research about education in the midst of pandemic

A year later: Reflections on learning, adapting, and scaling education interventions during COVID-19

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, tendekai mukoyi , tendekai mukoyi education program coordinator - youth impact molly curtiss wyss , and molly curtiss wyss senior project manager and senior research analyst - global economy and development , center for universal education jenny perlman robinson jenny perlman robinson nonresident senior fellow - global economy and development , center for universal education.

April 2, 2021

Already more than a full year into the COVID-19 pandemic, it is sobering to reflect on the ongoing responses to the global pandemic, as well as future disruptions to children’s learning. The past year has really put to the test scaling principles and elucidated important lessons about catalyzing and sustaining transformative change in rapidly evolving contexts. Many of these principles—such as adaptive learning and systems thinking—are being unpacked and explored in Real-time Scaling Labs (RTSL), a collaboration with the Center for Universal Education at Brookings and local institutions and governments around the world to learn from, document, and support education initiatives in the process of scaling.

In Botswana, Young 1ove and CUE have been partnering on an RTSL convened by the Ministry of Basic Education (MoBE) focused on scaling Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL). The experience of the Botswana scaling lab over the past year offers several important insights and reflections that may be useful more broadly for those working to affect large-scale improvements in children’s learning, particularly in low-resource environments.

Insight 1 : National scale can be pursued from the top down and bottom up

Expanding and deepening the impact of an education intervention requires nurturing partnerships from grassroots to national levels, with the understanding that buy-in and ownership for scale needs to involve players at all levels. Young 1ove has been collaborating closely with the MoBE at the central offices to support progress toward the ultimate goal of infusing TaRL into daily teaching practices in all primary school classrooms in Botswana. However, the past year has revealed significant potential for scaling via regional pathways, as many stakeholders at the highest levels of government have been consumed by national responses to COVID-19-related school closures and health crises.

For example, MoBE partners in the North East region took the lead in reinstating TaRL as schools reopened by mobilizing teachers and school-based youth volunteers to restart the program even amid shorter shift-system school days (where students attend classes in shift for half the day rather than for the full day). North East regional leaders also adapted TaRL delivery in response to COVID-19, including creating safety protocols that adhere to COVID-19 health protocols and taking full ownership of TaRL data collection and submission by utilizing existing school-based tablets. Student learning results from the region show a 79 percent decline in innumeracy, a near doubling of students who could perform all mathematical operations, and 57 percent of students learning a new operation, further evidencing how strong regional leadership can catalyze change that directly impacts children’s learning.

The success in North East illustrates how scale-up efforts can be made more powerful and sustainable when led by regional directors in the MoBE. The partnership between Young 1ove and the MoBE jointly supporting TaRL implementation prior to COVID-19 likely facilitated this approach, as regional stakeholders already had the tools and knowledge in place to take TaRL implementation and run with it.

Insight 2: Local champions leading the charge on the ground can be particularly important, even in a virtual world

Key to a regional scaling approach has been the role of a supportive and enthusiastic MOBE regional director. Young 1ove already knew that changemakers in bureaucracy are central to the scaling process, but this has proven especially true at the regional level, where an engaged director who champions TaRL can make significant progress in advancing and prioritizing TaRL within the region.

Further, Young 1ove has found that embedding a staff member in the regional government has been a particularly powerful scaling asset. Even as the world has shifted to virtual meetings and phone calls, having someone from Young 1ove physically present has helped the organization remain actively involved in and aware of conversations and schooling decisions. Moreover, the integration of this staff member in the regional government supports the shift to seeing TaRL as a sustainable government program led by strong regional champions. In regions where they do not have a staff member embedded, Young 1ove has found lapsed communication over the past year and faced more challenges “restarting” TaRL after COVID-19 school closures.

Insight 3 : Short-term shocks can lead to long-term learnings

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the absolute need to be flexible, adaptive, and responsive to changes in the education landscape in real-time. This experience has also underscored the importance of evidence and learning alongside adaptation and rapid response.

The TaRL implementation cycle in Botswana is typically designed to last 30 days. However, as a result of COVID-19, the implementation period was cut by over half during the first term of the 2020 school year with an average implementation period of eight days across schools. To understand the impact of this significant shift, Young 1ove collected data on student learning outcomes and discovered that despite the reduced intervention time, students demonstrated strong learning gains—almost equal to previous 30-day cycles as shown in Figure 1.

Learning gains from government-led intervention in North East with reduced implementation time

This finding not only suggests that even relatively short periods of high-quality implementation can improve student learning, but also underscores the importance of tracking results—even during unexpected adaptations. In this case, tight feedback loops provided evidence of possibilities for refining the TaRL model beyond this pandemic in ways that maximize effectiveness and scalability.

Learnings for beyond the pandemic

The RTSL experience adapting and scaling TaRL in Botswana in the midst of a global pandemic offers key insights that are applicable well beyond this immediate pandemic:

An orientation toward rapid learning and evidence generation is key to maintain alongside innovation and adaptation, especially in a crisis like COVID-19. Balancing the need for adjustments and iteration with the collection and use of timely data and learning can help respond to disruptions of scaling efforts.
Focusing on regional/grassroots partnerships for scaling can be particularly effective as those closest to the problems are most often best placed—and have the most incentive—to respond. Even where the ultimate goal is national scaling or ownership of the initiative by the central government, a more decentralized approach to scaling can be an effective way to make progress toward this goal, especially when national-level actors are consumed by crisis-response.
And, finally, even in a more virtual world, regional and local champions present on the ground are important for maintaining scaling momentum and expanding impact.

