Synchronous E-learning in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The incorporation of digital technologies in higher education has become a research topic actualized by the Covid-19 pandemic, including the re-thinking of theories and ontological assumptions supporting the role of these technologies in blended learning. Using nursing education in urban Sweden as an example, I present a reflexive and postphenomenological analysis of critical incidents during the use of an online assessment software for high stakes exams during the Covid-19 outbreak. Based on the analysis, I argue that the rapid digitalization prompted by the Covid-19 outbreak illuminates the importance of articulating digital technologies in higher education as human-technology relations in light of the philosophy of technology, notably postphenomenology. I conclude that postphenomenology can be helpful to clarify the non-neutrality and multistability of digital technologies and to articulate nuances of the human-technology relation, in blended learning.

Whether the deployment of digital technology in higher education can be regarded as an opportunity or a risk is a question of values. The relevant values range from traditional academic values and the fundamental values of higher education in the EHEA to a democratic society and respect for human rights. Before COVID-19, it was customary to focus on potential benefits for learners. However, the earlier approach failed to pay enough attention to the wider educational and societal impacts of digital transformation. This changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies have discussed the impact of the digital transformation of higher education on staff, institutions, the higher education market and society as a whole. In this chapter, it is argued that the digital transformation of higher education can have an impact on academic freedom, student and staff participation in higher education governance, public responsibility for higher education, public responsibility of higher education, and democracy. The digital transformation of higher education makes it necessary to balance multiple values. Higher education policy in the EHEA should take into account both opportunities and risks.

Innovative technology is a dire need of contemporary education society in bringing paradigm changes in higher education by ameliorating learning experiences, improving accessibility, and reinforcing sustainability. In Afghanistan, a country confronting different educational challenges, the application of technologies such as Adaptive Learning Technologies, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile Learning the Internet of Things, and Gamification can address such issues and contribute to the sustainable development of higher education. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the role of these technologies in the higher educational sector of Afghanistan, particularly exploring their utility, potential advantages, challenges, and implications to further support educational sustainability. To support this research, the investigators collected keywords related to the innovative and digital technologies in higher education and their effects on sustainability form different international reliable databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Taylor and Francis. After critically synthesizing various research papers, it is concluded that ALT, CC, ML, IoT, AI, Blockchain, and Gamification offer promising solutions to many concurrent challenges toward higher education of Afghanistan. Finally, this provides suitable recommendations for policy makers, teachers, and higher educational institutions on the integration of these technologies to achieve sustainable education improvement in Afghanistan.

The problem and the aim of the study. The increased use of digital technologies in higher education has lately been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, thus creating a number of challenges related to the implementation of distance e-learning. The duration of the epidemic situation and the limitations related to the organization of in-person education reveal the simulation training as the main opportunity for the implementation of any practical training of the students in the methodological disciplines in their university preparation as future teachers. The aim of the study is to survey the possibilities of developing the modeling competence of students concerning the simulation of practical training in computer-based distance learning. Research methods. Within the framework of the research, which is oriented at establishing the levels of structure defining competencies (the reflective multisensory competency; the creative competency; the symbolic competency of sign and symbol nature) were measured systematically through goal-oriented observation during practice seminars in the disciplines taught to students. Since both disciplines are practically oriented and suggest the instruction of teaching methods, they entail the design of didactic situations in pre-school and of lessons in primary school education, which facilitates the registering of the levels of structure defining competences, including the competence for cognitive modelling, preeminently formed in the conditions of simulative distance education in electronic environment. The subjects participating in the research are 158 Bachelor's students trained in the professional field Education Science. Results. A low level of the skills for the application of cognitive modelling in the activities students conduct in relation to the design of pedagogical situation and lessons as an element in their practical experience and preparation in the realization of such situations in rela school conditions. The pilot study diagnoses a low level of student achievements in over 65% of the subjects as regards the academic disciplines the study concerns in terms of basic modelling skills. By contrast, in the course of the simulative education a growth of 45% has been established in the concluding study. The intersections and correlations between the level of development of the specific competences and the simulative education have also been established. Statistically verifiable differences (p=<0.05) were established between the pilot and the concluding studies in view of the reflective and creative competency. The symbolizing competency, however, requires further efforts. Conclusion. The results draw the attention to the necessity to look for opportunities to guarantee the creation of the models, in the context of simulative education, with three basic emphases: state (value, role and function in the specific context, phase of development of the pedagogical situation and/or lesson), structure (position of the model in relation to the other models/objects and of its own components – the components of the pedagogical situations and lesson projects) and evolution (opportunities for the design of pedagogical situations and/or lessons after reflection based on simulations).

