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The COVID-19 pandemic has fast-tracked the development of digital applications and inspired everyone to adapt to the technologies to curb the spread of outbreak. As this crisis intensifies, the rapid usage of digital devices and apps has echoed the serious concerns about civil liberties, privacy, and data protection. Considering the situation, this research aimed to explore the internet using habits of the youths of West Bengal, a state in eastern India, during COVID-19. Besides, the paper explored their experiences of using various digital applications, the fundamental digital literacy and how safely they protect data from breaches. Thus, the paper presents the results by conducting an online survey among the youths in West Bengal. The result, from 215 participants, highlighted that the increased use of these digital applications has not matched the demand for digital privacy literacy among the young generation of the state. While this pandemic has raised their concerns over digital privacy and data protection, yet they do not undertake any strong protection mechanisms to safeguard them digitally. Besides, this paper suggests suitable plans to raise awareness among this generation and form a healthy digital citizenship with a proper regulatory framework as it is the need of the hour.

Background: Learning losses does not mean forgetting only curricular learning but slipping back of fundamental learning abilities that learner would have acquired during schooling. School closures in India have severely disrupted learning processes of children resulting in learning losses and social gaps in academic outcomes. Though school closure is a global phenomenon, its adverse effects on learning outcomes are unevenly distributed in the society. Purpose: The paper aims to trace the phenomenon of learning losses resulting from a prolonged school closures during COVID 19 pandemic at the national level since march 2020.The study further is directed to trace accessibilities and uses of digital resources in India. Method: The study used secondary sources of data mainly of Bihar to ascertain the trend of learning losses. The data were regenerated to measure the emerging trend. Results: Learning loss was unevenly distributed in the society. Those who were digitally equipped had compensated their learning losses during school closures. The Bihar had mere 5 per cent computer and 15 internet facilities. The rural households had only 3 per cent computer and 13 per cent internet facilities. Primary grade children especially of disadvantaged groups in Bihar suffered more because they have very limited home learning resources. Learning crisis was more prominent at elementary school level where both the home resources and digital tools were inadequate. They spent hours in surfing social media for private purposes. The phenomenon of cyber loafing was widely seen among young students, showing a serious problem of internet abuse by secondary school students. Conclusion: Despite constraints Bihar managed to continue school learning programme during COVID 19. It had a largest force of digitally-equipped teachers (about 1.25 lakh) known as Potential Learning Community (PLC) who were ready to deliver e-contents to beneficiaries. Teachers established connectivity with parents and learners who had no android mobile. They started running Schools on Mobile (SOM) classes. The paper discusses learning recovery plan such as engaging community, reallocating resources for schools, etc.

The present paper studied the various issues and challenges of student's assessment that has been faced by college teachers and students of Kashmir division during COVID-19 Pandemic. Assessment is the major aspect of the education system. The student assessment is the act of evaluating student's abilities and achievements. It is ongoing process and integral part of the teaching and learning process. The teacher makes judgments about the students learning or to determine student's interest through assessment. It helps the teacher to reflect on each student's level of achievement as well as to customize their teaching plans accordingly. After COVID-19 Pandemic the student assessment has been shifted more to the online assessment. The teachers have faced lot of issues due to lack of access of internet and technology. In every sphere of education there is a great impact of technology on the students learning that has been done after COVID-19. The present study was descriptive- survey based study. Both primary and secondary sources of data were collected. For the secondary sources of data the investigator had reviewed various national and international papers related with the present study. The sample comprised of 400 college students and 400 teachers from various degree colleges of Kashmir Division. Self- developed interview schedule and self-constructed were used for the data collection. The investigator has conducted a group interview of 10 college's students and 10 teachers separately that constituted of 80 interviews. On the bases of these 80 group interviews the researcher developed themes of all interviews and analyzed all these into specific themes. The investigator suggested some recommendations for improving the better assessment of students through remote learning. The study indicated that there are major six challenges in the context of online assessment i.e., lack of internet connection, language problem, parental attitude, mental disturbance, heavy work load and inaccessibility of smarts phones.

The current educational scenario is changing and inclining more towards digital technologies for teaching-learning. Interactions during the classrooms or virtual sessions are vital for students' learning engagements. Learner-learner interactions and educator-learner interactions during online classes are to be promoted and sustained for a better teaching-learning experience. The use of social media in education is noted in previous research. This paper aims to explore the role of social media in learner-learner interactions and its impact on students' learning engagement. A theoretical model is proposed in the study through a review of existing literature. The model testing is done with data of 344 respondents through a self-designed structured questionnaire. The respondents are selected from an urban city in western India. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling are applied for the hypotheses testing and regression analysis. The results indicate that the learner-learner interactions, as well as the educator-learner interactions, are imperative for student learning engagement in online teaching. Also, learner-learner interactions are positively affected by the students' self-efficacy concerning the technology. The study also noted that the use of social media improves learner-learner interaction and student learning engagement in a technology-mediated learning environment.

The 'See the World -- Winchester' programme was funded by the UK Turing scheme in 2021-2022 and aimed to broaden the horizons of historically marginalised students who may not otherwise have had access to extracurricular opportunities such as international travel. The purpose of this article is twofold. Firstly, the authors reflect on the successes, failures and challenges involved with running internationalisation activities during a time of travel disruption. Secondly, this article presents findings from a small-scale evaluation that sought to measure the impact of short-term mobility with historically marginalised or under-represented students. The paper is useful for institutions looking to run international mobilities with students during a period of travel disruption using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study. In addition, the findings highlight the experiences and benefits to students participating in short mobilities, which include, a cultural experience, opportunity for personal growth and development, enhanced employability, and ultimately, broader horizons.

