Online Neuroscience Instruction: Insights, Lessons Learned, and Moving Forward.

This study examined the role of e-formative feedback in emergency remote teaching and learning for first-year student teachers. Numerous scholars have acknowledged the pedagogical value of formative feedback in teacher education. However, there is a pressing need for significant improvement in the quality and accessibility of e-formative feedback provided to student teachers in online learning environments. This study explored the nature of e-formative feedback, technological challenges, and pedagogical practices employed by teacher educators when implementing formative assessment in emergency remote learning contexts. The study is underpinned by Interactive Tutoring Feedback model as the theoretical framework. We utilised the interpretive paradigm and a qualitative approach, specifically employing a case study methodology as a means of inquiry. The empirical investigation involved 20 first-year student teachers selected purposively from a large public university in South Africa. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysis of learning management system logs, with thematic analysis employed to analyse the data. The findings revealed that meaningful e-formative feedback could have been enhanced by addressing contextual factors such as limited internet connectivity and a lack of familiarity with online learning platforms. While student teachers valued the quality of e-formative feedback, they expressed concern regarding their ability to consistently access and engage with feedback to improve their learning in the isolated online environment. This paper recommends providing both student teachers and teacher educators with the necessary technological support and training to effectively utilise e-formative feedback and enhance student teachers' academic achievement and professional development during emergency remote learning.

Introduction: Continuing Medical Education (CME) significantly improves the competency of healthcare workers in Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) clinics. However, CME courses are very costly, and a few participants fully attended a course. Online training is an alternative approach to efficiently improve training outcomes. The study assessed needs and possibility of online training courses of MMT clinics in southern Vietnam. Methods: A google form was designed to collect characteristics, man-powers, facilities, online activities and training needs of MMT clinics. E-mails were sent to all MMT clinics in southern Vietnam to ask for their participants. A representative of MMT clinics who satisfied the inclusion invited to complete the form. Result: 93 MMT clinics completed the survey. The response rate was 62% (93/150). One MMT clinic had 3 doctors/assistant doctors, 3 pharmacists/drug dispensers, 2 consultants and 3 other professionals on average. The number of clients visiting the clinic in the last month was 150. About 94% (93/95) of MMT clinics provide other additional services. On average, 385 clients came to MMT for other services. All clinics had adequate devices for online and blended training. Conclusion: MMT clinics had high training needs and were willing to attend online and blended training courses. Online and blended training were possible in MMT clinics.

In the last 10 years we have provided an interactive online course on Computer Architecture and Organization, which uses Online Learning and Interactive e-Assessment technology to support easier learning. The technology enabled an interactive environment which, checks student's knowledge and enables continuation to the next learning environment based on decision making criteria to check if sufficient knowledge is acquired by the student for a given learning objective. The system works in such a way, that the decision is made based on three correct answers in a row for questions set in a given area. Our experience shows that establishing interactive environment for online learning helps the students to gain knowledge and skills more easily, and improves the overall understanding and knowledge discovery and construction for the given course.

This study aims at examining the existing online teacher training programs designed for Korean EFL teachers. With the ever-developing technology and its wide application in teacher training programs, the online teacher training opportunities are believed to draw more and more teachers. The study was conducted with the following objectives: 1) to investigate the reality of the existing Web-based teacher training programs designed for Korean EFL teachers; 2) to examine their attitudes toward the online teacher training programs; and 3) to suggest a necessity of responding to a newer and ever-changing teachers' training needs and situations. Based on the review of the government-published annual report and other documents together with the responses from Korean EFL teachers who have taken online teacher training courses, the researcher concluded: 1) the existing online training courses are lacking professional development opportunities, insufficien in meeting teachers’ practical needs; 2) a vast majority of the online teacher training courses show a strong bias in favor of general language skills, not genuinely practical and applicable to classroom teaching; and 3) the teacher respondents are not fully pleased with the existing online teacher training courses. The study suggests the ways to change online teacher training programs into more practical, authentic, and meaningful courses.