On 16 March 2020, as a result of the unprecedented global health crisis linked to the emergence of a new form of coronavirus (COVID-19), the 74 universities of France closed their doors, forcing nearly 1.6 million students, as well as their teachers, to find solutions and initiatives that could ensure continuity in teaching. In the reliance on videoconferencing tools, chat, the sharing of documents/tutorials/videos/podcasts, and the use of social networks, many ideas have emerged, but no consensus has developed nor has a common way of doing things been adopted by a majority of teachers. Some software tools, such as Zoom, have also been questioned over data security issues or excessive intrusion into the student learning process. Nevertheless, in these uncertain times, much had to be done so that students can acquire the requisite knowledge, develop skills, and build on what they have learned. How can we ensure that the learning process is as smooth as possible for everyone involved? How can we evaluate knowledge and skills learned at a distance, and their relevance? Four groups of electronic and electrical engineering students in France were monitored during the containment period in order to provide answers to these questions. Lectures, tutorials, practical work, and projects were carried out using the Microsoft Teams and Zoom video conferencing and chat tools to complement activities made available through the digital work environment. In order to ensure equity among all students, especially in view of the digital divide, open access tools/software/applications have been promoted. In the various surveys completed, the engineering students asserted their complete satisfaction with the learning process, the use of distance tools, and the level of mastery of these tools by their teachers. The results of the various knowledge tests show that, for the same course, distance learning does not reduce the performance of the engineering students. Indeed, they obtained local grades similar to those expected in face-to-face teaching. The results presented in this article are not intended to highlight the virtues of distance education, but rather to open up a debate and reflect more widely on the sustainability of this transformation of education in universities.

In the digital era, digital literacy skills have become important in equipping students with the skills to participate actively in an increasingly connected and complex society. Likewise, critical thinking skills are essential in helping students develop deep understanding, good analysis, and evaluation of the information they encounter. This study aims to investigate effective strategies for using digital literacy to empower critical thinking skills in higher education. This research will adopt a qualitative approach using the case study method in several higher education institutions. Data will be collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and document analysis related to digital literacy strategies in the learning environment. Next, the data will be analyzed using a content analysis approach to identify which strategies most effectively empower students' critical thinking skills. It is hoped that the results of this study will provide in-depth insight into how digital literacy can be properly integrated into the higher education curriculum to stimulate students' critical thinking skills. The implication of this research is to provide practical guidance to educators, lecturers, and decision-makers in higher education institutions to design learning strategies that support the development of digital literacy and critical thinking. In addition, this research can also contribute to further research in the field of digital literacy and higher education. With a stronger focus on incorporating digital technologies in higher education, it is hoped that this research will provide valuable directions for the development of relevant and innovative curricula, which in turn will help produce graduates who are not only technically proficient but also able to think critically in facing complex modern world challenges.

The integration of Ukraine into the European educational space involves strengthening the requirements for the quality of professional training of future specialists. The main task is to create all the conditions for learning, personal and professional development of students, to ensure the effective formation of their professional competence, regardless of the modern challenges and dangers faced by society in the 21st century. Currently, higher education institutions have a dilemma: are they able to move away from the traditional academic style of teaching to innovations, to focus not on knowledge and skills, but to ensure the process of forming the competence of the future specialist. Considering the circumstances, digital technologies are becoming more and more widespread, and in scientific publications there is a debate about the effectiveness of their use in the educational process of higher education. The integration of digital technologies in higher education creates new opportunities for both students and teachers, making learning more interesting, dynamic, visual, etc. The advantages and features of the use of remote technologies to improve the quality of professional training of future specialists in the conditions of a mixed form of organization of the educational process in institutions of higher education, which creates new conditions of learning and cooperation for all participants of the educational process, are considered. The most promising technologies of distance learning are characterized, which have important advantages, taking into account the peculiarities of the professional training of future specialists in the conditions of mixed learning in institutions of higher education. Such technologies include: gamification of the process of professional training of future specialists, quest technologies, cloud-based learning technologies, intelligent information systems in education, mobile learning technologies, immersive technologies. Currently, in the conditions of modern existence and development of society, innovative technologies are offered to higher education seekers, which gradually replace traditional methods of learning and ensure flexibility and quality of the educational process. We see the prospects for further research in the improvement of the educational process by determining the optimal ratio of classroom and remote components in the conditions of a mixed form of education in the process of developing the professional competence of future specialists and developing appropriate educational and methodological support.

The digital economy and digital technologies have completely reshaped the modern business world. The subject of this paper is understanding of the evolution of digital transformation, starting from digitization, through digitalization to digital transformation. The aim of the research is to indicate the necessity of digital transformation of universities, as well as certain advantages, disadvantages and the examples of application of digital technologies in higher education. The digital future of higher education is initially based on a comparative analysis of the degree of digitalization of the higher education sector in the Republic of Serbia and EU member countries and nonEU countries, then examining the degree of existence of digital culture in the higher education sector, both providing the necessary leadership in the process of accepting digital culture. Also, this process necessarily requires designing solutions and formulating strategies for the digital transformation of the higher education sector. This article is the first in a series of articles dedicated to digital transformation in higher education.