Purpose: The study aims to ratify skills necessary to bridge the gap between the existing models and emerging needs of a technology-enabled workspace; especially in the Indian context. Design/methodology/approach: This paper extends the ongoing debate on a relevant employability framework suitable both for higher education institutes and corporates. To remain resilient to future catastrophes similar to the ongoing pandemic, the relevancy of established employability skills to suit the changing scenario needs to be established. Findings: The partial least squares (PLS) technique has been used to present a framework confirming the importance of digital competencies, business fundamentals and behavioral skills. In-depth discussions with specialists ratified the proposed framework and recommended potential changes in curriculum and pedagogy. Research limitations/implications: This study validates an explicit and comprehensive employability skill framework and useful recommendations in teaching strategies, which may provide a broad skill base for graduates to prepare for the volatile business environment in the long run. Practical implications: The study has been able to put forth significant employability skills as deemed significant by the three stakeholders. This will provide guidance to higher educational institutions (HEIs) to come up with a broad skill-base for the fresh graduates and prepare them for the volatile business environment and encourage life-long learning to remain productive in the long run. Originality/value: The study is unique as it incorporates the perceived importance of the competencies assumed by each stakeholder, namely, employers, faculty and management graduates, which was unfortunately lacking in earlier researches.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to apply systems modeling to explore the usability of the online learning platform in the future compared to its usefulness during the pandemic era. Design/methodology/approach: The applied systems research methodology has been used to develop a stock-flow model encompassing enablers and constraints for learning platform usage from the primary data collected through a survey of 163 respondents. Findings: The model simulation observed promising trends over one year for online learning platforms provided the challenges are reduced in seven to eight months. Challenges linked to the Internet and interaction need must be removed for future usage. Research limitations/implications: The results of the survey and model simulation suggest actions for product planning and development of online learning platforms based on customer insights. Product customization and feature enhancement will be required for the continued usability of online learning products. Actions for Internet service providers are to capture the online learner market by removing issues of Internet access bandwidth, and quality of content. Also, there should be sufficient teacher--student interaction in the online learning mode. Originality/value: This is an original study using systems modeling to evaluate factors contributing to students' intention to use online learning conducted at Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed to be University) Dayalbagh Agra, UP, India, 282005.

The study aims to understand the foremost challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopts the PRISMA approach to screening the selection of journal articles and review papers according to the research aims and the inclusion criteria. The journal articles and review papers were extracted and stored in Microsoft Excel and Google Scholar, Academic. Microsoft, Semantic Scholar, Elsevier, and Emerald Insight databases searched relevant documents using formulated keywords. A statistical technique was applied using the M.S. Excel analysis tool (PivotTable and an independent t-Test) to analyze data and determine the differences between teachers and students. The review revealed the evidence that the majority of the studies were primarily focused on the individual developing countries and results from other developing countries were not considered. In addition, the foremost challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic were inadequate skills and training, inadequate Internet/Infrastructure, lack of supporting resources and lack of online student engagement and feedback. Finally, the independent t-test reveals there is no statistically significant difference in challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both teachers and students encounter similar challenges. The systematic review raised concerns that higher learning needs to effectively implement long term strategies and support teachers and students in getting into online teaching and learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic is redefining the practices of higher education in an unprecedented way. E-learning can guarantee the right to higher education during the pandemic to the students of higher education and hence its adoption in teaching learning is now inevitable. The readiness of higher education faculty members towards E-learning is explored in this paper. The paper also presents about the impact of demographic factors (Age, Gender and Discipline) as predictors variables and the influence of their interaction on the criterion variable i.e., E-learning readiness. A self-developed inventory was used to collect the data about E-learning readiness of faculty members. Seven research hypotheses were framed and tested using 4 X 2 X 3 Factorial Design ANOVA. The findings revealed that there is a need to improve the E-learning readiness of faculty members of higher education. Also, it was discovered that there is no significant difference in the mean scores of E-learning readiness of faculty members with respect to their Age, Gender and Discipline to which they belong. Further it is also observed that the second order interaction effect among the Age, Gender and Discipline has a significant influence on E-learning readiness of faculty members of higher education.

This paper discusses the main findings of a study on the impact of the first COVID-19 induced nationwide lockdown and university closure in India on the research scholars (PhD and MPhil) of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). An online survey was employed using the quantitative descriptive methodology. With responses from 530 research scholars, this is one of the first quantitative studies to assess the pandemic's effect on the research work, finances, and mental health of researchers in India from March to June 2020. Given the existing social inequality in higher education, the survey reflects the researchers' dismal state of reality as reported during the first 4 months of the pandemic. Research work witnessed a standstill with large-scale disruption in travel and every other scholar encountering unreliable electricity or internet connectivity. Untimely disbursal of fellowships intensified their already existing financial hardship. Nearly 90% of scholars reported stalled fieldwork, a lack of clarity regarding extension of their research programme, and financial woes as some of the top reasons for their anxiety. Using the chi-square method, the study predicts that dropouts from research programmes are likely in the context of the pandemic, which correlates significantly with socio-economic backgrounds (caste, class and gender) of research scholars. Further, the results show that the challenges faced by terminal, mid-stage, and course-work scholars are unique, emphasizing on the need for targeted interventions beyond extended research deadlines. Non-addressal of these immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term repercussions on the lives of India's researchers and academic workers. It will only deepen existing inequalities in higher education, leading to gentrification of research degrees in India.