With the integration of ICT to teaching and learning almost all disciplines which were conducted in the traditional mode throughout the years, are now being taught online in as well. The premier open and distance education university in Sri Lanka, the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) which conducts teacher training courses and programmes at many levels in addition to many other programmes and courses in numerous disciplines is planning to conduct some teacher training courses online as well. Around 3000 graduate teachers of the country’s school system has enrolled in the post graduate diploma in Education (PGDE) programme in the 2017/2018 academic year and the programme is conducted in all the districts of the country through the university’s study centres. To follow online training courses conveniently teachers need resources. This study was conducted to find whether those resources are available with the teachers, whether there are differences in the availability of resources as per their locations and gender and to make suggestions to improve the resource availability. To select the sample of teachers, initially two districts and the 2 study centres in those districts were selected. After that, the teacher samples were selected randomly from those registered for the PGDE programme in the current academic year for the 2 centres. The main instrument for data collection was a questionnaire while a semi structured interviews were conducted with a few teachers from both centres. The findings were that the availability of some resources was good while some are not. The majority had the Internet facility; there were no remarkable differences between the teachers as per location of the centres. However, male teachers had more resources than the female teachers. Suggestions were made to improve the resource availability and facilitate online learning of teachers. Article visualizations:

Aim The ‘Making the Leap’ interactive online course (MTL) was specifically designed to be delivered during the COVID-19 restrictions. This course aimed to facilitate the difficult transition from CT to ST3 in Plastic Surgery. Method The courses consisted of interactive small-group tutorials, each conducted over 2 days, via Zoom, covering 12 plastic surgery core topics in 8 tutorials. The course was attended by 43 delegates from across the UK and abroad. The tutorials were delivered by 27 plastic surgery consultants. Anonymous feedback was collected from both delegates and faculty. Results The overall feedback from delegates were unanimously positive; 100% of the delegates stated that ‘they would recommend the course to a colleague’. All faculty and delegates agreed the use of video conferencing and small group tutorial to be either ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ suitable for an interactive virtual course like MTL. 98% of delegates thought the course has made them feel more prepared to be a registrar, and 69% of delegates preferred an online interactive course instead of the traditional face-to-face method, for non-practical based courses. Conclusions COVID-19 necessitated delivering ‘Making the Leap” as a Zoom course. However, the feedback clearly demonstrated the need for such a course, and the suitability of the format. We discuss the challenges and learning points from our experience delivering successful interactive courses via Zoom.

During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, many universities around the world made a drastic change by transferring most of their offline classes to emergency remote learning (ERL). The aim of this study was to explore how Chinese students, who studied in United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) universities during the 2020/21 academic year, perceive their experiences of remote learning. As the UK and the US have two relatively advanced education systems, the arrangements of their universities for ERL and their support for international students are worth exploring. Moreover, during the ERL, a portion of Chinese students had online classes in their home countries instead of the country in which their universities are located. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were carried out to explore the academic experiences and social interaction of students who studied in UK and US universities, while remaining in China. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The findings showed that ERL was perceived negatively by students despite its flexibility in areas of academic learning experiences and social interaction.

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the stories and lived experiences of K-12 online teachers who have transitioned from the brick-and-mortar setting to online teaching. These stories of teachers' experiences of transition from in-person to online teaching are of interest as they highlight the importance of K-12 teacher preparedness for online teaching to ensure standards of 21st century classrooms are being met to the highest potential. Conducting research on the gap of K-12 online teaching skills is significant as identifying deficiencies in K-12 teacher preparedness for online teaching skills may allow for an actionable solution to this problem to be identified which will further ensure that teachers, receive adequate education, resources, and training in the development of necessary online teaching skills. Research in this field will potentially impact future online student success rates and learning outcomes. Through the application of a social constructivist approach, this research seeks to gain understanding of the perceptions of K-12 educators experiences as they transitioned to online learning. The three research questions that will guide this study are: 1) What stories do K-12 teachers share about their transition from in-person teaching in brick-and-mortar settings to fully online teaching?, 2) How do K-12 teachers describe the challenges, if any, that they face when transitioning from in-person teaching in brick-and-mortar settings to fully online teaching? And 3) How do K-12 teachers describe their experiences receiving support and training to teach in fully online settings? Data was collected using one-on-one semi-structured interviews and a researcher's journal.