Photo credit: Thimonyo Karunga, Northeast Sub-Regional Coordinator at Young 1ove

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Science Education in the Era of a Pandemic

How Can History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science Contribute to Education for Understanding and Solving the Covid-19 Crisis?

Published: 30 March 2020
Volume 29 , pages 233–235, ( 2020 )

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In late February 2019, when the Covid-19 crisis began to spread across South Korea, my doctoral student Wonyong Park was there for his data collection in secondary schools. Unphased by the growing national epidemic at the time, he remarked: “As a Cambridge student, Newton once had to return home due to the plague outbreak in England, during which he made his greatest discoveries! However, as the situation develops, I promise I’ll keep healthy and make this time most useful for me.” Now, about a month later, the entire planet finds itself in the midst of a pandemic.

Among the countries worst hit by the pandemic is Italy where one of our Associate Editors, Olivia Levrini, is based. During a recent exchange, she raised the question of how history, philosophy and sociology of science (HPS) might contribute to science education in the era of a pandemic. Given the novelty of the issues generated by a major health emergency, Science & Education invites colleagues to submit papers broadly addressing the following theme: “Science Education in the Era of a Pandemic: How can History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science Contribute to Education for Understanding and Solving the Covid-19 Crisis?”

Past pandemics can point to not only the development of scientific explanations in time but also the societal contexts that harboured them. Consider the stigma associated with syphilis characterised as a French or an Italian disease depending on where the disease was observed in the fifteenth century; the framing of cholera in the colonial discourse in Asia and the impact of the disease on global trade in the nineteenth century; or the mistaken causality drawn between a country and an outbreak in the case of the Spanish flu in the early twentieth century. History is replete with countless lessons about pandemics in terms of their societal, ethical as well as their scientific and medical dimensions.

The current pandemic is set against a backdrop of growing mistrust in science sometimes deliberately promoted for political ends, for instance, as is the case of climate change denial. There is an unprecedented need to educate the future scientists as well as the general public in engaging not only in evidence-based reasoning and critical thinking but also in action-oriented and socially responsible citizenship. Education systems from around the world urgently need to embrace curriculum, instruction and assessment approaches that will empower students by adopting scientific habits of mind. The current health emergency is putting heavy demands on the quality of online learning environments. High stakes assessment systems face significant accountability challenges in obtaining reliable measures of learning outcomes when students cannot attend examinations in person. The informal or non-formal learning environments including families, museums and other institutions of social networking are having to adopt to different ways of interacting, and they are pivotal in ensuring that a systemic approach to scientific literacy can be established across society.

The Covid-19 pandemic can potentially last for an extended period and its impact on contemporary science and society is likely to be felt for a long time. Thus, the papers focusing on the theme will not be restricted to a special issue. Rather, Science & Education wishes to encourage colleagues to engage in this topic now and over a length of time with the possibility of manuscripts appearing in the upcoming issues and volumes. The papers may include, but are not limited to:

Position papers about how HPS can contribute to science education in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, for instance how science education can equip citizens with scientific skills to understand and to cope with the pandemic;

Historical case studies of pandemics and lessons learned for inclusion in science education;

Analysis of narratives and discourse about pandemics in contemporary mainstream news and social media with implications for public understanding of science;

Philosophical reflections on what counts as science and science education in the midst of a pandemic;

Accounts of science education as a research community at the time of a pandemic including the current demands and limitations of conducting and communicating research as well as academic community building;

The implications of social distancing and self-isolation measures for how scientific cultures and science learning communities (e.g. in schools, higher education institutions, research centres) organise themselves in adapting to a pandemic;

Critical reflection on science and more broadly on STEM curricula in terms of preparing the future generations for acquiring knowledge and skills to deal with global concerns such as pandemics and the climate emergency;

Investigations into various approaches to integrating HPS into teaching and learning of science through online resources and long-distance learning communities among teachers, students, parents, care-givers and other educational stakeholders.

In addressing such themes in their work, the community of educators, philosophers, historians, sociologists and other professionals are increasingly retreating into self-isolation and social distancing. Members of our community are facing new ways of working and some have no work or reduced work due to illness and/or care responsibilities. Science & Education considers it important to engage our community in constructive debates about how science education can contribute to understanding and solving the Covid-19 crisis. Inspired by Newton’s accomplishments including the work on his theory of gravity during the plague, we aim to make these uncertain and distressful times purposeful and productive for the research and learning communities engaged in the improvement of science education through history, philosophy and sociology of science.

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Erduran, S. Science Education in the Era of a Pandemic. Sci & Educ 29 , 233–235 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-020-00122-w

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Paul Reville says COVID-19 school closures have turned a spotlight on inequities and other shortcomings

This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.