Purpose: To analyze exhaled airflow patterns in a clinical scenario and the impact of infection control practices and room air circulation in context of the COVID-19 pandemic., Setting: Raghudeep Eye Hospital, India., Design: Experimental study., Methods: Ten patients attending ophthalmic outpatient clinic (OPD) and operating room (OR) were included. Using Schlieren imaging, exhaled airflow patterns were documented with/without an N95 mask or face shield during respiratory activities. Recordings were performed with and without room air conditioning turned on. Exhaled airflow patterns in OPD and OR when using vs not using these infection control measures and the impact of room air circulation on these were compared., Results: Five patients each in OPD and OR were included. There was a forward stream of exhaled air from the patient's mouth/nose during all respiratory activities. An N95 mask dampened its intensity and forward transmission. Taping the mask around the nasal bridge further reduced airflow leakage. A mechanical barrier in front of the patient's face blocked forward propagation of the exhaled airflow. Turning on a forceful and direct draft of air over the surgeon's working area dampened and diverted the exhaled airflow away from the surgeons' breathing area. This effect was particularly pronounced in the OR, with the overhead laminar airflow., Conclusions: Using high force airflow with the draft facing downward can dampen and divert the exhaled airflow away from healthcare providers. Using masks/mechanical barriers and taping the mask reduces potential dissemination of aerosols and, thereby, human and surface contamination., (Copyright © 2021 Published by Wolters Kluwer on behalf of ASCRS and ESCRS.)

This paper explores learners' awareness of and satisfaction with the e-services that an open university provides its learners through its Website. The paper further highlights the influence of age, gender, and education levels on learners' awareness and satisfaction levels. A case-study approach was adopted and an online survey was used to collect data from learners in various programs of study at Uttarakhand Open University, India. The questionnaire measured the awareness levels of learners regarding 15 frequently used e-services and their satisfaction levels with the 12 most frequently used e-services that the university offers. Results show that gender, age, and education level have a significant influence on the awareness and satisfaction level of the participants. When maturity level and education level of the participants increased, they are more aware of the e-services provided by the University. In some cases, up to 58% of users were unaware of the university's e-services, and a large number of respondents were either dissatisfied with or undecided regarding the university's e-services. Results indicate that infrastructure is required for learners' optimal use of information and communication technology and the e-services that the university offers, including the provision of Internet connectivity at all of the university's learning support centers.

Purpose: To continue to stay relevant in the era of Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) alongside the unprecedented disruption of COVID-19, the importance of lifelong learning is indisputable though this concept has existed for decades. In this context, open and distance learning (ODL) institutions are urged to re-think and re-design their online learning support systems that inculcate self-regulated lifelong learning (SR3Ls) in their learners to be adaptable and resilient for the post-pandemic economy. The purpose of this paper is to develop a SR3Ls model, namely SR3Ls model by utilising the collective opinions of a panel of experts to determine the key domains and attributes. Design/methodology/approach: A 2-round Delphi consensus study was conducted with 39 experts from five countries. The mean, standard deviation (SD), inter-quartile range (IQR) and the ratio of experts assigned score of 4 or greater were used as the basis of consensus assessment with criteria set at mean = 3.0, SD = 1.5, IQR = 1, ratio on score 4 or greater at = 75%. The questionnaire consisted of 5-point Likert-type scale rating the importance level of each attribute combined with open-ended questions. Findings: This paper presented the findings of the first round of Delphi consensus study. For the first round, the experts were asked to evaluate 31 key attributes of SR3Ls model under five domains. The findings revealed that there were five key attributes to be eliminated from the list, while there were seven attributes identified as the key attributes with highest consensus. There were additional attributes suggested by the Delphi panel to be added in the second round of evaluation. Originality/value: This international consensus-based SR3Ls model serves as an important benchmark for ODL institutions across the regions in developing meaningful and relevant online learning support systems for their learners to adopt SR3Ls attributes in order to meet the dynamic market demands.

COVID-19 has transformed higher education learning and teaching practices globally. Tertiary students, internationally face both opportunities and challenges in learning and adapting to this paradigm shift in the delivery of education. It remains unclear how students in international contexts are responding to these changes in digital learning during and post-COVID-19. This paper aims to compare student perceptions of digital competence, confidence, and resilience in present times using data from surveys of tertiary students from Australia, Cambodia, China, India, and Malaysia. There are disparities not only in the teaching and learning pedagogies amongst these countries but also in the levels of technological advancement, infrastructure support, and pace of digital innovation in the delivery of courses. These differences have put in focus students' both digital competencies and resilience as they pursue higher education on various digital learning platforms. Resilience includes the ability to bounce back or adapt from stress (Smith et al., 2008). Digital resilience is students' tech-savviness and preparedness to adapt to different digital environments as they pursue higher education. This paper examines the perceptions of tertiary undergraduate students from these countries in this emerging new digital learning norm. A total of 687 tertiary students from the aforementioned countries participated in a survey to questions related to digital competence, confidence in using and/or adapting to digital innovation, and resilience. Statistically significant attributes are identified to help better understand the challenges these culturally diverse students perceive in digital learning environments. This study will reveal barriers that impact the digital transformation of undergraduate students which can be used to recommend necessary teaching and learning support frameworks to enhance their digital competence and resilience. This will help tertiary institutions better equip all stakeholders in adapting to the new normal of higher education in the future.

