. It further takes a slight detour to the history of distance education and contemporary practices.

The Man Creates Instruments that Transform Himself: An Overview of GERE Research within Mathematics Education

This paper discusses GERE (Study Group on Resources for Education) members’ research trajectory in three different lines: Teaching practice and practice management, Teacher education and identity, and Support for learning and resource generation. It discusses how researchers seek to understand technology integration in the practice of distance education in Brazil, with the instrumental orchestrations lens, revealing the changes made in the didactic configurations, from the multiplicity of teachers responsible for each discipline. Teachers’ documentation is discussed in the process of resource elaboration and use and guided by design, experimentation, and reflection of the generated instrument, such as digital textbooks and mathematical games. The notion of integrating artefacts is discussed both from the perspective of collaborative learning and of instrumental meta-orchestration, a teacher education model about instrumental orchestration. Finally, thinking about the artefact as a support for learning also made us work on generating devices aimed at specific concepts such as covariation in learning functions.

Problems Encountered by Distance Education Staff in the Emergency Distance Education Process

Abstract With the effect of the COVID-19 virus, which emerged at the end of 2019 and caused a pandemic in the world, education has experienced a significant interruption and the world has embarked on a quest for alternatives for educational practices. Distance education, where the learner and the teacher can perform education by being in different places, has reached the forefront with its applicability to pandemic conditions and has increased its importance. As a result of these developments, the concept of emergency distance education, which is a temporary transfer of face-to-face education to technological environments, has emerged and has been put into practice. Educational institutions, which had to start distance education practices in a very short time, experienced various problems due to student density and limited time. It is considered important in order to reveal the experiences of distance education staff who are directly faced with these problems, to offer solutions to the problems and to be prepared for extraordinary situations that may occur later. The purpose of this study is to identify the problems experienced by the staff of the distance education center (DEC) in the distance education applications carried out during the pandemic and to make suggestions for the solution of these problems. In line with this purpose, focus group interviews were conducted with a total of eight personnel, three of whom were administrative, four of whom were academic and one of whom was technical, working in different positions at the distance education center of a university. The sample was determined in accordance with the convenience sampling. The data obtained in the study using phenomenology, which is one of the qualitative research designs, were analysed by content analysis method. As a result of the study, it was determined that the problems experienced by DEC staff in this process were grouped under four categories as student-centred, instructor-centred, system-centred, and other problems, and solution suggestions were presented within the framework of these problems.