As former secretary of education for Massachusetts, Paul Reville is keenly aware of the financial and resource disparities between districts, schools, and individual students. The school closings due to coronavirus concerns have turned a spotlight on those problems and how they contribute to educational and income inequality in the nation. The Gazette talked to Reville, the Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at Harvard Graduate School of Education , about the effects of the pandemic on schools and how the experience may inspire an overhaul of the American education system.

Paul Reville

GAZETTE: Schools around the country have closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Do these massive school closures have any precedent in the history of the United States?

REVILLE: We’ve certainly had school closures in particular jurisdictions after a natural disaster, like in New Orleans after the hurricane. But on this scale? No, certainly not in my lifetime. There were substantial closings in many places during the 1918 Spanish Flu, some as long as four months, but not as widespread as those we’re seeing today. We’re in uncharted territory.

GAZETTE: What lessons did school districts around the country learn from school closures in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and other similar school closings?

REVILLE: I think the lessons we’ve learned are that it’s good [for school districts] to have a backup system, if they can afford it. I was talking recently with folks in a district in New Hampshire where, because of all the snow days they have in the wintertime, they had already developed a backup online learning system. That made the transition, in this period of school closure, a relatively easy one for them to undertake. They moved seamlessly to online instruction.

Most of our big systems don’t have this sort of backup. Now, however, we’re not only going to have to construct a backup to get through this crisis, but we’re going to have to develop new, permanent systems, redesigned to meet the needs which have been so glaringly exposed in this crisis. For example, we have always had large gaps in students’ learning opportunities after school, weekends, and in the summer. Disadvantaged students suffer the consequences of those gaps more than affluent children, who typically have lots of opportunities to fill in those gaps. I’m hoping that we can learn some things through this crisis about online delivery of not only instruction, but an array of opportunities for learning and support. In this way, we can make the most of the crisis to help redesign better systems of education and child development.

GAZETTE: Is that one of the silver linings of this public health crisis?

REVILLE: In politics we say, “Never lose the opportunity of a crisis.” And in this situation, we don’t simply want to frantically struggle to restore the status quo because the status quo wasn’t operating at an effective level and certainly wasn’t serving all of our children fairly. There are things we can learn in the messiness of adapting through this crisis, which has revealed profound disparities in children’s access to support and opportunities. We should be asking: How do we make our school, education, and child-development systems more individually responsive to the needs of our students? Why not construct a system that meets children where they are and gives them what they need inside and outside of school in order to be successful? Let’s take this opportunity to end the “one size fits all” factory model of education.

GAZETTE: How seriously are students going to be set back by not having formal instruction for at least two months, if not more?

“The best that can come of this is a new paradigm shift in terms of the way in which we look at education, because children’s well-being and success depend on more than just schooling,” Paul Reville said of the current situation. “We need to look holistically, at the entirety of children’s lives.”

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard file photo

REVILLE: The first thing to consider is that it’s going to be a variable effect. We tend to regard our school systems uniformly, but actually schools are widely different in their operations and impact on children, just as our students themselves are very different from one another. Children come from very different backgrounds and have very different resources, opportunities, and support outside of school. Now that their entire learning lives, as well as their actual physical lives, are outside of school, those differences and disparities come into vivid view. Some students will be fine during this crisis because they’ll have high-quality learning opportunities, whether it’s formal schooling or informal homeschooling of some kind coupled with various enrichment opportunities. Conversely, other students won’t have access to anything of quality, and as a result will be at an enormous disadvantage. Generally speaking, the most economically challenged in our society will be the most vulnerable in this crisis, and the most advantaged are most likely to survive it without losing too much ground.

GAZETTE: Schools in Massachusetts are closed until May 4. Some people are saying they should remain closed through the end of the school year. What’s your take on this?

REVILLE: That should be a medically based judgment call that will be best made several weeks from now. If there’s evidence to suggest that students and teachers can safely return to school, then I’d say by all means. However, that seems unlikely.

GAZETTE: The digital divide between students has become apparent as schools have increasingly turned to online instruction. What can school systems do to address that gap?

REVILLE: Arguably, this is something that schools should have been doing a long time ago, opening up the whole frontier of out-of-school learning by virtue of making sure that all students have access to the technology and the internet they need in order to be connected in out-of-school hours. Students in certain school districts don’t have those affordances right now because often the school districts don’t have the budget to do this, but federal, state, and local taxpayers are starting to see the imperative for coming together to meet this need.

Twenty-first century learning absolutely requires technology and internet. We can’t leave this to chance or the accident of birth. All of our children should have the technology they need to learn outside of school. Some communities can take it for granted that their children will have such tools. Others who have been unable to afford to level the playing field are now finding ways to step up. Boston, for example, has bought 20,000 Chromebooks and is creating hotspots around the city where children and families can go to get internet access. That’s a great start but, in the long run, I think we can do better than that. At the same time, many communities still need help just to do what Boston has done for its students.

Communities and school districts are going to have to adapt to get students on a level playing field. Otherwise, many students will continue to be at a huge disadvantage. We can see this playing out now as our lower-income and more heterogeneous school districts struggle over whether to proceed with online instruction when not everyone can access it. Shutting down should not be an option. We have to find some middle ground, and that means the state and local school districts are going to have to act urgently and nimbly to fill in the gaps in technology and internet access.