This rapid systematic review aims to examine emerging evidence on the effects of COVID-19 on educational institutions and assess the prevalence of e-learning changes in the sector. This paper reviews literature on learning, teaching, and assessment approaches adopted since the COVID-19 outbreak, and assesses the impact on the sector, staff, and students, summarizing findings from peer-reviewed articles. It categorizes these into five key themes: (1) digital learning; (2) e-learning challenges; (3) digital transition to emergency virtual assessment (EVA); (4) psychological impact of COVID-19; and (5) creating collaborative cultures. This represents the first systematic review of COVID-19's impact on education, clarifying current themes being investigated. The author suggests that the term 'emergency virtual assessment' (EVA) is now added for future research discussion. Finally, the paper identifies research gaps, including researching the impact on lesser developed countries, the psychological impact of transition, and the important role of leadership and leadership styles during the transition and handling of the pandemic.

The forced changes and disruptions in educational systems and learning experiences due to the pandemic has impacted students' mental health and well-being. The present study aims to understand the effects of the determinants of well-being on students in India during the second wave (April to August 2021) of the COVID-19 pandemic. The determinants of well-being in this study are academic grit, intolerance to uncertainty and students' engagement in an online learning environment. In this study, well-being is characterized as students' confidence and satisfaction in an online learning and pandemic environment. The data collected from 1174 students (12-19 years) from various states, using standardized tools, were analyzed to find out about the mediating effect of students' engagement on the relationship between academic grit and well-being, and between intolerance to uncertainty and well-being. Further, the model fit analysis of the determinants of well-being is explored. The paper reports that students' classroom engagement does mediate in the path of academic grit and well-being, and in the path of intolerance to uncertainty and well-being. It also evidence the model fit of the influence of the determinants of well-being on that of school students during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also draws implications and suggestions for educators using the current model of students' well-being.

This paper presents the findings of an exploration of student perceptions of blended learning in next normal management education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning became the normal mode of teaching and learning in higher education. The changing landscape of higher education needs an innovative approach for teaching and learning. In the current circumstances, a combination of online and traditional learning may be assuming a place as the right learning model. This model is commonly known as "blended learning" which can be considered as the next normal learning process in higher education. The focus of this exploratory study is to present the perceptions of management students towards blended learning. Data were collected from 375 respondents from different institutes in India. Descriptive analysis of the responses has been presented. The results of the study show that the students of support blended learning in next normal management education. The study also found that students are ready for blended learning as the next normal learning process.

Intercultural competence (ICC) is increasingly important for healthcare professionals, and study abroad (SA) programs have been one mechanism to increase students' ICC. With SA programs being cancelled due to the pandemic, and qualitative literature supporting virtual intercultural learning (ICL), the purpose of this paper is to describe a novel approach towards "study abroad" without traveling abroad and evaluate participant gains in ICC with a virtual international ICL experience embedded into a graduate level pediatric audiology course. Nine U.S students and ten students at a partner institution in India were enrolled in the course. Comparison of pre- and post-IDI® scores showed a significant increase in ICC in both groups of participants. The increase in the group mean score for the U.S. students was substantially higher than the group mean score increases in SA students from the same institution. Qualitative reflections support the quantitative data. Overall, results indicate that embedding virtual international ICL activities in a course can be an effective mechanism to enhance ICC, both for U.S. students without traveling abroad, and for the overseas partner students, indicating that the program was mutually beneficial.

Higher education in India was caught completely unawares by the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessitated closure of educational institutions. Despite almost a decade of experience with online and distance learning at some top-tier and private institutions, the vast majority were unprepared and looked for quick solutions for different components of teaching-learning depending on the need of the hour. The immediate tool sought was a videoconferencing platform to substitute in-class lectures. With no access to a learning management system, faculty chose one platform for videoconferencing, one for interaction with students, and another for uploading class notes. Disparity in students' access to devices and the internet presented challenges. Assessment of learning, which hitherto was largely pen and paper based, was delayed for lack of a viable solution. Experiences documented in this study demonstrate faculty resilience, but lack of institutional leadership and preparedness is starkly evident.

The paper explores India's response in the face of the COVID-19 educational crisis compared to the educational thoughts and experiments of Rabindranath Tagore, Asia's first Nobel laureate and an avid educator. The context of the study is formulated from the perception that the past and present are interconnected; hence examining similarities and dissimilarities between them can reveal latent undercurrents. A comparative historical method is employed for the study to take three diverse yet interconnected periods in the Indian education system--the Tagorean/colonial period, the post-independence period, and the pandemic period--for a continuous and comprehensive evaluation. Tagore's educational experiences evidenced that the colonial system reeled under biases that alienated the natives from their nation and its operations. Despite the efforts, the post-independence period bears remnants of the colonial system. The educational response to the pandemic also exhibits specific social, cultural, and economic tensions similar to its predecessors. As the COVID-19 lockdown implementation has forced shutters on the educational institutions, an increasing emphasis is laid on digital education without adequate engagement with the pre-existing challenges. Under this convoluted circumstance, the paper opines that colonization continues to be the underlying process propelling the education system. Thus, the Tagorean ideals of education and its indigenous ways require urgent consideration before falling back on the old system post pandemic or endorsing digital education as the next giant stride in education.

