Several weeks ago, I saw a student campaign on social media against their university’s decision to use an online proctoring software for the invigilation of semester exams. Some of the students were highly resistant to install the software to their personal devices and were “ready to drop” their courses if the university wouldn’t change its plans. But why would students of the current generation demonstrate such resistance towards technology?
“Learner engagement” is a common terminology amongst teachers, educators, and educational institutions. It also often appears in the academic literature and is given such an emphasis in many instances where technology enhanced learning such as blended learning is discussed. The question, however, is what do we mean by learner engagement, and why learner engagement is given such prominence?
‘Blended learning’ has been a buzzword in the recent times. Multiple scholars have described blended learning as the ‘new normal’ in higher education. However, what do we mean by blended learning? Why, what, and how are we blending?
The technological advancements have been massive in the last few decades and have penetrated almost all the aspects of our lives. Technology have rapidly been evolved and offers various new ways of supporting teaching and learning. With these remarkable developments, a plethora of technology have been used in education including Web2.0 tools (e.g., wikis, blogs, social media tools), mobile technology, gamification tools, learning management systems, virtual worlds, and MOOCs, to name a few. A key question, however, is what should we consider in selecting technology for teaching and learning?
Blended learning has increasingly been adopted in the last two decades and appeared to be more popular since the global pandemic COVID-19. Even though blended learning is no longer a new mode of teaching, many schools and universities have recently put an incredible effort on teacher training for blended teaching. However, the question is what knowledge and skills are needed by teachers for blended teaching? Are there any identified blended teaching competencies for teachers? These questions are important because knowing teacher competencies can help institutions to align their teacher professional development programs with the needs of teachers.
Learning through digital technology has become a daily practice across the education spectrum, around the globe, whether it is formal or informal. Specifically, with the current global pandemic, teachers and education providers have started adopting technology at a pace that most of us never imagined before. However, to provide students with optimal learning experiences with technology-facilitated learning, there are some guiding principles that need to be adhere to.
Blended learning is no longer a new mode of course delivery. It has grown in popularity since early 2000s, and grown even more rapidly amid COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the adoption, thus far, have occurred at the teacher-level. However, interestingly, more frequent initiatives for institutional adoption have been emerging. But why?
I have met many teachers, both pre and in-service, who had relatively strong attitude of opposition toward integration of technology into classroom. Given the pervasiveness of digital technology in almost any part of our lives, some of you may find it hard to believe. Well, I am not! There are some real reasons behind this resistance.
The World Economic Forum has estimated that globally, over 1.2 billion children were out of the classroom due to the restricted physical interactions amid COVID-19 pandemic. More significantly, after twenty months, many of these children are still unable to participate in learning the way they used to do pre-pandemic. Kudos to teachers for embracing digital technology to maintain learning continuity during the pandemic. However, the real questions are how could this sudden shift has impacted on the nature of teaching and learning? Are the changes caused by the coronavirus going to be lasting?
Video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Webex, and Google Meet can be some of the frequently used tools by teachers since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, these tools have been playing a vital role for the continuity of learning for millions of students. Thanks to the advanced technology! However, can we maintain the credibility of the exams that are conducted online?
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