Aim The aim of this project was to identify the biggest fears of IMGs regarding the NHS and address those fears via a locally designed online course, ultimately promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in the NHS. Method The course was created after consultation with IMGs working in the NHS, and the content was based on the Higher-Level Outcomes (HLOs) of the Foundation Programme. The course was divided into 4 sessions, delivered weekly. Each session had an initial presentation followed by an interactive question answer segment, had 3 faculty personnel, and lasted 2 hours. A good laptop with internet connection was all that was needed for the course. Results In total, 699 participants registered for the course. About 92% of them had never attended similar courses before, and about 73% has never worked in the NHS. Lack of knowledge of the NHS system (32%) and medico-legal issues (25%) were the biggest fears of prospective IMGs regarding working in the NHS. Post course feedback revealed that their confidence about working in the NHS increased by 30% after this course. Their confidence in working on-calls and building portfolio has also increased after the course by almost 26%. 78% participants said their biggest fear was addressed by this course. The question answer segment was rated helpful by 92% of participants. Conclusions This study illustrated that we could promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in the NHS by addressing the biggest fear of IMGs of not knowing the NHS system, using low resource, interactive online courses.

The strike of COVID-19 pandemic has affected various sectors tremendously, including the education sector around the globe. This situation has forced the closure of most educational institutions, which include higher learning institutions. Since the Movement Control Order announcement, most teaching and learning processes in higher learning institutions were transferred online. The shift to online learning brings different challenges for teachers in higher learning institutions, including English teachers, regarding technological skills and assessment. In this study, the researchers adopted a multiple case study to explore the strategies of 34 English teachers from nine universities in Malaysia, Indonesia and Maldives to overcome the challenges during Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning. The data was collected through focused group interview sessions, individual open-ended responses via Google Forms and Whatsapp discussion threads. The recorded sessions were transcribed verbatim and analysed using NVIVO software to identify the common categories and themes. The findings showed that the teachers of English overcome problems concerning their technological skills by seeking help from their colleagues, attending courses, training and webinars and choosing suitable platforms for online learning, also conducting better online assessments. The faculty could also provide more webinars, online training, and courses to help teachers to perform better during online learning. This study is believed to shed some light on aspects that need to be considered while planning and executing a meaningful ESL online teaching and learning experience in higher learning institutions, particularly in developing countries.

Diversity is sometimes understood narrowly, by focusing on only one or two categories, such as gender or race. Following the concept of intersectionality, there are far more aspects to diversity that can affect students’ success, in some cases only indirectly or subtly. We present a small self-contained online course for raising awareness of some additional aspects of diversity, without admonishing users or prescribing attitudes.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic came with a lot of disruptions which saw so many organisations and institutions shut down. Part of the changes brought about by the pandemic was the closure of educational institutions globally, thereby forcing the migration to emergency remote teaching and learning. Whilst some nations grappled with the challenges associated with this shift in the mode of teaching and learning, others tapped into the opportunities inherent in it. This study located in the interpretive paradigm employed a qualitative case study design that explored lecturers’ reflections on emergency remote teaching and learning at a university in South Africa during the intense stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Technology Acceptance Model was employed as a lens to make meaning of how lecturers perceive emergency remote teaching and learning in the science and technology cluster. The sample for the study consisted of nine participants, recruited from Science and Technology cluster, representing Biological/Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, Physical Sciences and Technology Education faculties. The sample was selected through purposive and convenience sampling. Findings from the study revealed both challenges and opportunities for emergency remote teaching and learning. The challenges identified included, lecturers’ lack of readiness, students’ internet-related issues, and inability to execute practical tasks online. The positive aspect included improved skills in the use of ICT and diverse online platforms for both lecturers and students. Based on the findings, the study recommends that students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds be provided with the necessary ICT infrastructure to ensure their effective participation in online learning. Keywords: COVID-19, Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL), lecturers; reflections; South Africa

MPOC-Massive Private Online Course, is an online teacher training course developed by Peking University in 2006. This course was designed on the model of SPOC, 20-25 trainees each online class. But influenced by the prejudice of Online Course in China and lower tuition, the real size of the online class is between 80 to 120. An online facilitator is assigned to the online class to lead online trainees to fulfil the online learning activities, assess their achievements and provide feedback to trainees timely. From 2007-2013, nearly 500000 k-12 teachers had enrolled this online training course in about 5000 online classes, about 2000 online facilitators had joined the online training program, figured out an effective K-12 teacher MPOC online teacher training practice in China.