The COVID 19 pandemic has shaken the world with rising deleterious effects. It triggered some fundamental changes to several population segments sand multiple sectors of the economy. The education system is no exception. With the educational institutions being closed due to lockdown for extended duration, delivery of education has been impacted. This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on education services and proposes an outlook regarding the future of online learning. Given the acceptance by participants (learners and teachers) and advantages (in terms of spread and volume) of online learning over traditional learning, the online learning would continue to exist.

Campus crisis management remains an understudied topic in the context of COVID-affected higher education. In this paper, we contrasted the ability to tame the wicked problems brought by the pandemic of COVID-19 in private and public universities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, India, Kazakhstan, Uganda, and Ukraine. The cross-country analysis and diversity of institutional types allowed us to consider a wide range of challenges faced by academic leaders and their institutions during the global pandemic. By drawing on institutional policy reviews and interviews with university administrators, we have examined tensions between the human and institutional agencies on these crisis-stricken campuses given differing institutional coupling, sizes, resources, and missions. The focus on agential co-dependencies and institutional coupling lays the ground for conceptualizing campus crisis management as a culturally specific construct in the context of higher education affected by the global pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a countrywide lockdown of nearly twelve weeks in India reduced access to regular healthcare services. As a policy response, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare which exercises jurisdiction over telemedicine in India, rapidly issued India's first guidelines for use of telemedicine. The authors argue that: guidelines must be expanded to address ethical concerns about the use of privacy, patient data and its storage; limited access to the internet and weaknesses in the telecom infrastructure challenge widespread adoption of telemedicine; only by simultaneously improving both will use of telemedicine become equitable; Indian medical education curricula should include telemedicine and India should rapidly extend training to practitioner. They determine that for low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), including India, positive externalities of investing in telemedicine are ample, thus use of this option can render healthcare more accessible and equitable in future., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Science is all about how and why. India is a land of diversity and having an equally diverse education system. In a diverse classroom, it is important for the teacher to impart knowledge in such a way that it kindles curiosity in the learner. The best way to communicate science is 'learning by doing'. This requires great skill and apt teaching methodology especially in non-urban areas where the learning resources are scarce. In this regard there is a dire need for inexpensive, useful teaching and learning tools that can foster interest in science. This article is concerned with exploring the use and application of one such innovative tool--Foldscope™. Foldscope™ is a low cost, paper microscope that can help to magnify beyond the ability of unaided eye and explore our surroundings at the microscopic level. It is well suited to be used as a teaching and learning aide in Under-resourced regions. During the pandemic COVID-19 online and distance mode learning has come as a savior, this frugal tool can further facilitate practical learning because of its portability and unique features.

This paper examines leadership challenges in managing digital power and digital poverty, in the delivery of schooling during the Covid-19 emergency lockdown in India. The article suggests that although India is considered a global leader in digital technology, its primary and secondary school system suffers from digital poverty with associated tensions for school leadership. The paper explores the nature of teaching and learning in a selection of girls' schools in India during Covid-19. In the context of the pandemic, school leaders have had to respond quickly to remote learning, supporting teachers to facilitate the use of educational technology. Our research examined the experience of leadership in a cross section of schools from different geographical and socio-economic backgrounds. The respondents reflected on their engagement with digital literacy and remote teaching methodologies, and how the pandemic changed the classroom experience with little or no lead in time to adapt. The article examines how Indian women in positions of educational leadership perceive digital power or poverty and how it affects change and challenge in their leadership responsibility. Conclusions are drawn regarding educational practices operational at present and anticipate considerations which must be acknowledged to support virtual learning into the future.

Purpose: Virtual collaboration provides students with an opportunity to develop cultural intelligence while fitting into the team where the members are from diverse cultures. The purpose of this study is to explore whether global virtual team (GVT) projects raise students' understanding of cultural differences. In addition, it is interesting to know how internationally disruptive events such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic influence GVT projects. Design/methodology/approach: The research involved two parts--In the first part, a two-wave longitudinal study was conducted to investigate how intercultural sensitivity and intercultural communication competence coevolve within a group of international students enrolled in a virtual business professional project. In the second part, using word clouds and topic modelling on the participants' perceptions, the study investigated whether the sudden disruption caused by the pandemic show similar results in performance, focussing primarily on the resilience of virtual teams. Further, the study explored participants' perceptions towards online learning in higher education institutions as well as the attitude of corporate organizations towards remote working in the post-pandemic years. Findings: The results confirmed that GVT projects, in fact, do raise students' understanding of cultural differences and the need to adjust their behaviour accordingly in order to engage with their culturally different counterparts effectively. Participants reported an increase in their cognitive, behavioural and affective attributes. Research limitations/implications: Among the limitations of this study is the relatively small number of student participants. Furthermore, the number of respondents from India dominated the sample. Since the Indian students were disproportionately affected by the shutdown, causing them to return often to rural areas with poor Internet connectivity, responses concerning the disruption caused by the pandemic may be overriding negative. The same could be said of responses from US-American students, who often rely heavily on-campus employment or whose parents became unemployed during the pandemic, and thus were faced with disproportionate economic insecurity. Practical implications: This paper provides insights to the educators and international organizations on how such projects provide the skills essential for reducing costs, accessing knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) across borders, maintaining flexible work schedules and arrangements, and taking advantage of multiple time zones to increase productivity. Originality/value: While highlighting the significance of cultural intelligence, this paper investigated how the sudden disruption caused by a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts performance, focussing primarily on the resilience of virtual teams.

