Tutorial Sessions Research Articles

The Role of Distance Learning in Shaping Indonesia Golden Generation: Student Interaction, Engagement, and Satisfaction

This research explores the critical role of student interaction in enhancing engagement and satisfaction in the context of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) at the Open University in Indonesia. Amidst the increasing adoption of digital education platforms, this study examines how dynamic and effective student interactions and engagement influence educational satisfaction outcomes in online environments. Using a quantitative approach, this study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyse responses from 120 students who participated in online tutorial sessions. The findings reveal that student interaction significantly increases student satisfaction and engagement, with engagement serving as a mediating factor that improves the overall educational experience. This study confirms that high-quality interactions are essential for student engagement and satisfaction and emphasises the need for educational platforms that support strong interactive features and prompt instructor feedback. This research contributes to the literature by emphasising the important role of interaction and engagement in ODL settings and suggests practical implications for educational practitioners and policy makers. Enhancing interactive experiences in online learning can facilitate higher levels of student engagement and satisfaction, thereby supporting the formation of a competitive and adaptive golden generation in Indonesia's digital era.

Innovative Strategies for English Language Learning in Ecuador: A Focus on Playful Learning

Education is a universal right that extends beyond core subjects to include cross-curricular content essential for preparing students for a competitive global landscape. In this context, English serves as a critical tool, recognized as both the first official language for 370 million users and a second language for 978 million (Eberhard et al., 2021). Despite its global importance, Ecuador faces challenges in English language proficiency, ranking low in Latin America due to inadequate methodologies and a lack of qualified teachers (Education First, 2021; Banegas & Sanchez, 2024). This project aims to implement a playful program tailored to middle school students (5th to 7th grades) at Eugenio Espejo Basic Education School, addressing their unique educational needs through the development of didactic materials and training for non-specialized teachers. A descriptive quantitative approach will guide the methodology, focusing on communicative competence through structured tutoring sessions that utilize reusable educational resources. The study will assess students' prior knowledge through a pre-test, which will inform the creation of a tailored curriculum designed to enhance vocabulary and overall language skills. This initiative not only seeks to improve English proficiency among students but also aims to equip teachers with effective pedagogical strategies, fostering a more conducive learning environment in Ecuadorian classrooms.

High-fidelity simulation versus case-based tutorial sessions for teaching pharmacology: Convergent mixed methods research investigating undergraduate medical students' performance and perception.

Medical educators strive to improve their curricula to enhance the student learning experience. The use of high-fidelity simulation within basic and clinical medical science subjects has been one of these initiatives. However, there is paucity of evidence on using simulation for teaching pharmacology, especially in the Middle East and North Africa region, and the effectiveness of this teaching modality, relative to more traditional ones, have not been sufficiently investigated. Accordingly, this study compares the effects of high-fidelity simulation, which is designed in alignment with adult and experiential learning theories, and traditional case-based tutorial sessions on the performance and perception of undergraduate Year 2 medical students in pharmacology in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This study employed a convergent mixed methods approach. Forty-nine medical students were randomly assigned to one of two groups during the 16-week pharmacology course. Each group underwent one session delivered via high-fidelity simulation and another via a case-based tutorial. A short multiple-choice question quiz was administered twice (immediately upon completion of the respective sessions and 5 weeks afterwards) to assess knowledge retention. Furthermore, to explore the students' perceptions regarding the two modes of learning delivery (independently and in relation to each other), an evaluation survey was administered following the delivery of each session. Thereafter, the iterative joint display analysis was used to develop a holistic understanding of the effect of high-fidelity simulation in comparison to traditional case-based tutorial sessions on pharmacology learning in the context of the study. There was no statistically significant difference in students' knowledge retention between high-fidelity simulation and case-based tutorial sessions. Yet, students expressed a greater preference for high-fidelity simulation, describing the corresponding sessions as more varied, better at reinforcing learning, and closer to reality. As such, the meta-inferences led to expansion of the overall understanding around students' satisfaction, to both confirmation and expansion of the systemic viewpoint around students' preferences, and lastly to refinement in relation to the perspective around retained knowledge. High-fidelity simulation was found to be as effective as case-based tutorial sessions in terms of students' retention of knowledge. Nonetheless, students demonstrated a greater preference for high-fidelity simulation. The study advocates caution in adapting high-fidelity simulation, where careful appraisal can lend itself to identifying contexts where it is most effective.