The primary goal of dementia care is well-being. As people with dementia have complex problems and symptoms in many domains, interventions should be individualized and should consider the person overall.1 For such care to improve the well-being of people with dementia, person-centered care (PCC) is essential.2 However, providing PCC is sometimes tricky, particularly for inexperienced care staff. To provide individualized care, staff should know the person altogether, grasp their condition at the moment precisely, and take action to support them to get closer to what they want to be. Staff find it most challenging to cope with people with dementia when they are aggressive/hostile, have little control over their problematic behavior, are stubborn/resistive, deliberately difficult, and unpredictable.3 Improvement of dementia care standards enhances the quality of life of people with dementia, particularly in geriatric health service facilities.4 In addition, PCC is beneficial for people with dementia and potentially good for care staff.5 To facilitate professional caregivers to take action toward PCC, we have collected effective and focused caregiving practices used in Japan's Benesse Style Care (BSC) nursing homes and categorized their keys to success. Each key was described using pattern language, recognized as critical in conveying tacit knowledge.6 An example is shown in Figure 1. The descriptions were written as concretely as possible in plain and friendly language, so that even inexperienced care staff would understand and feel like they could do it. Through the revision of a pilot version, the Dementia Care Method® titled “Words to create a world for living together with you” has been developed. Forty methods are classified and divided into seven things to keep in mind in dementia care: “know their personality,” “move their mind,” “help them move their body,” “expand their world,” “help each other,” “get them in shape,” and “help them face the risks.” The Dementia Care Method® was provided to all the BSC nursing homes as booklets and cards to support care practices. Care staff in each nursing home were encouraged to use the Dementia Care Method® for daily care. Several months after providing the methods, a survey of practices of the Dementia Care Method® showed that half of the survey participants employed the methods and felt that they were providing essential dementia care. Care staff with <1 year of experience have shown a similar tendency. However, some had difficulties in putting it into practice.7 To facilitate the practice of the Dementia Care Method®, we have started an online training course. Specifically, a 1-h online training course was developed to introduce the outline and use cases promoting the technique. The care staff of BSC nursing homes participated in the training voluntarily. To verify the effect of the online training course on the Dementia Care Method®, we asked the participants to respond to a questionnaire after voluntarily taking the online training course. Of 1246 participants, 782 answered the questionnaire. About 95.7% said that they would like to try this method. The method suited their purposes in addressing current caregiving issues. In addition, they perceived the technique to be easy and believed that it could be applied to specific care recipients or situations. In contrast, the participants were concerned about whether they could involve their colleagues, whether they will have enough time to use the method, and apply it in a “correct” manner. Additional use cases and tips were provided to help them overcome such anxiety. The online training course motivated the participants to put the Dementia Care Method® into use. As a result, more residents have begun sharing their thoughts and requests with the care staff, enabling them to support residents in realizing their desires and preferences. For instance, one resident who was demotivated, now enjoys growing vegetables, and has even started a workout routine. Another resident who was usually bored at the nursing home and frequently expressed a desire to return home is now actively engaging in various housework activities and enjoying life with fellow residents. The impact can be evaluated through observing changes in the frequency of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and the content of daily reports. Similar cases have been gradually increasing, indicating that care recipients' quality of life has improved. Moreover, some utilization cases of BSC nursing homes have been presented at conferences.8, 9 Currently, the Japanese version of the Dementia Care Method® is available at https://www.benesse-style-care.co.jp/method03/. An English version will be available shortly and we will continue to promote the Dementia Care Method®. The author declares no conflict of interest. Research data are not shared.

As Canadian post-secondary institutions emerge from the pandemic restrictions, they are in a historically unique position to assess how online education has both facilitated and hindered learning, and how the effects might be greater for some. In this study, open-ended comments from the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association 2022 Spring National Survey were analyzed to understand how online and/or hybrid learning both supported equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and presented EDI-related challenges. The findings were that: (a) online and hybrid learning presents challenges of access for students marginalized by “race,” class, and location; (b) online and hybrid learning supports EDI by increasing access and flexibility; (c) pedagogy and course design are central to ensuring that online and/or hybrid learning supports EDI; and (d) student experiences and expectations around online learning indicate a need for support and flexibility. These findings highlight some of the promises of online and hybrid learning, but they also bring to light some of the challenges. This paper discusses three challenges, access, pedagogy, and technology, as well as flexibility, and recommendations that might begin to address EDI.