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AbstractOnline teaching and learning focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information to students who reside in different geographical locations. After the COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching and learning became a popular strategy in all higher learning institutions around the world to continue the interrupted teaching and learning process while keeping physical distance. There is, as yet, a dearth of research on the adoption of online teaching and learning in postgraduate classes in Ethiopia. This study aimed to explore the adoption of the first online teaching and learning in Ethiopian post-graduate classes during COVID-19 at public universities in the Amhara Region. To do this, a descriptive survey design with a mixed research approach was employed, and data were collected through online classroom observation, questionnaires and interviews. In doing so, 283 instructors participated in the study through comprehensive sampling from three public universities in the quantitative phase and 15 instructors, serving as members of the Academic Council, were selected purposively in the qualitative phase. Combined data analysis revealed the existence of online teaching and learning practices with differences in adoption. Universities in Amhara Region should give attention to instructors’ online teaching and learning practices in postgraduate programs.

This article explores instructors and students’ beliefs toward effective teaching in higher education in Ethiopia. Besides classroom observations, we developed and conducted semi-structured interviews with ten instructors and 12 students at one higher education institution. We followed the data condensation and displayed it for interpreting the data. The findings highlight the qualities of effective teaching and the hope for a change in the current teaching approach to actively participate in the teaching-learning action. This, however, demands a change in designing the course syllabus and assignments and the continuous professional development of the teaching faculty.

The number of international students is immensely increasing in China towards the internationalization of higher education. This tendency inspired the emergence of teaching in multicultural classrooms (MCs), which is challenged by the lack of innovative instructional strategies matching international students’ needs and preferences. This study reveals the experiences and challenges faced by doctoral and master’s students in China. The researchers used a qualitative case study where an in-depth interview with 12 international students was conducted. Besides, classroom observation of six doctoral and master courses was documented. The international students’ main challenges include: the university teachers use of framing as the basis for their interaction, stereotyping as significant sources of examples and illustrations, and cultural-biased knowledge sharing yet prejudice towards the (under)-developing nations’ cultures. Consequently, this study calls for a change in MCs’ used instructional strategies in Chinese universities. The university teacher expertise (UTE) should include proper and more practical training.