GAZETTE : What can parents can do to help with the homeschooling of their children in the current crisis?

“In this situation, we don’t simply want to frantically struggle to restore the status quo because the status quo wasn’t operating at an effective level and certainly wasn’t serving all of our children fairly.”

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REVILLE: School districts can be helpful by giving parents guidance about how to constructively use this time. The default in our education system is now homeschooling. Virtually all parents are doing some form of homeschooling, whether they want to or not. And the question is: What resources, support, or capacity do they have to do homeschooling effectively? A lot of parents are struggling with that.

And again, we have widely variable capacity in our families and school systems. Some families have parents home all day, while other parents have to go to work. Some school systems are doing online classes all day long, and the students are fully engaged and have lots of homework, and the parents don’t need to do much. In other cases, there is virtually nothing going on at the school level, and everything falls to the parents. In the meantime, lots of organizations are springing up, offering different kinds of resources such as handbooks and curriculum outlines, while many school systems are coming up with guidance documents to help parents create a positive learning environment in their homes by engaging children in challenging activities so they keep learning.

There are lots of creative things that can be done at home. But the challenge, of course, for parents is that they are contending with working from home, and in other cases, having to leave home to do their jobs. We have to be aware that families are facing myriad challenges right now. If we’re not careful, we risk overloading families. We have to strike a balance between what children need and what families can do, and how you maintain some kind of work-life balance in the home environment. Finally, we must recognize the equity issues in the forced overreliance on homeschooling so that we avoid further disadvantaging the already disadvantaged.

GAZETTE: What has been the biggest surprise for you thus far?

REVILLE: One that’s most striking to me is that because schools are closed, parents and the general public have become more aware than at any time in my memory of the inequities in children’s lives outside of school. Suddenly we see front-page coverage about food deficits, inadequate access to health and mental health, problems with housing stability, and access to educational technology and internet. Those of us in education know these problems have existed forever. What has happened is like a giant tidal wave that came and sucked the water off the ocean floor, revealing all these uncomfortable realities that had been beneath the water from time immemorial. This newfound public awareness of pervasive inequities, I hope, will create a sense of urgency in the public domain. We need to correct for these inequities in order for education to realize its ambitious goals. We need to redesign our systems of child development and education. The most obvious place to start for schools is working on equitable access to educational technology as a way to close the digital-learning gap.

GAZETTE: You’ve talked about some concrete changes that should be considered to level the playing field. But should we be thinking broadly about education in some new way?

REVILLE: The best that can come of this is a new paradigm shift in terms of the way in which we look at education, because children’s well-being and success depend on more than just schooling. We need to look holistically, at the entirety of children’s lives. In order for children to come to school ready to learn, they need a wide array of essential supports and opportunities outside of school. And we haven’t done a very good job of providing these. These education prerequisites go far beyond the purview of school systems, but rather are the responsibility of communities and society at large. In order to learn, children need equal access to health care, food, clean water, stable housing, and out-of-school enrichment opportunities, to name just a few preconditions. We have to reconceptualize the whole job of child development and education, and construct systems that meet children where they are and give them what they need, both inside and outside of school, in order for all of them to have a genuine opportunity to be successful.

Within this coronavirus crisis there is an opportunity to reshape American education. The only precedent in our field was when the Sputnik went up in 1957, and suddenly, Americans became very worried that their educational system wasn’t competitive with that of the Soviet Union. We felt vulnerable, like our defenses were down, like a nation at risk. And we decided to dramatically boost the involvement of the federal government in schooling and to increase and improve our scientific curriculum. We decided to look at education as an important factor in human capital development in this country. Again, in 1983, the report “Nation at Risk” warned of a similar risk: Our education system wasn’t up to the demands of a high-skills/high-knowledge economy.

We tried with our education reforms to build a 21st-century education system, but the results of that movement have been modest. We are still a nation at risk. We need another paradigm shift, where we look at our goals and aspirations for education, which are summed up in phrases like “No Child Left Behind,” “Every Student Succeeds,” and “All Means All,” and figure out how to build a system that has the capacity to deliver on that promise of equity and excellence in education for all of our students, and all means all. We’ve got that opportunity now. I hope we don’t fail to take advantage of it in a misguided rush to restore the status quo.

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Teaching and learning continuity amid and beyond the pandemic.

Office of the University President, Palompon - Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Garcia-Center for Research and Development, Olvido - Office of the Board and University Secretary, Cebu, Philippines

The study explored the challenges and issues in teaching and learning continuity of public higher education in the Philippines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employed the exploratory mixed-method triangulation design and analyzed the data gathered from 3, 989 respondents composed of students and faculty members. It was found out that during school lockdowns, the teachers made adjustments in teaching and learning designs guided by the policies implemented by the institution. Most of the students had difficulty complying with the learning activities and requirements due to limited or no internet connectivity. Emerging themes were identified from the qualitative responses to include the trajectory for flexible learning delivery, the role of technology, the teaching and learning environment, and the prioritization of safety and security. Scenario analysis provided the contextual basis for strategic actions amid and beyond the pandemic. To ensure teaching and learning continuity, it is concluded that higher education institutions have to migrate to flexible teaching and learning modality recalibrate the curriculum, capacitate the faculty, upgrade the infrastructure, implement a strategic plan and assess all aspects of the plan.