The COVID-19 pandemic has struck education system around the globe. The pandemic initiated an immediate and complete lockdown of all the educational institutions, to keep social distancing. According to healthcare professionals, lockdown and social distancing could help to flatten the infection curve and reduce total fatalities from the COVID-19 pandemic. It has affected more than 90% of the world's learners, as the regular learning approaches are not appropriate in this out of the ordinary times and online learning seems to have become a critical salvation for learning, the educational institutions attempt to minimize the community spread of the disease. All the people participating in the education system accepted that teaching and learning methods need to be altered in the period of COVID-19 as the situation led to forced adaptation of e-learning methods. This paper investigates and evaluates the learners' perception in a higher education institution of India and compares the difference in the perception of the same students in Pre and Post COVID- 19 period, using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences program (SPSS) version 23.0 and JASP 0.14.1 software applications for descriptive and analytical statistics i.e. medium, minimum, maximum, paired t-test and correlation. The result of this papers confirmed that there exists a statistically significant difference in the students' perception towards the Pre-Pandemic and Post-Pandemic learning methods, which indicates that students have a higher perception of the Pre-Pandemic learning blended learning, than that of the Post Pandemic learning web-assisted learning.

In this paper, NeuralProphet (NP), an explainable hybrid modular framework, enhances the forecasting performance of pandemics by adding two neural network modules; auto-regressor (AR) and lagged-regressor (LR). An advanced deep auto-regressor neural network (Deep-AR-Net) model is employed to implement these two modules. The enhanced NP is optimized via AdamW and Huber loss function to perform multivariate multi-step forecasting contrast to Prophet. The models are validated with COVID-19 time-series datasets. The NP's efficiency is studied component-wise for a long-term forecast for India and an overall reduction of 60.36% and individually 34.7% by AR-module, 53.4% by LR-module in MASE compared to Prophet. The Deep-AR-Net model reduces the forecasting error of NP for all five countries, on average, by 49.21% and 46.07% for short-and-long-term, respectively. The visualizations confirm that forecasting curves are closer to the actual cases but significantly different from Prophet. Hence, it can develop a real-time decision-making system for highly infectious diseases., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Pedagogical research during the COVID-19 pandemic initially focused on emergency remote teaching and subsequently shifted its focus to instructional design, student engagement, and teacher competencies. Existing research in the area highlights the need to go beyond an instrumental approach for e-learning to be truly effective. This includes examining critical factors such as power and control, the rationale behind decision-making processes, and accountability in educational policies in the context of e-learning. In an attempt to understand the mechanisms through which these critical factors influence remote teaching, the current paper employs an interpretative phenomenological lens to analyse subjective experiences of teaching online during the pandemic. Experiences particular to pre-pandemic teaching, transitioning to online teaching, and adapting to the new "normal" were explored. The overarching themes included the role of training/technical support, the need for enhancing student engagement, grading and assessment policies, the validity of online assessments, and optimal work-life balance. The uncertainty that the pandemic brought is far from resolved and there are still speculations regarding the resurgence of newer variants of COVID-19 and its repercussions on the education sector. The results of the study emphasise the fact that academicians are not just service providers but also end-users in online education. The findings will enable policymakers to reformulate decisions and guidelines in light of these dual roles, thereby addressing the needs and concerns of academicians more efficiently.

Purpose: This research aims to combine and extend the literature on the self-monitoring approach used by faculty members in online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model. The study also highlights the challenges faced by faculty members in online teaching. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a mixed methodology approach, the primary data was obtained from the faculty members of the post-graduate business schools. This data enabled the measurement of self-monitoring adopted by the faculty members and the relationship of the factors by using the TAM model. Multivariate regression was adopted to study the relationships between the elements in the TAM model and faculty members' self-monitoring. Secondly, a few exploratory questions were asked to the respondents about the challenges faced by them during online teaching. Findings: The quantitative analysis conducted using multiple regression directed that the faculty's contentment with any digital platform influenced their engagement, attention and participation while taking an online class as a part of the self-monitoring process. The perception of the technology platforms used for online teaching affected the faculty members' self-monitoring dimensions: attention, participation and engagement. Based on the qualitative approach, the thematic analysis pointed out five major challenges for faculty members in conducting online classes: I.T. support, hesitation, interaction with peers and students, proficiency with an online platform and evaluation challenges. Research limitations/implications: This study was conducted during the complete lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic; many faculty members were initially trained to get familiarized with the online teaching platforms and educate students. Hence, this study enriches the literature on online teaching during pandemic times. Practical implications: To ensure that the faculty impacts quality online education and the students obtain the knowledge and skills required, faculty need to alter their pedagogy based on the technology they use to focus on their students' teaching, learning and needs. Originality/value: This study measures self-monitoring and its dimensions for faculty members, which is unique in nature. This was the first time the faculty members were imposed with the responsibility of online teaching and ensuring that the learning-teaching process was fruitful. This study has both theoretical and practical implications as the paper focuses on various insights which can make online teaching-learning more effective.