Teaching Religious Moderation to Pre-Service Teachers: An Indonesian Case Study

This case study investigated the enactment of a religious moderation literacy project for pre-service teachers of Islamic education at a university in Indonesia. Ten student teachers who participated voluntarily in an online tutorial session and a field trip program to the village where the community embraced interfaith tolerance were interviewed. They wrote reflective journals and collected photographs after joining the field trip. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found that the pre-service teachers improved their awareness of religious tolerance, felt empowered to act as tolerant teachers, and found leadership to be important for leading a peaceful life.

Tutees' Bullying Experiences in Employment of Pair Tutoring: A View from Grade Two Pupils

Bullies can victimize others in a multitude of ways. While some are hidden and private, others are obvious and public. Bullying in schools frequently takes place in unstructured learning environments. Direct bullying combines verbal and physical abuse. Verbal bullying occurs when a pupil is the target of remarks made aloud or information written that harms their feelings. This exploratory research study was to identify the experiences of bullying by tutees.The research sample comprised fifteen tutees at the Division of Misamis Oriental at the Tagoloan Central School, Philippines. Using the qualitative approach with an exploratory research design, the fifteen grade two tutees who experienced bullying inside the classroom during pair tutoring sessions were considered participants through purposively sampled selection. There was the utilization of in-depth interviews in the data gathering. The study adhered to ethical principles during the conduct. It strictly followed the components of trustworthiness: credibility, dependability, transferability, and conformability to review the validity of the qualitative data. The study revealed that during pair tutoring, tutees experienced verbal bullying- the tutor to the tutee as the tutor constantly uses mean remarks, such as You are dull. Relationship bullying to the tutee as the tutor becomes bossy and short-tempered by letting tutees learn quickly. Physical bullying to the tutee as the tutor eventually hits the tutee if the tutee cannot learn quickly. Along with the insights, the study emphasized that teachers must closely monitor by observing tutor behavior and words they utter during pair torturing sessions and select and train tutors; training should cover tutor roles and responsibilities so that bullying will not occur during pair tutoring sessions and bullying is an issue in education that needs to be solved to ensure pupils good learning outcomes by a safe learning environment. Bullying affects children's academic achievement because it makes them afraid to stand out and pursue their learning desires. Every teacher should work to stop bullying in the classroom by integrating anti-bullying policies and discipline into classroom discipline.

Mathematical modeling, sensitivity analysis, and optimal control of students awareness in mathematics education

This article presents a continuous-time mathematical model, EFSMK, integrating various educational categories, serving as a valuable tool for understanding students interactions with mathematics. The paper begins by exploring the necessary preliminaries to describe the model. Subsequently, we examine the model’s well-posedness, focusing on the positivity and boundedness of solutions. The basic reproduction number is then derived using the next-generation matrix method. The model exhibits two stable states: the mathematics-free equilibrium point and the learning equilibrium point for students who struggle with mathematics. The study shows that when the basic reproduction number is less than one, the mathematics-free equilibrium point is globally asymptotically stable. Conversely, when the basic reproduction number exceeds one, the learning equilibrium point for students who struggle with mathematics is globally asymptotically stable. Numerical simulations validate the theoretical findings. In the last part of the paper, we present a structured model involving two distinct strategies aimed at improving the mathematical skills of students who encounter difficulties in this subject. The first strategy consists of offering individualized or small-group tutoring sessions, focusing on challenging topics and using alternative teaching methods. The second strategy entails adjusting the overall program and pedagogical approach to better respond to diverse learning needs. This approach uses Pontryagin’s maximum principle and iterative analysis to determine optimal controls. The effectiveness of these strategies is evaluated using numerical simulations in various scenarios.

