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In response to paradigm shifts in education, teacher education institutions have increasingly adopted flexible learning modalities such as online courses, blended learning approaches, and personalized instruction to meet the diverse needs of students and prepare educators for the demands of modern classrooms. This study used a mixed-method research design to gain a comprehensive understanding of the flexible teaching and learning modalities it brought to mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) and learners in a state university in West Philippines. Since ethical considerations preclude random sampling, the study comprised nonrandom participants using purposive sampling, where 189 learners were surveyed, and six MTEs and 16 learners were interviewed. A researcher-made interview guide was prepared to describe the flexible teaching and learning modalities and opportunities of the MTEs. Also, a researcher-made questionnaire was used to describe the learners' general assessment of the flexible teaching and learning modalities in mathematics education. Quantitative data were gathered online, while qualitative data were gathered through interviews. Results showed that flexible teaching-learning approaches have implications for education, overcoming barriers, and promoting engagement. The findings highlight the importance of technology integration, inclusive assessment modalities, infrastructure support, and professional development opportunities in enhancing the quality and accessibility of flexible teaching and learning, ultimately leading to inclusive educational environments. Therefore, the educational institution must adopt flexible instructional modalities, emphasize diverse assessment methods, and personalize the learning experience by integrating online platforms and various assessments for effective mathematics instruction.

Workplace shortages are a top concern for schools in times of calm and even more troubling in times of stress. Burnout is especially widespread in stressful situations of disrupted learning, trauma, and discord (e.g., Diliberti & Schwartz, 2022; Thomas et al., 2019). In the wake of the pandemic, educators struggled to deal with the stressors on their own (IES, 2022). It became clear that schools could no longer work in isolation. Moving forward in the wake of the pandemic required an intentional shift in purpose from isolated classrooms to interconnected partnerships with families and communities. In the path to recovery, educators rediscovered the value of shifting beyond the schoolhouse to engage in partnerships with the greater community. Lessons learned indicate that schools were more likely to make the shift to partnerships happen when they welcomed the wisdom of families, embraced external supports, and collaborated to expand local community resources for healing and recovery.

This research purposed to test the accuracy of Machine Learning techniques for learner analytics based on SEEEM factors of secondary education students in Thailand's COVID-19. Research volunteer came from secondary education students in Thailand who invited by researcher. The research questionnaire adapted from Computational Thinking Assessment by Korkmaz et al. (2017), Science Process Skills by Pruekpramool (2014), Environmental Literacy Instrument for Adolescents by EPA (2018), Test of Economic Literacy by Walstad et al. (2013), and Technology and Engineering Literacy Student Questionnaire by NAEP (2018). This research employed the statistics in analysis of Mean and Standard Deviation, and Machine Learning Techniques such as Naïve Bay (NB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), Logistics Regression (LR), Gradient Boosting (GB), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with 80% for training and 20% for testing. The results of this research as it shown techniques used in data analytics in this paper may benefit to educators, teachers, or students in Thailand.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators reported that the most affected group in distance education was special needs students. Educators also provided critical reports stating that special needs students miss or fail to understand activities in online education. The reason for this issue can be the lack of access to resources, the inability to benefit from resources, or the difficulty in following practices. This research was designed to investigate the effect of online implementation on students with special needs in science classrooms. For this purpose, a four-week online education was conducted by selecting a special needs 7th-grade student with mild intellectual disability. Before and after the implementation, an achievement test and an attitude scale were utilized to examine the academic success of the student and her attitudes towards science courses. As a result of the online intervention, it was observed that there was an enhancement in the student's attitude and academic success. Providing remote one-on-one support can offer contributions to the development of special needs students.

The high level of inequality in South Africa has widened the gap between rural and urban schools, and the performance of rural schools has been continuously declining compared to urban schools. Poor performance in rural schools is perpetuated by parents being absent from their children's education because the socio-economic conditions and their educational background do not allow them to commit their time and energy towards education. Learners are left on their own to decide their future. The disparity between rural and urban schooling was further exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools were closed during lockdown, teaching and learning was suspended in rural schools, however, in urban schools teaching and learning continued through online platforms. The lockdowns gave parents an opportunity to teach, advocate, and create conducive spaces to help their children focus on learning. During lockdowns, parents were expected to act as teachers in their homes to educate their children, and therefore, school closure presented opportunities for parents to actively participate in their children's education. However, their socio-economic conditions and poor educational backgrounds continue to threaten effective parental engagement, posing a threat to the academic success of rural learners. Despite attempts by the government to introduce school governing bodies in schools as a structure to integrate schools and parents, the problem of little parental engagement remains unresolved. The purpose with this study was to empower parents in rural areas to effectively participate in their children's education.

Today, an increasing number of higher education institutions are recognizing the importance of preparing students to communicate, live, and work effectively with others from different cultural backgrounds (Appiah-Kubi, 2020; Eliyahy-Levi, 2020; Iuspa, 2019). Providing opportunities for students to travel abroad has been an integral part of the higher education experience for many years. However, with the global pandemic resulting in limited travel, universities are developing new and innovative ways to provide international experiences for students. The purpose of this cross disciplinary project was to explore an international virtual student collaboration between two universities, one in the United States and one in Southeast Asia. Twenty students were matched across universities to examine one of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals: #2 Zero Hunger (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). Fighting hunger is not a new problem in our world, but the focus has been greater in the midst of a world-wide pandemic. Many people have lost jobs or had their income severely impacted. Students from both universities worked collaboratively to explore the issues of fighting hunger during a pandemic and focused on finding solutions that can last long after the end of this current pandemic.