Due to COVID-19, there was a sudden shift from offline campus learning to emergency remote learning. Consequently, there is little understanding of students' preferences, perceptions, and attitudes regarding online education. This research paper aims to bridge this gap through the study conducted over 3 months in three stages for business management students. Our study focuses on learning preferences, barriers, benefits, and opportunities in online learning during pandemic times. Our research has significant managerial implications. Our study concludes that making the online content more interactive, project-based, and less dependent on the live classes (by providing prerecorded lessons and notes) with clear communication of learning outcomes will benefit the students.

In this paper, the effectiveness of training faculty in laboratory teaching (the teaching of science in a laboratory setting using experiments and similar exercises) through the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)--virtual technologies for faculties in institutions of higher education in the Indian state of Kerala--was evaluated and measured. The efficacy of employing ICT to train teachers in higher education is important, and we have identified 5I factors (innovative, interactive, involvement, informative, and influential) to help ascertain the effectiveness of such technology training during pandemic teaching. The laboratory learning using VL can describe the student's engagement in the online learning process. This work more specifically identifies how ICT helps in laboratory teaching and identifies the critical pedagogical aspects of the ICT. If the technology has these 5I factors, then it will be an effective teaching method for laboratory learning. Here, we used the ICT-virtual labs in science as the technology to evaluate these five factors. The research first began by conducting an ethnicity profile of science teachers in the middle and high/secondary stages of school consisting of classes "VII," "IX," and "X" (i.e., students of ages 11 to 15). To evaluate the use of VL in the 5I framework, the faculties in science were divided into experimental and control groups (n = 101). The experimental group practiced in a virtual lab in the first stage, but the control group did not. Test I was then performed on both groups. In the second stage, both groups practiced with real lab equipment, and test II was conducted on both groups. The tests and other data from the two groups were statistically analyzed using independent t tests. There were notable differences between the experimental and control groups: in terms of time for understanding the concepts behind the experiment, time for doing the experiment, and accuracy in results, with the experimental group performing significantly better. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between the two groups in task completion accuracy. Overall, there was a beneficial transfer of training from the virtual lab exercise to the real lab, with the experimental group's average score being higher.

Many academic institutions that had previously hesitated to modify their old pedagogical method had to opt for completely online modules due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. This paper provides insight into the perception of students of higher education concerning the online mode of learning. Data was collected from 310 students pursuing different courses. A questionnaire, divided into 7 sections was administered including: general information of students, time management, understanding of course content, view of students on assignments and submissions, ease and comfort of study, skill development and motivation, and course satisfaction. The data was analyzed quantitative analysis. Results showed that 72.4% of students do not prefer the online platform for learning and this view is contributed by parameters like net connectivity, time, overall development of the candidate and evaluation of the course outcomes. Various parameters such as internet connectivity, parallel data users, unwanted anxiety, extra time, comfort, understanding of the concepts, interaction, information absorption and retainment, course evaluation and assignments, expense comparison, skill development, lecture participation and extracurricular growth were mentioned. It is suggested that an alternative to classroom learning must be used to maintain one's academic progress.

This paper presents a compilation of personal reflections from 66 contributors on the impact of, and responses to, COVID-19 in accounting education in 45 different countries around the world. It reveals a commonality of issues, and a variability in responses, many positive outcomes, including the creation of opportunities to realign learning and teaching strategies away from the comfort of traditional formats, but many more that are negative, primarily relating to the impact on faculty and student health and well-being, and the accompanying stress. It identifies issues that need to be addressed in the recovery and redesign stages of the management of this crisis, and it sets a new research agenda for studies in accounting education.

Online teaching and learning as an electronically supported approach relies mainly on the Internet as the medium for knowledge transmission. The utmost efforts are being made so that learning will be possible, even during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also maintaining academic integrity. In this paper, we discuss the major steps taken to foster the educational needs of chemistry students in India along with the major challenges faced by Indian teachers and learners. Transmission of education involves all-round and far-ranging development of the learners. This paper elaborates on how the activities being carried out in everyday classrooms could not be replicated efficiently in an online teaching--learning platform. Great attention was given to maintaining academic integrity; this was reflected in the process of moving instruction online.

