Given insights gained during the pandemic, what new research on virtual learning would be especially beneficial to educators? Why do you feel that way?   Week4Discuss

COVID-19 was a turning point for the development and advancement of virtual teaching when all schools globally were shut down and learning activities were carried out virtually. Although the world has recovered from the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19, the new learning techniques have gained popularity and many instructors and learners are adopting them now than ever before.

In an article published by Abdel-Rahim (2021), there has been steep growth in online teaching and learning, the study predicts the trend to even grow further the coronavirus pandemic because the virus raised uncertainties on the safety of face-to-face learning. The literature review offers insights on the benefits and effectiveness of virtual learning such as flexibility in time and location. Further, the literature notes that the improvement of communication means between students and instructors from emails to more convenient forms such as visual conference calls, the ability to have virtual office hours, and the ability to form virtual groups has improved the process significantly. Abdel-Rahim's (2021) insights on award-winning online faculty in the US due to the effectiveness of virtual teaching methods. In the study, it was found the student motivation to participate in virtual classes, the instructor’s readiness and access to the Internet have played a crucial role in integrated virtual teaching.

The study intended to explore student’s perception of virtual learning and their perception of online tools using secondary sources. Qualitative data and quantitative analysis of these perceptions from different scholars were applied to the research. The highlights from the secondary studies showed that it is important to consider social interactions for effective virtual learning. However, the two most common tools that are effective for virtual teaching and learning are forums/boards and virtual groups or teams. A total of 48 learners were used in data collection and the results showed that students identified various tools effective in online learning such as an instructor's immediacy in responding to students and their availability during office hours play a pivotal part in virtual teaching and learning classes. In conclusion, Abdel-Rahim (2021), finds that due to the effectiveness of virtual online learning and teaching, this practice will continue to grow and future extensions in virtual learning will be more effective and result in robust teaching practices.

The second article explored in this assignment is Ong and Quek’s (2023) article on enhancing teaching interaction in online learning. According to the article, the prevalence of digital platforms has increased virtual learning and the study’s literature review explored how the internet has transformed learning. Zoom, video conferencing tools, and Google Meet have provided opportunities for effective virtual learning and teaching. Teachers have assumed the role of facilitators in online teaching by providing lesson plans and managing student interaction processes and student engagement has received significant attention in virtual learning the same way as physical learning. The purpose of Ong and Quek’s (2023) research was to identify student’s perceptions of virtual learning environments and student-teacher interaction. Moreover, the study also explored the extent to which students perceive the virtual learning environment and their engagement during learning. Lastly, it also explored perceptions of unfavorable and favorable strategies used by teachers in virtual teaching.

The total number of students involved in the research was 99 from two schools and the results from the study showed that students prefer to have less computer usage, more teacher support, and they have less student collaboration in virtual learning. Nonetheless, despite their great potential, students felt some online platforms were more repetitive. Overall students found virtual learning more effective and posits that teachers should share necessary content to make learning more relevant in virtual classes.

References

Abdel-Rahim, H. (2021). The effectiveness of online teaching and learning tools: Students’ perceptions of usefulness in an upper-level accounting course.  Learning and Teaching,  14(3), 52-69. https://doi.org/10.3167/latiss.2021.140304

Ong, S. G. T., & Quek, G. C. L. (2023). Enhancing teacher–student interactions and student online engagement in an online learning environment.  Learning Environments Research, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-022-09447-5