During the past COVID-19 pandemic, the digital skills of Thai citizens have transformed. This study will lead to ways to promote and develop digital skills and competency in various fields in order to be ready to cope with the Next Normal era. The study of digital competency of Thai citizens aimed to 1) study the digital competency of Thai people, and 2) compare the digital competency of Thai citizens in terms of gender, age and educational background. The 912 research samples were obtained by volunteer sampling. The research instrument was an online evaluation form. Data were analyzed by percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test for independent samples by one-way ANOVA. The research found that 1) the overall digital competency of Thai citizens was at a high level, in terms of digital knowledge and skills and characteristics to use digital information technology and communication with confidence and creativity to achieve goals related to work, learning, and participation in society. When considering each aspect, it was found that communication and collaboration, safety, information and data literacy, problem solving, and digital content creation were all at a high level respectively; and 2) When comparing the digital competency of Thai citizens, it was found that the samples with different genders had no statistically significant difference in digital competency. As for age and educational backgrounds, there was a statistically significant difference in digital performance at the 0.05 level, except for the digital competency in safety which had no statistically significant difference. The overall digital competency of Thai citizens at all educational levels is high, and those in advanced professional fields have the highest level of digital competency overall. This is in line with the regulations of numerous Thai universities and vocational schools, which mandate that final-year students take a Digital Literacy Test.

The development of ICTs that can be used for Education 5.0 is rapid. Current educational practice suggests that many lecturers experience challenges in implementing the use of some form of ICT in teaching and learning. The research explores the impact of TPACK on the implementation of Education 5.0 in universities during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. The qualitative research study was conducted with university lecturers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Mishra & Koehler's (2006) TPACK framework which focuses on technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and content knowledge was used as the lens of the study. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online delivery of education was found to be effective, convenient, and facilitated access to information. However, the universities experienced poor Internet connectivity, lack of infrastructure, unreliable devices and unavailability of software, as challenges to effectively implement Education 5.0. The training of lecturers to empower them to engage students effectively during the implementation of Education 5.0 was vital.

The post-pandemic era of COVID-19 still leaves crucial problems for vocational education (VE). Practical learning readiness (PLR), which includes dimensions of readiness to support knowledge, and physical and psychological conditions of students, is a fundamental problem that must be resolved through systematic mapping. Therefore, this encourages us to measure the level of readiness from these three dimensions. Apart from that, we also examine the differences in dimensions and indicators and test the determination in constructing PLR to determine problem-solving systematically. The survey was conducted on 386 vocational students, but the final number was 339, considering that 47 of them did not have good rational data level criteria. The results of the descriptive analysis show that psychological conditions and supporting knowledge are at a low level, while physical conditions are at a high level. The results of the comparison test show that the three are generally not significantly different, although there are notes on several indicators. Even though all dimensions contribute significantly to building PLR, psychological conditions make the highest contribution. This shows that a low psychological condition is the first step in suffering from VE. Furthermore, several notes regarding the reduction in knowledge-supporting practices are also the second effort that VE must make to increase PLR among its students.

The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic extended to the education sector in South Africa, prompting the implementation of preventative measures by the National Coronavirus Command Council. These COVID-19 protocols included the wearing of face masks or face shields, ensuring maximum ventilation, washing of hands, and school attendance routines to deal with overcrowded classrooms, among others. This study aimed to delve into the implementation of COVID-19 protocols in schools, focusing on the strategies utilised and the challenges teachers encountered. Employing a qualitative research methodology within a case study framework, the study involved eight teachers (five male and three female) from four schools in the Sekhukhune District, selected through purposive sampling. Data were elicited through semi-structured interviews to gain a thorough understanding of the phenomenon and coded for anonymity purposes. Aligned with the goal of the study, thematic data analysis was adopted for analysing the data. The findings revealed that teachers faced significant challenges in balancing their responsibilities in implementing COVID-19 protocols alongside making up for lost teaching time. However, alternative strategies were employed by teachers to mitigate this loss including the deployment of assistant teachers to support protocol and assist students with homework, additional security personnel to help guard and control unnecessary school visits, and for teachers to provide supplementary notes and embark on online learning. Recommendations include the increased deployment of support personnel, increased community involvement, training teachers to use online learning platforms, and for the Department of Basic Education to develop a guidance sheet to assist teachers in navigating the challenges of teaching during a pandemic.

Though language education and research have pushed back against traditional, hegemonic ways of teaching, they continue to exclude conversations on spirituality. Moreover, a deficit lens in language education perpetuates a focus on what needs to be improved rather than on our students' assets. In this pedagogical intervention, we begin by weaving the work of feminists of color to discuss what asset-based, desired-based research and feminist pedagogy can contribute to understanding children's spiritual activism. We worked with 31 fourth graders in a private school in Duitama, Colombia. As the study took place during the pandemic and mass mobilizations, the children shared their spirituality to cope with reality. Furthermore, the children's spirituality demonstrated their belief in a higher power, positive emotions to comfort others, hope for a better future, and an understanding of equity based on race and gender. We invite language educators and researchers to create spaces for children to share their spiritual activism through the integration of feminist pedagogy focused on asset and desire-based approaches.

Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are important skills in English language learning. However, some students are not successful in learning English due to several factors. The model for improving the English learning skills of students is essential. However, except for the HyFlex learning model, no suitable model for learners has been found following the new normal. This research, therefore, identify the bibliographic keywords of HyFlex learning for the English learning skills of teacher students. According to a total of 465 documents published in the Scopus database, 40 articles met the research inclusion criteria and keywords related to HyFlex learning could be used to guide the development of the model of English language learning skills of students. Findings, the keywords of HyFlex learning for the English learning skills of teacher students 42 keywords related to Hyflex learning that clustered into seven categories: Higher education, Learning environment, Teaching and learning model, Digital technology for learning, Teacher, Student, and English language.

Online learning affects students' curiosity, so it is important to develop students' curiosity during the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze students' curiosity about online learning. This study was conducted in the Department of Mathematics Education during the odd semester 2021/2022 with 106 students in three different courses. The research instrument was a mathematical curiosity questionnaire administered to students using the Google Documents application. The data analysis technique used was descriptive analysis. The results showed that the general curiosity of the students is classified as "strong" with a percentage of 75.17%. Academically, students with low, medium and high curiosity are considered strong with percentages of 74.07 percent, 76.5 percent and 75.12 percent. Measured by gender differences, the proportion of male and female students is 76.43 and 77.5 percent. Data analysis showed that in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, curiosity about learning mathematics does not depend on the academic level of online learning or on gender differences. The effect of the result that the students during the COVID-19 pandemic, mathematical curiosity is still used in online learning and should be improved. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on mathematical learning in the digital age and offers practical recommendations for fostering mathematical curiosity in online.

The shift from online to offline learning during the post-COVID-19 pandemic prevents pre-service EFL teachers from producing spontaneous oral utterances due to speaking anxiety. The article aims to determine the most preferential strategies that effectively cover speaking anxiety and identify a significant variation among the strategies. To meet such objectives, a survey research design was conducted. A Likert-scale questionnaire was distributed to 64 pre-service EFL teachers using online Google Forms. The responses were quantitatively analysed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey post hoc. The findings showed that pre-service EFL teachers favoured using cognitive strategies to overcome speaking anxiety. Additional results reveal that cognitive and metacognitive strategies were impactful in reducing anxiety; meanwhile, a combination of compensatory, affective, and social strategies also demonstrates slight effectiveness. Therefore, providing pre-service EFL teachers with training to develop cognitive and metacognitive strategies for coping with speaking anxiety is recommended.

This research aims to understand how teachers of autistic children responded to teaching remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six teachers who work in an autism centre took part in face-toface semi-structured interviews in the Kingdom of Bahrain on their perspectives of teaching autistic children remotely and how their mothers adapted to this mode of teaching. The teachers reported that the unprecedented change was challenging for autistic children and their families, but especially for mothers, who were in all cases, the primary caretakers. The effectiveness of remote teaching depended on the cooperation and the willingness of the mother and child to engage in the process. Overall, teachers agreed that in comparison to face-to-face teaching, remote teaching was not a positive experience.

In higher education the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a shift to online learning. Despite its uncommon practice in universities, designing courses with both flexible delivery and assessments has demonstrated enhanced understanding and improved application to professional contexts, particularly benefiting older students working full-time and managing caregiving responsibilities. Using a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative feedback through student surveys and learning management system data, this study reveals that a hyper-flexible approach effectively accommodates students, particularly those with conflicting family and professional commitments. While peer-to-peer engagement was reported to be negatively affected, students perceive this as an acceptable trade-off to flexible learning. Although not universally applicable, hyper-flexible teaching proves highly beneficial for non-traditional students with professional and personal obligations, fostering a positive learning environment conducive to deeper understanding.

This article explores the shift towards place-based education, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, advocating for innovative, flexible teaching methods. Integrating local environments and communities into education fosters active citizenship and social engagement, particularly benefiting Indigenous communities. Reflecting on personal experiences, the article emphasizes the intersectionality of sustainability and place-based education, promoting meaningful educational experiences that empower students as agents of change. It dives into the benefits, challenges, and implications of incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy, advocating for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable education practices. Through this holistic approach, schools can nurture environmentally conscious citizens deeply rooted in their cultural heritage, driving societal change towards justice, equity, and respect. [Note: The issue number (1) shown on some pages of the PDF is incorrect. The correct issue number is 2.]

Australian academics are being squeezed from all sides, facing ever-intensifying bureaucratic expectations around research output, coupled with increased teaching commitments and mounting administrative duties. These demands are occurring in an environment where most academics are still employed under traditional arrangements whereby, notionally, 40 per cent of their workload is allocated to research, 40 per cent to teaching and the final 20 per cent to service or administration. Such figures are no longer -- and perhaps never were -- a realistic representation of average workloads. This paper discusses how Australian academics in the discipline of English have been working within and around the 40/40/20 model, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their workload. Discussion here is built on interviews with English academics, but the same concerns are applicable across the tertiary sector because employment conditions tend to be standardised at the institutional level rather than at a disciplinary level.

The COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian government's response, and longer-term influences within Australia's higher education sector, provided the background and rationale for this study in an Australian public university. From a context of how Antipodean University (AU) dealt with the revenue crisis, this paper describes how a sample of staff were affected through job loss or redeployment. It describes reported experiences of 77 AU staff, who either departed AU or who transferred to other jobs within AU, and who provided narratives describing their leaving/redeployment experiences. Respondents had been academic and professional staff, and most of those leaving did so in December 2020. An inductive reflexive thematic analysis of online survey responses revealed six themes: Relevant features of the external environment, AU's organisational culture and values, Parties involved with respondents' leaving experience, Leaving/redeployment processes encountered, Respondent's personal agency, and Past/present condition in/directly attributed to changed employment status, with 25 subthemes.

Despite new challenges in selecting and using curriculum resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers continued to use existing resources published by the ministry or global publishers. Understanding how teachers use curriculum resources is necessary for designing more effective curricula and drawing lessons for professional development. This study investigates how high school English teachers used curriculum resources during COVID-19. Following maximum variation sampling, we used a holistic multiple-case design with six volunteer experienced English teachers from four different types of schools in Izmir. As recommended for case studies, classroom observations, document reviews, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analyzed by using theoretical thematic analysis. The findings reveal that teachers mostly favored the offloading in the use of curriculum resources in synchronous online and face-to-face teaching, and the second most frequently used approach is adaptation during the pandemic period. Omitting and improvising were the least preferred approaches. When the synchronous online and face-to-face lessons are compared, the approaches to using curricular resources appear to be broadly similar. In other words, the approaches to using curriculum resources did not change much during synchronous online and face-to-face lessons. The curricular resources are tried to be used by offloading so that the students do not experience learning losses, and adaptations are made by using web 2.0 tools and various digital resources. [This article includes an extended summary in Turkish.]

Universities switched from face-to-face to emergency distance education as a solution to the crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. This enabled face-to-face students to experience distance education. This study examined these experiences for tour guiding education. Distance education was available in tour guiding departments at a few Türkiye universities before the pandemic, and this was a discussion topic in academic. However, emergency distance education presented a dilemma for students: distance education or face-to-face education. Thus, the research includes students in the face-to-face tour guiding departments. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was employed to collect data using semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings revealed that students preferred face-to-face education while being uncertain about the pros and cons of distance education. However, this decision should be underlined as not definitive. The study emphasizes that distance education is ineffective for tour guiding education due to the absence of practical courses, which are crucial for tour guiding, as well as effective communication. The study provides theoretical insights into the educational strategies used in tourism during crises and offers practical implications for enhancing distance education in higher education institutions.

This essay explores how writing in community for EdD students can be pivotal in helping them succeed in their academic journey. Considering existing research, three UC Davis CANDEL EdD (Capital Area North Doctorate in Educational Leadership) students and recent alumni use a case study approach to highlight the ways writing in community was instrumental to their own journeys and enhanced their sense of belonging. This essay highlights the challenges faced by the EdD students, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. They leaned into the transformative power of writing in community and use vignettes to detail their personal experiences. They showcase the power of critical friendship that encouraged vulnerability and connection within their group and catapulted them towards dissertation completion. The essay also recommends institutional support for specific interventions to further writing in community in all EdD programs.

Before the EdD program through UC Davis, my own decisions and thinking process perpetuated an inequitable system that seemed to be working to support and uplift marginalized communities. When beginning my personal journey through the doctoral program and throughout the pandemic, there were epiphanies that awakened me to new institutional versions that empowered my ways of approaching education and leading future generations to question, early and often, the systems that were supposed to increase their ability to become leaders themselves. The concluding research recommendations support the implementation of culturally sustaining pedagogical practices to increase authentic historically marginalized student self-expression and empowerment of students and community. This work is done through understanding the priorities of the community, offering transparency, communicating, and listening while promoting health and safety as a means of cariño. Communicating that our priorities on site are children first, rather than test scores and attendance percentages, I seek creative means to empower our young scholars to bridge a gap between site and community and authentically celebrate the diversity on our campus.

In this reflective essay, I explore learnings and reflections along my doctoral journey and analyze how this journey has been untraditional for an education administrator. As a scholar-practitioner, I include a section on the impact of societal changes since the COVID-19 pandemic. I then document continuing challenges for women of color administrators and refine imposter syndrome theory in my own way. Finally, I offer some thoughts about how to move forward.

Laboratory activities are essential and important components of learning chemistry at the undergraduate level. The COVID-19 pandemic led to disruption of traditional modes of teaching and learning over the whole education spectrum including laboratory courses in chemistry. Although unfortunate, the COVID-19 lockdown period and following years challenged well accepted norms leading to new opportunities for higher education. The purpose of this work is to synthesize useful lessons from student experiences during COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic era aiming for improved future chemistry laboratories at the college and university level. Previously published studies addressed advantages and disadvantages of face-to-face vs. remote and online teaching of chemistry laboratory courses. However, there are only a few student-centered studies which analyze students' perceptions of undergraduate chemistry laboratories in the post-pandemic era. Although the study was conducted at the university in the United States, we believe the lessons learned could be used globally. The present study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in this field of research. It is unique because surveyed students experienced different modalities of the laboratory and were given an opportunity to compare both modalities side by side. Therefore, student experiences provide stronger foundations of their preferences and perceptions described in this work. Based on our findings, it appears that post-pandemic undergraduate students taking a non-major course prefer hands-on experiments and a hybrid modality of chemistry laboratory.