STUDYING THE PECULIARITIES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF STUDENT YOUTH

Statement of the problem. Insufficient motor regime is caused by prolonged staying at home during classes and a large volume of academic subjects has a direct impact on the state of the student's body. Prevention and overcoming of these consequences is possible only through the introduction of a sufficient amount of physical exercises in the educational process of students. The study of various aspects of health has shown that each component is an important on the way to strengthening and improving the performance of college students. The purpose of the study is to analyze the physical activity of first and second year students of different pedagogical specialties. Research methods: pedagogical observation, questionnaire, methods of mathematical statistics. Results. The study established the concept of a healthy lifestyle and its main components. It has been found that physical activity is the most important indicator of a healthy lifestyle, and the lifestyle of student youth is a way to integrate the needs of the student. A questionnaire was conducted to assess the lifestyle of students of pedagogical specialties. The preferences and priorities, motives and factors that motivate students to be active were identified. According to the survey, students assess their health status differently: 33.4 % believe they have no health problems, 36.1 % of students believe they have minor health problems, and 30.5 % of respondents consider their health to be unsatisfactory. Instead, only 25.2 % of all students surveyed engage in health activities outside of class time, while 74.2 % prefer additional tutoring sessions with tutors. Conclusions. It has been established that different sources of information and the environment in which students live directly affect the formation of a healthy lifestyle. That is why it is necessary to reorganize and improve the system of physical education in educational institutions by forming motor activity models of student youth.

Empowering public health: building advanced molecular surveillance in resource-limited settings through collaboration and capacity-building.

The rapid detection and continuous surveillance of infectious diseases are important components of an effective public health response. However, establishing advanced molecular surveillance systems, crucial for monitoring and mitigating pandemics, poses significant challenges in resource-limited developing countries. In a collaborative effort, research institutions from Benin joined forces with Mali's National Institute of Public Health to implement a state-of-the-art molecular surveillance system in Mali. This approach was characterized by collaboration, multidisciplinarity, and tutoring. Key activities included a comprehensive assessment of infrastructure and human resources through document reviews, interviews, and laboratory visits; the development and validation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for advanced molecular surveillance following an inclusive approach; capacity-building initiatives for 25 biologists in Mali on sequencing techniques; and international tutoring sessions for eight Malian professionals held in Benin. These collective efforts enabled Mali to establish an advanced molecular surveillance system aligned with the WHO's global strategy for genomic surveillance. This manuscript aims to share experiences, insights, and outcomes from this initiative, with the hope of contributing to the broader discussion on strengthening global health security through collaborative approaches and capacity-building efforts, particularly in developing countries.

Tutorial and Lecture Activities on Deep Online Learning in Dentistry

Online learning has become a new normal in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this learning mode has brought many challenges that can impact the learning experience. The study aims to evaluate student feedback on the online learning model and identify any challenges that require attention to enhance the quality of Dentistry education at Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta. This research is a descriptive observational study that utilized a cross-sectional approach. A modified questionnaire comprising 27 questions was distributed to collect the data. It was found that most of the 277 surveyed students agreed that implementing online learning in tutorial activities had a positive impact. Notably, 47.3% of the students found the online tutorial activities to be an excellent way to learn the material, while an equal number of students, 47.3% believed that they developed their tolerance during the online tutorial group sessions. Furthermore, the student responses to the online lecture activities were also positive, with 40.8% of the students finding comfort in the recorded classes, while 37.2% better understood the material through the online lectures. As for student satisfaction, the majority of the surveyed students expressed their satisfaction with the online learning experience regarding the material 52%, learning strategy 40,4%, availability of e-resources 49,1%, and assistance provided 42,6%. Students responded positively to online learning in tutorials and lectures and reported overall satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nurses' satisfaction with an educational web application to prevent transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms.