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges economically, socially, and politically across the globe. More than just a health crisis, it has resulted in an educational crisis. During lockdowns and quarantines, 87% of the world’s student population was affected and 1.52 billion learners were out of school and related educational institutions ( UNESCO Learning Portal, 2020 ). The suddenness, uncertainty, and volatility of COVID-19 left the education system in a rush of addressing the changing learning landscape.

The disruption of COVID-19 in the educational system is of great magnitude that universities have to cope with at the soonest possible time. The call is for higher education institutions to develop a resilient learning system using evidence-based and needs-based information so that responsive and proactive measures can be instituted. Coping with the effects of COVID-19 in higher education institutions demands a variety of perspectives among stakeholders. Consultation needs to include the administration who supports the teaching-learning processes, the students who are the core of the system, the faculty members or teachers who perform various academic roles, parents, and guardians who share the responsibility of learning continuity, the community, and the external partners who contribute to the completion of the educational requirements of the students. These complicated identities show that an institution of higher learning has a large number of stakeholders ( Illanes et al., 2020 ; Smalley, 2020 ). In the context of the pandemic, universities have to start understanding and identifying medium-term and long-term implications of this phenomenon on teaching, learning, student experience, infrastructure, operation, and staff. Scenario analysis and understanding of the context of each university are necessary to the current challenges they are confronted with (Frankki et al., 2020). Universities have to be resilient in times of crisis. Resiliency in the educational system is the ability to overcome challenges of all kinds–trauma, tragedy, crises, and bounce back stronger, wiser, and more personally powerful ( Henderson, 2012 ). The educational system must prepare to develop plans to move forward and address the new normal after the crisis. To be resilient, higher education needs to address teaching and learning continuity amid and beyond the pandemic.

Teaching and Learning in Times of Crisis

The teaching and learning process assumes a different shape in times of crisis. When disasters and crises (man-made and natural) occur, schools and colleges need to be resilient and find new ways to continue the teaching–learning activities ( Chang-Richards et al., 2013 ). One emerging reality as a result of the world health crisis is the migration to online learning modalities to mitigate the risk of face-to-face interaction. Universities are forced to migrate from face-to-face delivery to online modality as a result of the pandemic. In the Philippines, most universities including Cebu Normal University have resorted to online learning during school lockdowns. However, this sudden shift has resulted in problems especially for learners without access to technology. When online learning modality is used as a result of the pandemic, the gap between those who have connectivity and those without widened. The continuing academic engagement has been a challenge for teachers and students due to access and internet connectivity.

Considering the limitation on connectivity, the concept of flexible learning emerged as an option for online learning especially in higher institutions in the Philippines. Flexible learning focuses on giving students choice in the pace, place, and mode of students’ learning which can be promoted through appropriate pedagogical practice ( Gordon, 2014 ). The learners are provided with the option on how he/she will continue with his/her studies, where and when he/she can proceed, and in what ways can the learners comply with the requirements and show evidences of learning outcomes. Flexible learning and teaching span a multitude of approaches that can meet the varied needs of diverse learners. These include “independence in terms of time and location of learning, and the availability of some degree of choice in the curriculum (including content, learning strategies, and assessment) and the use of contemporary information and communication technologies to support a range of learning strategies” ( Alexander, 2010 ).

One key component in migrating to flexible modality is to consider how flexibility is integrated into the key dimensions of teaching and learning. One major consideration is leveraging flexibility in the curriculum. The curriculum encompasses the recommended, written, taught or implemented, assessed, and learned curriculum ( Glatthorn, 2000 ). Curriculum pertains to the curricular programs, the teaching, and learning design, learning resources as assessment, and teaching and learning environment. Adjustment on the types of assessment measures is a major factor amid the pandemic. There is a need to limit requirements and focus on the major essential projects that measure the enduring learning outcomes like case scenarios, problem-based activities, and capstone projects. Authentic assessments have to be intensified to ensure that competencies are acquired by the learners. In the process of modifying the curriculum amid the pandemic, it must be remembered that initiatives and evaluation tasks must be anchored on what the learners need including their safety and well-being.

Curriculum recalibration is not just about the content of what is to be learned and taught but how it is to be learned, taught, and assessed in the context of the challenges brought about by the pandemic. A flexible curriculum design should be learner-centered; take into account the demographic profile and circumstances of learners–such as access to technology, technological literacies, different learning styles and capabilities, different knowledge backgrounds and experiences - and ensure varied and flexible forms of assessment ( Ryan and Tilbury, 2013 ; Gachago et al., 2018 ). The challenge during the pandemic is how to create a balance between relevant basic competencies for the students to acquire and the teachers’ desire to achieve the intended outcomes of the curriculum.

