Search

We explore the resiliency (i.e., the ability of a system to return to its original state or move to a new desirable state after being disrupted) of traditional lecture-based classes and flipped classes in the face of disruption caused by COVID-19. One flipped class and one traditional lecture-based class, both taught in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, were selected. For the flipped class, data from the semester prior to and during the pandemic were analyzed, indicating that the flipped class was able to move from face-to-face to online learning with no significant difference in student satisfaction and engagement. Data collected for the traditional lecture-based class indicated significant less student engagement during the transition period from face to face to online learning, but, by the end of the pandemic semester, students had achieved a comparable level of satisfaction and engagement with their online learning environment to students in the flipped class. We conclude that both instructional modalities are resilient, albeit the traditional class had less student engagement when moved online. We suggest that a post COVID-19 policy encouraging faculty to have experience teaching online may be effective in ameliorating future disruptions.

Relative proximity theory contributes to the concept of distance in distance education by defining how far a current learning environment is from an ideal learning environment. As in Moore's (1993) theory of transactional distance, it defines distance as a psychosocial phenomenon but provides specificity to Moore's seminal theory for learning at a distance by providing a specific answer to the question "How close are we?" in our continual journey to provide better learning environments for our students and teachers. This paper reports on our development of a statistically valid and reliable scale of relative proximity of transactional distance to measure the remaining distance to ideal. The scale adapts and extends the work by Zhang (2003), Paul et al. (2015), and Weidlich and Bastiaens (2018) and, for the first time, explicitly accounts for differences due to gender and mode of delivery.

We show how the principles of flipped learning that have been successfully applied to analytics classes taught face-to-face (F2F) at the undergraduate and graduate levels were emulated in corresponding online classes. Student satisfaction in the online flipped analytics classes was compared to student satisfaction in the F2F flipped analytics classes. Data were collected between the Spring 2016 and Fall 2018 semesters and involved two instructors with a sample of 726 students. The results of an independent samples t-test showed that there was no significant difference in satisfaction between the online and F2F offerings. A binary logistics regression analysis on the data revealed that whether the flipped course was taught F2F or online had no significant effect on students recommending the course to their peers. The results suggest that flipped learning is transferrable to online analytics courses and yields student satisfaction at par with equivalent F2F flipped courses.

This article applies Deming's Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle of continual improvement to a course taught with both blended and online sections. It uses Relative Proximity Theory, an extension of the Theory of Transactional Distance, to measure the quality of online/blended learning as a function of the obstacles to a student's full engagement with a course. These obstacles can arise because of the student's transactions with fellow students, with the instructor, with the course content, or from the instructional technology used in the course. Using stepwise multiple regression, the most significant obstacles can be identified. Once the obstacles are known, strategies to reduce them are planned and implemented. Logistic regression is used to determine if the realized reductions are statistically significant and for setting the stage for further improvements.

Case-based learning is an interactive group learning approach that embodies the principles of Socratic inquiry. It is a common pedagogy used in many disciplines including business, law, and health. With online learning being the fastest growing segment of higher education, case-based learning is also finding its way into online courses. This research was conducted on a population of 698 students enrolled in online case-based courses. The use of Structural Equation Modelling provided an understanding of the factors that influence student satisfaction. Through Logistics Regression, the extent to which these factors do influence satisfaction was determined. The findings indicate that the greatest predictors of student satisfaction were the interaction and understanding between the students and the instructor. Furthermore, a student's pre-existing attitude toward interactive group learning is also a significant factor in predicting student satisfaction. The conclusions point to a lack of understanding by students on how to engage in effective interactive online group learning. The recommendation is that training in online collaborative skills be considered as a front-end to any online case-based course.

Objective: To investigate the BMI trajectories of children attending a tertiary asthma clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively on children and young people with asthma who attended the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) before March 2020 (pre-COVID-19) and after August 2021 (the lifting of national restrictions). Main outcome measures: Changes in weight, height, and BMI Z score measured between 13/03/2019 and 13/03/2020 (timepoint 1) and then again during the period 01/08/2021 to 01/10/2022 (timepoint 2); changes in lung function parameters (FEV1) between the timepoints; proportion of study sample classed as obese and overweight at both timepoints; interaction analyses according to deprivation indices (SIMD decile), the use of high dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy, and the presence of atopy. Results: Eighty-nine children aged 5-18 years were studied. Weight and height Z scores significantly increased between timepoint 1 and 2 [weight Z score: +0.19 (0.08, +0.30), height Z score: +0.15 (+0.07, +0.23)], such that no significant change was observed in the BMI Z score [+ 0.07 (-0.05, +0.20)] or BMI centile [+0.5 (-3.1, +4.1)]. There was also no change in FEV1%predicted [-0.1 (-3.8, +3.6)] between the timepoints. Conclusions: No changes in BMI were observed in children with asthma before and after COVID-19 lockdowns. Improved linear growth was noted, implying an improvement in the overall physical health of our study cohort. This may suggest improved asthma control, which may reflect avoidance of viral triggers and/or improved adherence to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transactional distance has been defined as barriers to students' engagement with learning in the online environment. This research updates Zhang's (2003) scale of transactional distance, which quantified the extent of the barriers, in light of the massive changes in today's web-based learning environment. The resulting revised scale of transactional distance (RSTD) is a parsimonious version with 12 elements (compared to 31 original) that measure the transactional distance between student and teacher, student and student, and student and content. The RSTD has excellent factorial validity and reliability, yields better fit statistics, and is easier and less time-consuming to apply. The transactional distance values are unique predictors of student satisfaction, which is correlated to learning and persistence (a major concern with massive open online courses). This information can form the basis for a systematic approach to improving the design of today's contemporary open, flexible, distance education courses and thus serve as a valuable tool for researchers and educators alike.