Multidrug-resistant organism infections are a serious health problem globally, and can result in patient mortality and morbidity. In this descriptive study, we produced the first web application for transmission prevention specific to the situation based on nursing experience, knowledge, and practice guidelines and to evaluate web application satisfaction among Thai nurses. The sample comprised 282 Thai registered nurses experienced in caring for patients with multidrug-resistant organisms in a tertiary hospital. A demographic form and knowledge test were completed anonymously online. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The application emphasized crucial topics for which participants had low preliminary knowledge and included tutorial sessions, pictures, video clips, drills, and a post-test. The application was piloted with a random sample of 30 nurses, and an instrument tested their satisfaction with this. Results revealed that preliminary knowledge scores for preventing transmission were moderate, and participants were highly satisfied with the application. Findings suggest the application is suitable for Thai nurses and could be applied to nursing practice elsewhere. However, further testing is recommended before implementing it into nursing practice.

Web Conferencing

Society, people, and institutions have reaped the benefits of technologies that allow online meetings and collaboration in real-time ¬¬¬¬- often known as web conferencing technologies. Most of the benefits of these technologies were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, where efforts to prevent the spread of the virus introduced mass social distancing. In higher education, web conferencing benefits a growing number of students across the world. It enables synchronous online learning, where learning takes place in real time, with communication technologies that permit live audio, video, and text transmission. Extant research suggests that the interplay of technical and social challenges within synchronous online learning, before the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, has not been comprehensively investigated. Additionally, there is a need for thorough studies on the effects of prolonged virtual interactions on individuals, teams, and organizations, stemming from the features of web conferencing technologies. This paper reports ongoing research aimed at exploring the technical and social challenges that affect the success of web conferencing in synchronous online learning. The research investigates the experiences of students and teachers who use these technologies for learning and teaching, and the challenges they face. The work uses theories of technology acceptance and the psychology of user behaviours. The research aims to advance knowledge and offer valuable information to educators and learners. It seeks to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning processes using web conferencing technologies, ensuring that they successfully achieve their intended outcomes. The results of this study, in the long-term, will also inform the development of better and improved interventions, practices and strategies for web conferencing, that can be applied in educational and even commercial contexts. The paper also discusses an exploratory study that was conducted to explore the effects of webcam usage on learner engagement in training and tutorial sessions among higher education students. The exploratory study showed that the webcam, even though rarely used in most sessions, had an impact on learner engagement, and can be explored further. Additionally, the technical and social aspects in these online sessions are complex and need more examination.

The missing study groups: Liminality and communitas in the time of COVID‐19

AbstractWe examine the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on teaching and learning in an Engineering School of a large US research university. We focus on the adjustment of instructors as they converted their courses to distance teaching and learning formats (e.g., virtual sessions, online forums) and on bachelor student experiences with those changes. While both instructors and students experienced liminality, the pandemic affected these groups differently. Instructors attempted to form communitas with their students by prioritizing their teaching responsibilities, increasing the accessibility of course materials, and being more available to students compared to pre‐pandemic times. However, students struggled to adapt to online learning contexts which lacked the sense of togetherness previously offered by in‐person classes, study‐groups, tutorial sessions, and communal study spaces. Unable to interact with their peers and create communitas, learning online proved to be an ineffective “solution.” Interacting with classmates and working in study groups are among the practices that can help students adjust to course delivery changes, even if it means those cultural practices go virtual. We argue that higher learning institutions, regardless of type (e.g., R1, R2, liberal arts, community colleges), should strengthen their remote teaching approaches. However, those strategies should incorporate: building strong relationships within and across roles, designing inclusive teaching and learning practices that take the contexts in which students learn into account, increasing spaces for peer‐to‐peer learning, and becoming proficient in the technologies needed to teach virtually.

Impromptu yet effective conduct of Jigsaw to teach a topic in biochemistry for first MBBS students