Management education, continuously evolving since the 1990s, recognizes the need to develop proficient management professional's adept at strategic decision-making. The present research delves into the effectiveness of a management course for first-year students at a chosen School of Management, underlining its paramount importance in ensuring student retention and bolstering departmental stability. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional physical and online learning methods in a management course for first-year students at a university in Taiwan, focusing on students' satisfaction with their learning performance. The study aims to compare the educational efficacy of these two instructional modes and analyze the variations in student performance and satisfaction. The methodology involved a longitudinal design with data collection from first-year students in 2022 (online learning) and 2023 (physical learning). The research employed pre-test and post-test evaluations, regression analysis, and Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) to assess the impact of course units on students' learning satisfaction. This study employed regression analysis to determine the influence of enhancing "Management Basis" and "Management Operations" on satisfaction. The results revealed that online learning outperformed physical learning in terms of overall student satisfaction, particularly in understanding "Management Basis" and "Management Operations." However, physical learning demonstrated higher improvements in student scores and satisfaction, particularly in areas requiring detailed explanations and hands-on engagement, such as "Control Tools.". The novelty of this research lies in its comparative approach to evaluating two distinct learning environments during a critical period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings offer valuable insights into how different teaching modalities impact student satisfaction and learning outcomes, providing guidance for educators to refine instructional strategies to enhance student learning efficacy across different formats. The study underscores the importance of adapting teaching methods to suit the specific demands of online and physical learning environments.

This case study examines the experience of Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar (UASB-E), a traditionally face-to-face institution in Ecuador, as it transitioned to online learning during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on data from interviews, surveys, and document analysis, the study explores the challenges and opportunities associated with this rapid shift, offering insights for rethinking and redesigning higher education in the post-pandemic world. Prior to the pandemic, UASB-E primarily relied on face-to-face teaching with limited use of its virtual learning environment. In response to the crisis, the university quickly mobilized to migrate its entire educational offering online, initially adopting an emergency remote teaching approach focused on synchronous videoconferencing. However, student preferences and the need for a sustainable solution prompted UASB-E to rethink its online learning model. The study identifies six key dimensions of UASB-E's improvement in its capacity to deliver online education: (1) Technological Infrastructure and Digital Processes: Enhanced technological infrastructure and streamlined digital processes in management, administration, and academics, laying the foundation for a robust online learning environment. (2) Pedagogical Innovation: Recognizing the limitations of replicating face-to-face teaching online, UASB-E embraced activity-based instructional design, asynchronous online education, and collaborative learning strategies, promoting deeper engagement and personalized learning experiences. (3) Accessibility and Inclusivity: By leveraging the flexibility of online learning, UASB-E expanded its reach beyond its physical campus, reaching students across Ecuador who might not have otherwise accessed higher education, demonstrating the potential of online learning to democratize access to quality education. (4) Programme Diversification: Beyond emergency measures, UASB-E is strategically diversifying its academic offerings, developing new face-to-face, blended, and fully online programmes, allowing for flexibility and catering to diverse student needs and learning preferences. (5) Faculty Training and Development: Implemented a comprehensive training programme focusing on both the instrumental skills of managing online platforms and the pedagogical aspects of designing engaging and effective online learning experiences. (6) Assessment and Feedback: The study highlights the need for a more reflective and analytical approach to assessment and feedback in online environments, with efforts to improve feedback timeliness, individual support, and communication providing valuable lessons for other institutions. Beyond UASB-E's specific experience, the study emphasizes the importance of collaboration and cross-sectoral strategies in building resilient and comprehensive education systems for the future. It also underscores the need for new approaches to learning ecologies that leverage technology effectively while ensuring equitable, inclusive, and high-quality education for all. This case study offers valuable insights for higher education institutions navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of online learning. By understanding the challenges and opportunities that emerged from UASBE's experience, other institutions can make informed decisions about their own online learning strategies and contribute to shaping a more resilient and flexible future for higher education.

We study the effects of the COVID pandemic on educational attainment. By 2022, entry into two-year colleges was 21 percent lower than before the pandemic, with larger declines in Black- and Hispanic-majority colleges. Four-year college entry declined by only 6 percent and then rebounded 4 percent. High school graduation reached an all-time high in 2022. To explain these patterns, we undertook an interrupted time series design. Lower numbers of COVID cases and higher levels of in-person instruction led to increased college entry and possibly increased graduation. Relaxation of graduation standards explain between-state variation in high school graduation and helps explain the continued high graduation rates. Changing labor-market opportunities do not explain cross-state variation in attainment. We suggest additional explanations for these trends. Barring other substantial changes, we predict that future college attainment will be lower for cohorts of school or college age during the pandemic, especially for some marginalized groups.