The learners’ engagement in the teaching-learning process needs to be taken into consideration in the context of flexibility. This is about the design and development of productive learning experiences so that each learner is exposed to most of the learning opportunities. Considering that face-to-face modality is not feasible during the pandemic, teachers may consider flexible distant learning options like correspondence teaching, module-based learning, project-based, and television broadcast. For learners with internet connectivity, computer-assisted instruction, synchronous online learning, asynchronous online learning, collaborative e-learning may be considered.

The Role of Technology in Learning Continuity

Technology provides innovative and resilient solutions in times of crisis to combat disruption and helps people to communicate and even work virtually without the need for face-to-face interaction. This leads to many system changes in organizations as they adopt new technology for interacting and working ( Mark and Semaan, 2008 ). However, technological challenges like internet connectivity especially for places without signals can be the greatest obstacle in teaching and learning continuity especially for academic institutions who have opted for online learning as a teaching modality. Thus, the alternative models of learning during the pandemic should be supported by a well-designed technical and logistical implementation plan ( Edizon, 2020 ).

The nationwide closure of educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus has impacted 90% of the world’s student population ( UNESCO, 2020 ). It is the intent of this study to look into the challenges in teaching and learning continuity amidst the pandemic. The need to mitigate the immediate impact of school closures on the continuity of learning among learners from their perspectives is an important consideration ( Edizon, 2020 ; Hijazi, 2020 ; UNESCO, 2020 ). Moreover, the teachers' perspectives are equally as important as the learners since they are the ones providing and sustaining the learning process. Teachers should effectively approach these current challenges to facilitate learning among learners, learner differentiation, and learner-centeredness and be ready to assume the role of facilitators on the remote learning platforms ( Chi-Kin Lee, 2020 ; Edizon, 2020 ; Hijazi, 2020 ).

Statement of Objective

This study explores the issues and challenges in teaching and learning amid the pandemic from the lenses of the faculty members and students of a public university in the Philippines as the basis for the development of strategic actions for teaching and learning continuity. Specifically, this study aimed to:

Objective 1: determine the profile of the learners/students in terms of:

a.1. Preferred flexible learning activities.

a.2. Problems completing Requirements due to ICT Limitation

a.3. Provision of alternative/additional requirement.

a.4. Receipt of learning feedback.

a.5. Learning environment.

Objective 2: determine the profile of faculty and students in terms of online capacity as categorized into:

b.1. Access to Information Technology.

b.2. Access to Internet/Wi-fi.

b.3. Stability of internet connection.

Objective 3: develop emerging themes from the experiences and challenges of teaching and learning amidst the pandemic.

Methodology

The design used in the study is an exploratory mixed-method triangulation design. It was utilized to obtain different information but complementary data on a common topic or intent of the study, bringing together the differing strengths non-overlapping weaknesses of quantitative methods with those of qualitative methods ( Creswell, 2006 ). The use of the mixed method provided the data used as a basis for the analysis and planning perspective of the study.

This study was conducted in the context of a state university funded by the Philippine government whose location was once identified as having one of the highest COVID19 cases in the country. With this incidence, the sudden suspension of classes and the immediate need to shift the learning platform responsive to the needs of the learners lend a significant consideration in this study. This explored the perspectives of the learners in terms of their current capacity and its implications in the learning continuity using online learning. These were explored based on the availability of gadgets, internet connectivity, and their learning experiences with their teachers. These perspectives were also explored on the part of the teachers as they were the ones who provided learning inputs to the students. These are necessary information to identify strategic actions for the teaching and learning continuity plan of the university.

After getting the quantitative and qualitative findings, these data were reviewed to provide a clear understanding of teachers’ and learners’ context and their experiences. From this information, a scenario analysis through scenario building was conducted which led to the development of the strategic actions for teaching and learning continuity. Scenario analysis is a method used in predicting the possible occurrences of consequences of a situation assuming the phenomenon will be continued in the future ( Kishita et al., 2016 ). This approach is considered a useful way for exploring plausible events that may or may not happen in the future ( Bekessy and Selinske, 2017 ). This approach was used to analyze the behavior of both teachers and students as part of the whole system in response to an unexpected event such as the pandemic which creates a theoretical scenario of best -case (optimistic) or worse case (pessimistic) scenario to enable the university to develop a holistic strategic plan for the teaching and learning continuity ( Balaman, 2019 ).

Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used simultaneously. In this study, objectives 1 and 2 require data on the profile of the teachers and learners which can best be acquired using a descriptive quantitative design. This was done through an online structured survey was conducted to identify the challenges in teaching and learning using google forms. Choices were provided in the Google form which the respondents can choose from. The surveys were done by the Cebu Normal University - Center for Research and Development and Federation of Supreme Student Council.

The qualitative approach was utilized to answer objective number 3 which looked into the experiences and challenges of the teachers and the learners. The narratives which the respondents submitted were done through online open-ended questions to allow them to share their experiences and challenges. These were analyzed using a thematic approach to best provide a clear description of the experiences and challenges.