Jigsaw technique as a teaching modalities is an important and fascinating mode of teaching students a particular topic in an effective and interesting manner. Though the effectiveness of Jigsaw implementation is documented by many researchers, not only for medical science subjects but also for various topics in chemistry, engineering and nursing courses, it’s application and feasibility is often being questioned. Many researchers find the implementation of Jigsaw a daunting task, which requires a lot of time, planning and number of resource person. This article emphasises upon feasibility of Jigsaw implementation and its effectiveness in spite of all odds like limitation of resource faculty, time, space etc.In this study Jigsaw planning was done impromptu for revision of the topic “Enzyme” for students of biochemistry in first MBBS. 49 out of total 62 students of batch A reported for tutorial session. They were divided into 6 experts groups[EG1-EG6]. Each EG was given one sub topic out of above. They were instructed to discuss it among their peers in EG. Later one student from each EG was mobilised to create home group[HG].Total 8 HG were thus created and the students were asked to discuss their subtopic in HG in sequential manner; which means first of all student from EG-1 discusses the sub topic to rest of the members of his/her own HG, next the student from EG 2 explains the sub topic to rest of the members of his/her own HG. This fashion all the sub topics were sequentially discussed in all the HG parallelly and the whole topic of enzyme was discussed in each HG in peer assisted learning fashion. Students were later asked to write reflection on this activity.Same activity was repeated for batch B students.During analysis of reflection it was found that this exercise was appreciated by majority of students, and they perceived this activity as an interesting and effective modality of teaching learning. They even wanted repetition of Jigsaw activity in future for various other topics.It is concluded that in-spite of limitation of time and limited faculty backup, Jigsaw can be effectively implemented for benefit of students in a short notice.

Keeping the Research Thesis on Course: Case of Kenyatta University Doctoral Students Experiences during the COVID 19 Pandemic

Completion of doctoral studies is the apex of academic accomplishment. Postgraduate studies, particularly in Africa have been dogged with a myriad of issues that derail the process, thus hampering completion rates. However, among the many issues that affect the doctoral students’ completion, it’s not yet largely evidenced the extent to which the COVID 19 pandemic affected the doctoral students thesis writing, despite the fact that the pandemic had other far reaching ramifications on higher education with many universities having to shut down albeit temporarily. The objective of the study was to establish doctoral students’ research thesis progress and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The study utilized descriptive survey design with an online survey being used to collect data. The sample comprised ninety-one PhD students from the Department of Education Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies, School of Education, Kenyatta University. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics while thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The study established that the majority of the students 57% had made some progress in their doctoral studies thesis writing during the pandemic period through online engagement with faculty and from insights gained in the interactive research-related webinars organized by the department. Additionally, students indicated that they experienced work related (36.2%) and institutional (29.8%) challenges. However, the majority indicated that their greatest need of support to enhance progress in their thesis work is improvement in receipt of prompt feedback from supervisors and capacity building on research methodology. The study recommends adoption of blended supervision, tutorial doctoral sessions for guidance and psychosocial support structures to enhance progress in doctoral studies.

A Service Learning Program Enhancing Learners’ Early Literacy and Pre-Service Teachers’ 21st-Century Skills

Service Learning Program(SLP) is encouraged in all courses in the University of Saint Louis as a strategy in the teaching and learning process. In response to this, the Teacher-Education department developed a structured SLP named Project TEACHER (Tutorial for Engagement, Advancement, and Collaboration towards Holistic Educational Reform), which caters primarily to the needs of daycare learners. This study aimed to describe the effects of SLP on learners' early literacy. It focuses on the foundational skills of reading, writing, and phonemic awareness. Furthermore, the study also described the program's effect on the development of the 21st-century skills of the pre-service teachers. Coordinators of the program coordinated with the Early Child and Care and Development (ECCD) center at Linao East, and the Early Learning Observation and Rating Scale (ELORS) was used to identify learners needing additional early literacy assistance. It was the same tool used to monitor the progress of the learners. Data from 17 learners who completed the five tutorial sessions were included in this study. Using a paired-sample t-test, this study revealed that the project TEACHER significantly affects the learners' reading and phonemic awareness skills but not their writing skills. Meanwhile, the 26 pre-service teachers involved in the program were interviewed. Thematic analysis of their answers revealed that the program was effective for the following skills: communication, socio-emotional, collaboration, adaptability and flexibility, social responsibility, and classroom management. Hence, the project TEACHER is an effective SLP as it enhances the learners' early literacy skills and helps develop 21st-century skills among pre-service teachers. However, further planning must be done to make it effective for the learners' writing skills.