Background This study investigated the influence of various factors on Faculty Attitude, Faculty Engagement, and Work Performance in higher education. The study specifically examined the impact of faculty attitudes towards digital technology on their level of involvement and effectiveness in the classroom. Furthermore, it investigated how the utilization of digital technology by faculty members influences the connection between their attitudes and job performance. Methods The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies to collect thorough data to explore the factors influencing faculty attitude. A survey was performed among 438 faculty members from higher educational institutions in the Delhi and NCR region. Results The results indicated a strong positive relationship of perceived usefulness, mutual learning, institutional support, collaborativeness, creativity, critical thinking, and faculty attitude towards digital technology adoption in academic setting. Nevertheless, External Pressure did not exhibit a significant relationship. The study revealed that the attitude of faculty members has a significant impact on both their work performance and engagement. Additionally, faculty engagement was found to have a positive impact on work performance. The mediation Analysis revealed that Faculty Engagement served as a partial mediator in the association between Faculty Attitude and Work Performance. Conclusions The study’s implications underscore the urgent need of fostering positive attitudes and engagement among faculty members for enhancing their performance in academic settings. Some of the limitations and implication of the study and future direction of the research directions are suggested.

The global pandemic in 2020 has led to a recent rise of digital technologies in higher education internationally, which seems to make learning less restricted in terms of time and space (Oztok, 2019) and enhance inclusion and engagement in learning. However, it is necessary to distinguish the presence and interaction in online learning from true connectedness and inclusivity. Networked learning, as a concept being constantly explored by a small group of researchers since the 1990s and attracting increasing current attention, is built around the different kinds of connections between students and instructors, as well as human and non-humans (NLEC, 2021). This paper emphasizes the need to be aware of the dimension of connection constructed through the assemblage of humans, materials and discourses. Adopting a socio-material perspective, the assumed high accessibility of online learning and the neo-liberal discourse of a ‘good learner’ are challenged and care is proposed as an approach to improve inclusivity in online learning in higher education. This paper is drawn from the data of a comparative research study that explores the online learning experience of undergraduate students in one case study university in China and the UK respectively. The research consisted of qualitative interviews with students and academics in the case discipline Sociology. The findings suggest a mismatch between students’ and teachers’ perception of what makes effective engagement. Although the teachers recognise certain difficulties in online courses, such as technical issues for organizing small group discussions, arguably the implied neo-liberal message is that hard-working ‘good’ students will always participate, regardless of where or how they learn. However, interviews with students in both contexts show that the specific surroundings in formal and informal educational settings, the interaction and support from peers, and the way their status is recognised in the community concomitantly mediate their experience, in addition to their abilities or motivation. This research contributes by highlighting the potential of emergent forms of networked learning in terms of unveiling the issues of established discourses including neoliberalism. It provides suggestions for future practices by proposing the role of care, supported by the findings, in tackling disengagement and exclusion, and pivoting students around supportive learning. Further, it adopts a socio-material perspective that fills a gap created by the dominance of human-centred research, generating reflections on the use of online materials in higher education.

The integration of digital technology in higher education presents both opportunities and challenges in ensuring learning quality that meets students’ expectations. One of the main issues is the gap between students’ perceptions of the performance of digital learning media and their perceived importance, which affects learning satisfaction. This study aims to evaluate the quality of Wordwall-based learning in enhancing students’ satisfaction using the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) approach. The study employed a descriptive quantitative method involving 81 students from the Economics Education Study Program who were enrolled in a microeconomics course. Data were collected through an online questionnaire consisting of 10 performance items and 10 importance items based on the five SERVQUAL dimensions, namely tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Data analysis was conducted using IPA and a paired sample t-test. The results indicate a significant difference between students perceived performance and expectations regarding the use of Wordwall (p < 0.05). Attributes located in Quadrant I, including Wordwall interface, content consistency, and learning flexibility, were considered highly important but did not meet students’ expectations and therefore require improvement. Meanwhile, accessibility, ease of use, and immediate feedback were located in Quadrant II and should be maintained, as they have met students’ expectations. This study concludes that Wordwall has considerable potential to support interactive learning in higher education; however, its effectiveness largely depends on implementation strategies, feature selection, and institutional support to enhance students’ learning satisfaction.