Purpose: This paper aims to study the perception of school students towards online classes via virtual meeting applications and to unravel the teachers' preparedness and students' preparedness for running synchronous online classes and its impact on student's engagement and their satisfaction during the period of lockdown due to COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: On the basis of focused group discussions with teachers and students of top 10 private CBSE affiliated schools (National capital Region, Delhi, India), survey instrument was constructed. Further, 489 valid responses were finally analysed through partial least square (PLS) method and structural model was tested. Findings: All the six independent variables such as teachers' structured approach, teachers' technical readiness, teachers' self-efficacy, students' technical readiness, students' autonomy and students' self-efficacy influenced students' engagement and satisfaction towards synchronous online classes significantly. The result of the structural model also reveals that students' engagement is a significant predictor of students' satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: The paper outlines the scope for future research in ascertaining more critical success factors other than satisfaction and engagement. Scope of this research suggests inclusion of not only schools but framework is also important for college and university level educational bodies. Data collection was confined to students only whereas viewpoint of teachers and parents may also be included. Originality/value: This study devised a collaborative form of learning where both the parties learnt while making continuous interactions and also co-created value in terms of new skills. Provision of autonomy given to students can't be overlooked as an important indicator for his/her preparedness. As a result, students feel motivated to get engaged in the whole process which makes them satisfied and will be able to identify the learning outcomes equal to or greater than in physical classroom settings.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, every aspect of daily life is being altered in response to the virus. The pandemic has altered secondary education. Classes online, teachers struggling to learn Zoom and make lessons meaningful and relevant to students. Students struggling to make sense of this moment, struggling with mental health issues due to the loss of routine and in many cases contact with adult role models. Unfortunately, in times of crisis such as these some of the most disenfranchized people in society are completely overlooked and forgotten, such as refugees. However, if more teachers were to leverage the social studies potential of current events such as the Coronavirus, greater empathy would be felt for marginalized people more starkly impacted by the pandemic, leading ultimately to a heightened sense of civic engagement among the next generation. The purpose of this paper is to assist teachers in guiding their students through analyzing current events, such as COVID-19's impact on refugees, toward developing civic mindedness. In addition to this, the paper will discuss some of the broader societal impacts the virus is having within the United States, as well as ways in which this event may be viewed as a historical subject in the future. The paper will begin by building the content knowledge of high school social studies teachers through addressing the following question: "What is the difference between a refugee entering the United States now versus one year ago before the COVID-19 pandemic?" Following this, the authors will present an inquiry-based learning segment designed to teach the History correlated to the COVID-19 pandemic to a classroom of secondary education students. The inquiry template follows the standard C3 format utilized by the State of Connecticut.

Purpose: During any crisis situation like a pandemic, war or natural disaster, online/blended learning could meet the academic needs of the learners in a bigger way. The use of information and communication technology (ICT)-based technologies has converted the entire teaching pedagogy to a learner centred pedagogy, following which the skills of using technology are to be seen as the most essential qualifications on the part of both the teachers/educators and learners. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand the perceptions of the teachers and learners regarding the use of online/blended learning modes in teaching learning transactions. Another purpose of the paper being to find out the prospects and challenges of providing online/blended learning in a country like India, particularly during and in post-COVID-19 situations. Design/methodology/approach: The academic analytics approach was used for the study. A structured questionnaire was designed in Google Forms covering the perceptions of the teachers and learners in different Indian universities and colleges regarding online/blended services and analysis was done using Google Analytics. Further, analysis of the data received had been done by using simple statistical tool like percentage. Findings: Blended learning could be the solution for providing education in the context of the 21st century India. However, unlike in case of the conventional education, open education has widened the scope of learning adhering to the motto -- "Bring your own device" to learn. The extensive use of open educational resources, massive open online courses, social media and meeting apps during the COVID-19 lockdown, has opened up the minds of the knowledge-hungry people, further enabling them to receive the necessary educational inputs, training and skills even during the current pandemic situation. This is going to have a big impact in the ways of educational transactions in the days to come. Research limitations/implications: The discussions in the paper are limited to a study of representative states of India, and it is a general study only. The sample size was limited to only 120 as the response rate was significantly low compared to the number of addressees to whom the questionnaire was sent. Practical implications: This study will help in understanding the present state of online/blended learning in a country like India. The use of online learning was no doubt intensified by the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, the study will also help in preparing a roadmap, at the policy level, regarding the beneficial use of online/blended teaching learning models both by the teachers and learners during any future crisis-like situations in a country like India. Social implications: Through this paper, a new social constructivism has been visualised to know the acceptability of online/blended learning opportunities on the part of the teachers and learners across India. If that social constructivism can actually be realised through the benefits of online learning, India might emerge as one of the important leaders of education in the coming days. To that extent, the COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as a blessing in disguise. Originality/value: It is important to examine the perceptions of both teachers and learners on the use of online learning in their regular curriculum transactions most particularly when the whole world is facing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has adversely affected millions of learners across the world. The paper is original because it explores the current state of online/blended learning in a developing country like India to provide a practical and realistic vision of a new way of learning in the post-COVID-19 situations.

Stress has become one of the major reasons for many mental health related issues among students of all age groups, which has resulted in devastating personal losses including suicide. Societal and familial pressure to succeed is high, particularly in developing countries where education is highly valued as a key enabler. As part of stress management during the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for online intelligent virtual advisors has risen and, consequently, the need for personalised explanation that is culturally sensitive to the user's context is essential to improve the user's understanding of and trust in the recommendations provided by the virtual advisor. This paper presents the mAnaging stRess at University embodied conversational agent (ECA) that has been adapted for Indian university students from an explainable agent that was found to help Western students reduce their stress by providing study tips with explanations based on the student's beliefs and/or goals. We conducted a research study with sixty students which measured the impact of providing three different patterns of tailored explanations (belief-based, goal-based, and belief and goal-based explanation) on the students' intentions to change the recommended behaviours and the relationship built with the ECA. The experimental results indicate that there was stress reduction across all student groups provided with different types of explanations. Further, the students showed trust and a good working alliance with the conversational agent, along with an intention to change behaviour across all types of explanations. However, it was observed that the user context played an important role in behaviour change intention and hence explanations could be tailored further, making them culturally more relevant to Indian students.