This article examines the negative effects social media has on adolescents' health and well-being, and how it impacts their academic life. Research was conducted by using scholarly search engines to locate several articles that examined the effects of social media use on adolescents within the last ten years. After reviewing the articles, five main themes emerged: social media's impact on (1) social-emotional health, (2) mental health, (3) physical health, (4) academic performance, and (5) the effect of social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from the literature review show the adverse effects of social media on adolescent social-emotional, mental, and physical health, and student academic performance. This review of the literature concludes by observing that adolescents are struggling with problematic social media use and need to learn responsible self-regulation tools and strategies. Future research should consider how to effectively protect and limit students from having to experience these adverse effects, while promoting a healthy and responsible balance of life online and in-person.

We investigate the contrasting realities of the pandemic on psychosocial experiences and ways of coping among American Voices Project respondent surveys (N = 720) and interviews (N = 172). Despite similar levels of distress early in the pandemic, by late 2020 clear differences across education, race and ethnicity, and gender emerged, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Those with structural advantages reported greater gains from the pandemic, including self-improvement opportunities like therapy and time outdoors. In contrast, respondents without college degrees, Black and Hispanic individuals, and women reported experiencing greater psychosocial shocks into the later months of 2020 and feeling disproportionately undervalued, socially disconnected, and stressed, respectively. The former two groups also systematically differed in their coping strategies, which included hard work, emotion suppression, and faith.

Mounting research has revealed how the labor of caregiving and parenting in the United States fell disproportionately to mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with negative impacts on mothers' personal and professional well-being. Here, we advance this growing body of work by examining how mothers' pandemic-related parenting and caregiving experiences differed across socioeconomic status. We ask the degree to which mothers' class-based parenting approaches persisted or dissipated in the wake of the pandemic. Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with 130 mothers caring for children under eighteen in 2020-2021, we find that these parenting patterns largely continued into the pandemic, with mothers' socioeconomic and employment status shaping how they experienced and navigated this disruption and particularly how they managed competing paid and unpaid labor demands.

Extant literature about the history and impact of federal financial aid is robust, however, financial aid eligibility and its connection to persistence for continuing students is an area less understood. As a result, this study describes how at-promise students articulate their knowledge of federal financial aid policy during COVID-19. We interviewed 14 students who were on financial aid warning, a status defined by federal financial aid policy regulations, to examine what students understand about their financial aid standing and the criteria to keep their funding. Findings suggest students were often confused about financial aid eligibility criteria, even though they confidently expressed incorrect information about financial aid policies. Moreover, students were uncertain about how to connect with institutional financial aid resources and did not understand that financial aid advising extended beyond their first semester. This study fills multiple gaps in the literature and articulates how institutions can improve students' understanding of financial aid policy through multiple modes of communication, intentional interventions, and clearer policies. Implications such as the inclusion of Financial Aid counselors and departments in retention support are discussed. [The pagination cited on the .pdf (p1-24) is incorrect. The correct pagination is p2-24.]

Segregation is often seen in terms of race. However, it can also be based on socioeconomic status. Public colleges and universities in the U.S. had highly divergent responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite operating under similar health and legal considerations, campuses at most elite institutions were treated as essential functions while the neighboring campuses of less elite institutions were often treated as non-essential functions. This was problematic during the pandemic, but the discrimination appears to be continuing after the emergency has passed. The policy of continued reduction of the role of the college campus is an attractive option for less exclusive institutions. While a campus is most valuable for the more marginalized students, it is their campuses that closed and remain limited. The community college campus is the foundation of higher education for many students. The purpose of this article was to explore the value of the campus experience.

Videoconferencing was heavily utilized as an online learning tool at universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the high utilization, few studies have examined students' perspectives on their health, social interaction, and preferences in using specific videoconferencing features for online pedagogy and campus participation. This study surveyed 275 occupational therapy students from six class cohorts regarding the use of videoconferencing during the 2020-2021 academic year. Students reported physical changes in fatigue, eye, and back discomfort from the use of videoconferencing for extended periods, in addition to increased stress and anxiety during this period. Students reported lower class engagement during videoconferencing, as indicated by less frequency of asking/answering questions, paying attention, participating in breakout rooms with unfamiliar peers, and less motivation to attend classes. While students preferred in-person versus videoconferencing for overall classroom engagement and knowledge retention, preferences were equivocal for use of videoconferencing in meeting with professors, peer tutoring, group projects, and office hours. A benefit to videoconferencing availability was the ability to maintain social communication with friends and family, particularly for undergraduates. Comparisons among class cohorts are presented.

The objective of this study was to explore occupational therapy (OT) students' occupational balance and to examine how OT students' experiences in a graduate program promoted or inhibited occupational balance. Grounded theory methodology was used to develop a theory of the occupational balance of entry-level OT students. Twenty-six students were recruited using convenience and maximum variation sampling. Data analysis through constant comparison of transcripts, field notes, and memos consisted of open, axial, process, and selective coding. A storyline narrative with diagrams displayed relationships among concepts and supporting evidence for inductively derived theoretical propositional statements. Students in OT programs progressed through three phases of occupational balance during graduate school. The presented Theory of Occupational Balance indicated students developed a meaning of occupational balance based on past experiences and personal values. Occupational balance is influenced by different contexts and situations. This study revealed several strategies OT students implemented, including adapting methods to effectively and efficiently learn, using support systems, participating in multiple occupational roles, making time for self-care, and knowing when to seek professional assistance. This article presented a new Theory of Occupational Balance for OT Students. Results can inform administrators and faculty about the implications of curriculum design for the occupational balance of OT students. Understanding student occupational balance and circumstances that can cause disruptions may help prevent disruptions from creating unmanageable stress. Understanding strategies students can implement to return to occupational balance may help faculty suggest options for students who cannot self-manage an occupational balance disruption.