After the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data, the team of researchers developed the possible scenarios that will take place as the basis for the flexible strategic actions that the university will adapt depending on the classification of community quarantine and the health situation of the locale where the university is located. In the analysis of the current status of Cebu Normal University, parameters are reviewed and outcomes are utilized through scenario building. Scenario building provides the contextual basis for the development of the new normal in the university. Scenario building as explained by Wilkinson (1995) is a good strategy to use on how current observations play their role in future situations. Each scenario is constructed about the future, modeling a distinct, plausible world. Scenarios are plausible alternative futures of what might happen under particular assumptions by focusing on key drivers, complex interactions, and irreducible uncertainties ( Polcyznski, 2009 ).

The prospective scenarios created are the best, probable scenarios, and worse scenarios. Current or existing situations/conditions of CNU served as the probable scenario, while the ideal case situation served as the best scenario. From the scenario built, key problems and challenges are developed as a basis for the model developed ( Imperial, 2020 ). This provided the strategic long-term and short-term strategies for CNU’s academic operations. The best scenario is based on the perspective that the university allows limited face-to-face classes in the remaining months of the semester. The probable scenario is with the current enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status of the city or province where the university is located, at least six (6) months, after, face-to-face interactions will be allowed with the opening of the new school year will. Worse Scenario happens when the locale is placed under sustained community quarantine and face-to-face classes will never be allowed at the start of the new school year. The strategic actions of the university are inclusive of the three (3) scenarios to allow flexibility of the responses of the university in this pandemic.

There were 3,646 student respondents (85% of the student population) and 252 (97% of the teaching personnel) teaching personnel who responded to the survey. To determine accessibility and reach of communication transmission related to the teaching-learning process, the location of the respondents was also identified. The majority of the student respondents (67%) are located in Cebu province; 17% in Cebu City, and 12% in other provinces. The 63% or 157 faculty members are residing in Cebu province while 32% or 81 of them reside in Cebu City; other provinces 5%. Qualitative feedback was also gathered to explore further the challenges experienced and clarify information about open-ended online messaging. Data was gathered from March-April 2020 in a state-funded university in the Philippines with the campus located in the center of the city. To comply with the ethical guidelines, strict adherence to data privacy protocols and data use restrictions were followed. The data were analyzed and were considered in identifying emerging themes scenarios in teaching and learning.

The data gathered were reviewed and analyzed by looking into the challenges that need to be addressed and the ideal perspectives that should have been implemented to generate different scenarios. Scenario building provides the contextual basis for the development of the new normal in the university. Scenario building as explained by Wilkinson (1995) is a good strategy to use on how current observations play their role in future situations. Each scenario is constructed about the future modeling a distinct, plausible world. Scenarios are plausible alternative futures of what might happen under particular assumptions by focusing on key drivers, complex interactions, and irreducible uncertainties ( Polcyznski, 2009 ). The prospective scenarios created are the best and probable scenarios. Current or existing situations/conditions of the university served as the probable scenario, while the ideal case situation served as the best scenario. From the scenario built, key problems and challenges are developed as a basis for the model developed ( Imperial, 2020 ). The model will provide the strategic long-term and short-term strategies for the university’s academic operations Figure 1 .

FIGURE 1 . Schematic diagram of the conceptual analysis.

Results and Discussion

Challenges on teaching and learning amid the pandemic.

In the quantitative data gathered through an online survey, the students reported their concerns related to their learning experiences during the suspension of physical classes. Most of the student respondents reported that adjustments were made by the teachers in terms of course outcomes and syllabi. However, most of them claimed that the learning activities were not flexible enough to be done either offline or online as they could not as shown in Table 1 comply with the requirements within the expected schedule.

TABLE 1 . The profile of flexibility of the learning activities for offline or online learning among students (n = 1,689).

Moreover, as shown in Table 2 , students reported that the majority of them were unable to accomplish the tasks assigned by the teachers due to their inability to access the internet or use suitable gadgets to finish the tasks.

TABLE 2 . Number of students who reported if they have problems. Completing requirements due to ICT limitation (n = 1952).

Part of the survey for students focused on how students reacted to home-based tasks assigned to them to complete the learning competencies of the course. Teachers provided alternative tasks online through electronic mails and an online portal Table 3 .

TABLE 3 . Provision of alternative/additional requirement (n=1952).

Students confirmed that some online classes and additional requirements were still provided to them by the faculty ( Table 4 ) The majority of the students responded that the alternative tasks were adequate. The nature and content of the alternative tasks provided were suited to the remaining concepts to be addressed in their coursework ( Table 4 ). Despite that, several students still reported that these alternative tasks are not sufficient to enable them to acquire the remaining competencies required of them at the end of the semester.

TABLE 4 . Adequacy of alternative tasks for learning attainment (n=74).

Students in one college were surveyed on the receipt of feedback from their respective teachers. A comparable response from students claimed they received and didn’t receive immediate feedback as to whether what they submitted to the professors is okay or what aspect they still need to improve more. As teaching continuity was made possible through online modality and other home-based tasks, they still had difficulty complying with the requirements of the course. The survey included the type of home environment the students have to assess factors that influence their difficulty. Students were asked whether their home learning environment is conducive to learning or not.