Tutor assessment of medical students in problem-based learning sessions.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a method of learning that has been adopted in different curricula of different disciplines for more than 30 years; the assessment of the students in PBL sessions in medical schools is fundamental to ensure students' attainment of the expected outcomes of conducting PBL sessions and in providing the students with the feedback that help them to develop and encourage their learning. This study investigated the inter-rater reliability of the tutor assessment in assessing medical students' performance in their PBL tutorial sessions. This study was conducted in the College of Medicine (COM), in the academic year 2021-2022. The study involved ten raters (tutors) of two genders who assessed 33 students in three separate PBL tutorial sessions. The PBL sessions were prerecorded and shown to the 10 raters for their assessment of PBL sessions. This study showed that male raters gave higher scores to students compared with female raters. In addition, this investigation showed low inter-rater reliability and poor agreement among the raters in assessing students' performance in PBL tutorial sessions. This study suggests that PBL tutor assessment should be reviewed and evaluated; this should be performed with consideration of using assessment domains and criteria of performance. Thus, we recommend that 360-degree assessment including tutor, self, and peer assessment should be used to provide effective feedback to students in PBL tutorial sessions.

Literacy teacher preparation for technology integration: A design experiment

Using formative design experiment, we engaged in iterative rounds of data collection, analysis, and redesign across three rounds to explore and hone 41 preservice-teachers’ (PTs’) preparation for selecting and integrating digital texts/tools in literacy instruction. Each PT submitted about two videos of literacy tutoring sessions (88 total). These were scored for quality using the DigiLit Framework rubric criteria. Multilevel regression modeling was used to explore potential changes in the quality across three rounds. Findings showed that shifts in literacy professor’s pedagogy (sharing model videos of digital texts/tools integration) resulted in improved PT’s practices (modeling literacy practices, modeling and guiding digital tool use, transformativeness). Further, findings underscore the importance of design experiments to uncover more effective teacher educator practices.

Digitisation of Classical Exercise Practices with STACK: Management of Large Mathematics Classes in Higher Education Institutions

Management of large classes’ tutorials is a known problem in Mathematics. Engineering mathematics classes enrol around 1000 students at the University of Dar es Salaam. For effective learning, each tutorial session should register not more than 40 students. This requires at least 25 sessions of tutorials per week, which may not be feasible due to both scarce human resources and venues. In this work, we developed online Mathematics exercises based on the System for Teaching and Assessment using Computer Algebra Kernel (STACK). About 300 STACK questions in linear algebra, calculus, complex numbers, and numerical analysis were constructed for weekly tutorials and quizzes. Students were given an unlimited number of attempts in tutorials and only one attempt for quizzes. The quality of the questions was analysed by examining their facility indices and discriminative efficiencies. Majority of the questions (87%) were within acceptable region. The questions, therefore, provided reasonable insight as appropriate alternative to classical practice. Competent authoring of STACK questions can improve the quality of teaching and learning of Mathematics and save scarce human and material resources required to serve large classes. This can also address the issue of running online programmes in Mathematics and computational subjects to support distance learning.

Effects of Tutorial Sessions on the Academic Performance of Female Urban Environmental Management Students at Kotebe University of Education, Addis Ababa

Effects of Tutorial Sessions on the Academic Performance of Female Urban Environmental Management Students at Kotebe University of Education, Addis Ababa

Training on Making 3D Models of Augmented Reality Based Hydrology Education Tools for Teachers

Augmented reality in its development in Indonesia has Lots used as an auxiliary medium classroom teaching for learning to become more interactive between teacher and student. Students get Study independent with an observed tool developed augmented reality display without need guided. However sadly Still how difficult development augmented reality application, making Not yet how many teachers can develop application based on augmented reality. on the basis problem such, he did activity devotion to public in form training creation of 3D models based on augmented reality followed by representatives from teachers from all over Palopo as many as 15 teachers. Activity training is shared into 3 sessions, ie session First through method lecture, session second guided tutorial methods and sessions final with practice. Result of implementation training This is a capable teacher making augmented reality application for free independent and capable tool display hydrology based on augmented reality that can be used for enrich classroom learning.