Systems thinking (ST) is an essential skill for understanding complex issues, making predictions and informed decisions. This research explores how students applied ST in complex health contexts using the 'One Health' (OH) approach. OH highlights the interdependence relationship between animal, human and ecosystemic health (including plants). Eighteen upper secondary school students were involved in activities that aimed to foster their capacity to apply ST to explain the causes of the COVID-19 pandemic, to anticipate future pandemics and to propose actions for preventing them. Individual written tasks were examined using content analysis methods. Four dimensions of ST were considered, and levels were established based on the literature and in interaction with data. Most participants articulated various aspects of ST in their responses, but they did not do so consistently. Students had difficulties both in anticipating future pandemics and in proposing actions to prevent them. After the completion of the activities, most students showed an improved understanding of the OH notion. They identified the components, relationships and provided examples of causal interrelationships, such as those involved in zoonotic diseases. The findings point to the potential of the OH approach in Biology education, as it promotes students' understanding of complex health issues from a systemic view.

The transition from expert occupational therapy practice to academic educator is stressful and complex, involving the development of a new professional identity. In 2020-21 COVID-19 created a new challenge for recently employed academics, who were in this transition process. This study utilized participatory research to explore the impact of COVID-19 on six new occupational therapy lecturers who were employed immediately before and during the pandemic. The participatory research approach simultaneously engaged participants in research processes and aimed to promote researcher development. Three focus groups were conducted to explore participants experiences before, during and after COVID-19 restrictions. Focus groups transcripts were coded and analyzed thematically. Four themes were identified: 1) Discovery 2) Turbulence 3) Survival and 4) Reflections were linked to an overarching analogy. Covid19 accelerated the transition to teaching as participants discovered effective strategies for teaching online through trial and error, with little available support. The easing of restrictions brought new challenges and anxieties for participants unfamiliar with classroom teaching. The study highlights the complexity of transitioning to academia, and the importance of peer and team support during the first two years. The participatory research process utilized in this study provided an opportunity to reflect back on the transition process while developing researcher skills and experience.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, occupational therapy students at one university received all orthosis fabrication education through an in-person laboratory-based environment supported by clinicians and instructional videos. Due to the pandemic restrictions, orthosis fabrication labs for occupational therapy students were transitioned to a hybrid in-person and at-home supported lab. Presently, there is no research investigating how a hybrid in-person orthosis lab and at-home orthosis fabrication experience impacts the professional practice skill development of occupational therapy students entering the workforce. This research examined the learning outcomes of participation in a hybrid orthosis fabrication experience consisting of one in-person laboratory-based experience and one at-home supported experience (instructional videos, written instructions, without instructor supervision). The research also explored the implications of this hybrid learning experience for future curriculum development. This qualitative study included two components: (1) Interviews with six occupational therapy graduates; (2) 26 student reflections following the hybrid learning experience. The results of this study highlighted three overarching themes: orthosis skill development; transferable skills development; future considerations for implementing a hybrid learning method. A hybrid learning approach provided unique opportunities for the scaling of independence and productive struggle to develop student competence in orthosis fabrication. This research provided insights for occupational therapy curriculum developers to modify educational approaches and effectively support students as they develop into competent occupational therapists.

Academic integrity concerns related to students' use of technology have renewed calls for teaching, assessment, and learning best practices, including those that involve and empower students. Empowerment is a benefit of developing students' assessment literacies, or how students contextually understand, plan, and undertake assessment and use assessment information to monitor and progress their learning. Informed by Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory and reflexivity (Dewey, 1933; Schön, 1983), a qualitative exploratory case study examined first-year university students' experiences with assessment and the development of their assessment literacies. The findings highlighted student autonomy and empowerment benefits while stressing the importance of reflexivity and assessment literacies for both students and teachers. Teaching, assessment, and learning best practices commonly suggested to promote academic honesty in the GenAI context were also evident. Accordingly, this paper explores the role of students' assessment literacies as part of these best practices, with implications for all levels of education.

This article presents the findings of a recent study surveying and interviewing post-secondary teachers within a college of education at a large, Carnegie "R1" public university in the Midwestern United States to unearth their perspectives of how to better engage their learners within the hybrid/multiple-modality instructional contexts that represent the new normal in today's post "pandemic pedagogy" era. Within the current context of potentially emerging new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and/or other pathogens, it also discusses key findings related to the teachers' views regarding the current levels of institutional support they receive to this end, and their perspectives regarding how said support could be improved.

Gender disparity persists in the personal caregiving of children and older adults, and in professional caregiving duties, with many workplace policies and cultures favoring the "ideal worker" and presenting significant and continuing barriers to female caregivers' professional success and well-being. The recent pandemic both highlighted and augmented this disparity as schools, daycares, and adult care facilities closed or implemented restrictions. This study interprets results from the July 2021 Canadian Natural Sciences & Engineering (NSE) Faculty Workplace Climate Survey by empirically assessing the impact on emotional exhaustion of the increased caregiving burden during the COVID-19 pandemic on female academics in the highly masculinized NSE fields. Results indicate that women were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion even when other factors were considered. Collegiality and inclusion were found to be protective factors, illustrating important implications for, and the retention and support of, success and well-being of female NSE academics.

Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, school systems worldwide are still on the road to recovery. As students return to in-person learning, there is an increased awareness among educators to investigate the areas of student need where interventional strategies could be applied to bridge the learning loss and help further student academic achievement and emotional well-being. Focused adoption of differentiated instructional practices by teachers may be one of the many ways in which educators could make classroom learning more student-centered. This case study was an exploratory investigation into teachers' desired and actual use of differentiated instruction within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The study was conducted to gain a perspective on the areas of particular growth for differentiated instruction in the post-COVID educational environment. The findings from this study may help educational planners, school leaders, and teachers develop relevant professional development programs that could incrementally help to reverse some of the detrimental impacts of the pandemic on student learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an unprecedented reliance on digital technologies in education, regardless of the pre-existing attitude of teachers. This study explores elementary school teachers' perceptions about teaching mathematics through distance education. Using a quantitative approach, an online questionnaire was administered to primary teachers in the UAE during the spring semester of 2020-2021. The results show teachers' readiness to adopt digital technology in teaching against increased workload. Difficulties emerged in optimizing student performance in online environments. While the institution supports digital integration, teachers prefer traditional in-person classroom instruction. Therefore, the research would inform some educational systems and curriculum planning worldwide on the best way to integrate digital technology within elementary mathematics education. The study aims to close the gap in mathematics education within a digital context to solve the emerging educational demands.

Problem-posing has been recognized for enhancing students' engagement, problem-solving skills, and mathematical knowledge, which leads to higher mathematics achievement. This research is experimental research with a randomized comparison groups pre-test and post-test design, which aims to examine the effect of using online problem-posing to develop students' mathematics achievement during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. Sixty electrical engineering students of Rajamangala University participated in this study. The research instruments included a mathematics problem-posing lesson plan and a mathematics achievement test. The participants were tested for mathematics achievement before and after attending the programs. The result indicated a statistically significant difference in the mathematics post-test mean scores between the experimental and control groups. The experimental group gained higher mathematics achievement than the control group. Therefore, it is recommended that the problem-posing be used in teaching mathematics to the students.

The world lived through a pandemic over the 2020-2022 period, which forced drastic changes in every sector and every aspect of our lives. One such change in the education sector was the immediate shift to online learning as educational institutions across the world responded to the pandemic. Educational institutions in Trinidad & Tobago, like everywhere else shifted from face-to-face to online instruction in all courses and programmes, including physics. While the conduct of physics lessons through virtual classrooms may have several advantages, it is not without disadvantages. The latter resulted in challenges, especially for students, and it is important for us to understand how students experienced and managed their learning in the fully online environment. The aim of this phenomenological study is to capture and describe the experiences of students in online physics learning in a virtual classroom--specifically their experiences in, preparing for online physics learning, managing learning in the virtual physics classroom and benefiting from opportunities in online physics learning. Three major themes emerged from this study--students' readiness for online learning, students' challenges during online learning and the role of follow through facilitation after online lessons. Despite their preparations, students encountered challenges such as network connectivity, reliability of supporting systems and distractions in their learning environment at home, but they were optimistic, that the reality presented them with opportunities to improve their technological competencies and to maximize their online learning experiences as they engaged in the learning of physics concepts in a non-traditional way.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid shift from traditional teaching to online settings. This study explores the technological tools employed by university EFL-speaking teachers during this transition, investigating their continued relevance post-pandemic. With a focus on the experiences of seven university EFL-speaking teachers, this study probes the challenges they encountered, their attitudes toward the challenges, and the technological tools they favored to sustain effective instruction. The participants, chosen using purposive sampling and engaged in online interviews, provided rich insights that were thematically analyzed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The findings revealed that the teachers' perceptions of Perceived Ease of Use (PEoU), Perceived Usefulness (PU), and the challenges they encountered were pivotal in shaping their attitudes towards the employed technological tools. Several challenges emerged, including students' limited participation, assessing and providing feedback, accessing resources, and the teachers' technology familiarity. Among these complexities, Google Meet and e-learning platforms became preferred tools. The teachers' rationale for these choices encompassed bridging the gaps created by the virtual environment, fostering meaningful tasks, and promoting communication efficiency. Their strategic alignment reflected the teachers' intent to address the challenges encountered during online teaching, and to continue these practices in the post-pandemic.

This paper analyses university teachers and students' experiences of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal and presents post-pandemic implications. Potential ramifications of the findings in a normal setting were suggested by the analysis of data gathered through semi-structured interviews with participants both during and after the pandemic, as well as through observation of online classes during the period. Findings demonstrate teachers' ability to create online learning, an alternative mode to a physical classroom, during the pandemic while having an inadequate level of ICT understanding. Despite limited access to digital technology and no administrative assistance, teachers and students created an online learning environment. Findings, however, show an increasing digital gap between rural and urban areas. The discontinuation of effective online learning techniques in the post-pandemic circumstances produced by the teachers during the pandemic pointed out the issues of reforming higher education in developing countries such as Nepal.