In the UK, the first ‘lockdown’ of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to online learning and digital technologies in Higher Education (HE). While the situation was unprecedented, extant literature on online learning suggested there would be challenges, opportunities, and benefits to this transition, and we sought to understand these via a case study of one UK HEI department at this time. To draw out in-depth and nuanced accounts of this (at time of investigation–unstudied) scenario, qualitative data were collected via semi-structured online interview or written reflection. To explore, identify and understand the experiences from both sides, and with a diverse sample, we purposively recruited both staff (n = 10) and students (n = 12), from various roles and backgrounds, including those with additional learning and/or mental health needs. The ‘bricolage’ data were analysed inductively, utilising a latent reflexive approach, and organised into a framework around five core themes: ‘methods and means of engagement’; ‘learning maintenance, destruction and construction’; ‘remote education and resource accessibility and literacy’; ‘support and communication’; and ‘life and learning: responses, adaptations and impacts’. Within these, a range of challenges, successes and, most importantly, future learning and innovation outcomes were identified by staff and students, particularly relevant to working with and supporting students with additional needs in the online learning forum. These discoveries informed a set of practical recommendations, provided here in Box 1, for (rapid implementation of) online learning (in times of stress).

BackgroundLearning digital technologies in higher education is a process of knowledge generation, and the rapid growth of technology in education has a significant impact on students’ learning behaviors, motivation, and knowledge development. Pakistan’s remarkable technological breakthrough has increased in the education field.Study objectivesThe study focuses on estimating students’ learning behaviors, identifying the positive influence of educational apps on digital learning platforms, and analyzing their impact on students’ motivation and knowledge development.Materials and methodsAccording to the study’s objectives, a questionnaire survey was conducted to gather the primary data. The participants were students of universities in Lahore city of Pakistan. For this study, the sample size was N = 300, carefully chosen using the purposive sampling technique. Of the respondents, there were 146 male and 154 female students, and the sample consisted of individuals aged 25–35 years. Smart-PLS-Bootstrapping, T-Values (PLS) 3.2.9 and the structural equation model (SEM) were applied to get the appropriate outcomes from the proposed study framework.ResultsSEM analysis results shows that all proposed hypotheses [Animated Movies (AM) –> Student Motivation (SM), Educational Apps (EA) –> Knowledge Development (KD), Learning Behavior (LB) –> Animated Movies, Learning Behavior –> Educational Apps, Learning Behavior –> Knowledge Development, Learning Behavior –> Virtual Classrooms (VCr), Virtual Classrooms –> Knowledge Development, Virtual Classrooms –> Student Motivation] are confirmed while Learning Behavior –> Student Motivation is not confirmed.ConclusionThis study found that digital learning platforms significantly impact students’ learning and what motivates them to learn. The study also found that using educational apps and virtual classrooms more often helps students learn more and be more motivated to learn.

This study aims to systematically analyze the evolution, research trends, and scientific impact of digital teaching and learning scaffolding through the application of bibliometric analysis. By employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 methodology, a total of 396 relevant journal articles published between 2013 and 2023 were identified from Google Scholar using Publish or Perish (PoP). The dataset was then analyzed using VOSviewer, with a specific focus on citation patterns, keyword co-occurrence, co-authorship networks, and thematic clusters. The bibliometric mapping revealed five dominant research clusters: (1) integration of digital technology in higher education, (2) learning strategies and their impact on students’ outcomes, (3) digital games and scaffolding approaches in children’s education, (4) teacher education development and practice, and (5) contextual influences in educational research. In addition, the study identifies prominent authors, highly influential publications, and major institutional as well as international collaborations, offering a comprehensive overview of the intellectual structure of the field. The findings highlight an increasing global interest in digital scaffolding in education, demonstrating its significant contributions to improving student engagement, cognitive development, problem-solving, and personalized learning experiences. Nevertheless, several challenges remain evident, particularly in terms of accessibility across diverse contexts, teacher readiness to adopt innovative pedagogies, and technological limitations within resource-constrained environments. This research contributes to the academic discourse by providing evidence-based insights and practical recommendations to optimize the implementation of digital scaffolding in contemporary educational settings. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of continuous exploration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and adaptive learning systems to further strengthen the effectiveness and sustainability of digital scaffolding practices in the future.

Digital transformation in nursing education is crucial for enhancing pedagogical practices and preparing future healthcare professionals for the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. This chapter explores how the integration of digital technologies in higher education has revolutionising teaching methodologies and offered new opportunities to enhance learning experiences. It identifies gaps in digital learning modalities for undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students and discusses strategies to strengthen online literacy preparation and transition into the healthcare sector's digital transformation landscape and the 4th industrial era economy. The chapter examines best practices and challenges in digital transformation in nursing education such as blended learning environments, simulation and virtual reality, mobile learning applications and gamification strategies. Additionally, it addresses challenges in curriculum development including insufficient technological infrastructure, faculty training and development, assessment strategies and resistance to change among faculty and students. This chapter aims to provide insights and recommendations for educators, curriculum developers and policymakers in implementing successful digital transformation in nursing education.