Data in Table 5 show that learners believed that their home environment is not conducive for learning when schools were closed and physical contact was discontinued as there were many disruptions including internet connectivity. On the part of the faculty, there were challenges met as evidenced by the feedbacks of the students. The teaching-learning process requires an active engagement of the faculty. They are the drivers of the learning process and the success of the learning outcomes would partially depend on their extent of active participation as facilitators, mentors, or coaches to the learners.

TABLE 5 . Students learning environment.

In the teaching-learning process, students need feedback on the progress of their outputs and whether they did well in their tasks. As shown in Table 6 , the majority of the students reported receiving no feedback from their teachers on the online module while a majority hope to get immediate feedback. Further exploration is required to determine why teachers are unable to provide immediate feedback for students.

TABLE 6 . Feedback from teachers (n = 154).

Faculty and Students’ Access to Technology

One of the modalities in teaching and learning that gained popularity amid COVID-19 was online learning. When classes were suspended, universities migrated from the face to face interaction to the online modality. Hence, this survey was conducted to determine the capability of the students and teachers in terms of available information technology gadgets and connections.

The profile of both the faculty and students’ access to internet-based information showed that the majority can access this information ( Table 7 ). Moreover, the majority of the students (82.61%) and faculty (94.4%) have internet access Table 8 . However, most of them reported unstable internet connections which makes their home environment less conducive to sustain learning facilitated by the online readings and activities given Table 9 . The majority of the students used mobile phones for online learning which is not capable of addressing online tasks and submission of requirements. On top of this, concerns for limited internet access of students and faculty emanate from external service providers most especially when using cellular data in areas where satellite signals are limited.

TABLE 7 . Faculty and students’ access to information technology (n = 4,072).

TABLE 8 . Faculty, staff and students’ access to internet/Wi-fi.

TABLE 9 . Stability of internet connection (n = 1952).

Emerging Themes in Teaching and Learning

A qualitative survey was also conducted to substantiate the quantitative data gathered. The narrative comments of the respondents in the survey were analyzed and were grouped into emerging themes and scenarios of teaching and learning.

The Trajectory Towards Flexibility in Teaching Design, Delivery, and Assessment

The sudden cancellation of classes in the middle of the semester placed both faculty and students unprepared. Questions on how to continue their classes, the learning modality, the appropriate assessment, and access to learning materials were foremost in the mind of both teachers and students. The narratives of the respondents became the basis for identifying the emerging scenarios in teaching and learning amid and beyond the pandemic.

For many years, students have been exposed to traditional, face-to-face classroom-based teaching. Outcomes-based education has been integrated into the curriculum and its implementation, but the learning delivery is still under the actual supervision of teachers. Due to ECQ students have to shift to independent learning through the home-based tasks assigned to them by their teachers. Ordinarily, many students have trouble making the transition to the more independent learning required at university compared with their secondary years .

“It’s very difficult for me to learn on my own in the confines of my home, but I don’t have a choice ,” narrated one student.

This shows that this pandemic has created a new platform in teaching and learning delivery that students are compelled to accept. In this situation, students have to take responsibility for their learning, be more self-directed, make decisions about what they will focus on how much time they will spend on learning outside the classroom ( The Higher Education Academy, 2014 ; Camacho and Legare, 2016 ). In the new setting, students are expected to read, understand and comply with the tasks without the guidance of the teachers. They are forced to assume self-directed independent learning.

The teachers on the other hand affirmed that the use of face-to-face delivery would not work anymore in the new learning environment.

“ One thing that I have learned is to adjust my materials to ensure that learners can still acquire the competencies without the face-to-face interaction with my students ” narrated one teacher.

With the concerns on access to online services, faculty members considered the use of a non-online approach and explored the necessary modifications that can be applied in the future. Hence, in the narrative, several faculty members said they have prepared modules as an option for pure online learning delivery.

Assessment of student learning outcomes is very important. A concern on how to assess learning outcomes and how to answer assessment tasks emerged as a major concern as reflected in the narratives of the teacher and student respondents. The assessment measures are essential as an assurance that learners have attained various knowledge and skills and that they are ready for employment or further study ( Coates, 2015 ). There is a need to address the teachers’ concern on how to conduct off-classroom performance evaluation and the bulk of submissions that they have to evaluate which are submitted online or offline. The design and planning are important factors to consider not only in the assessment per se but also in the parameters on how students will be graded ( Osborn, 2015 ). For the teachers, the following concerns emerged,

“Difficulty assessing performance-based tasks (RLE) , ” “Difficulty tracking, checking of students’ outputs” and “Concerns on failing due to non-submission of requirements online and low midterm Performance”

In the assessment of learning, the teacher respondents agreed that they have to think of innovative ways of assessing students in the context of their situation and home environment so the outcomes expected of the course will be manifested by the students.

One of the challenges of online or distance learning is the difficulty in participating in groupwork activities. The challenge is how the schedule or availability of group members be accommodated within the group ( Gillett-Swan, 2017 ; Kebritchi, Lipschuetz, and Santiague, 2017 ). More particularly when online assessments are done with certain deadlines or time limits.

“Difficulty complying group activities”

“Time-based online exams”

The challenges seen in this phase are to determine the flexible learning system most applicable for CNU learners, the readiness of the students and faculty to handle the tasks to assign and to be complied by the students, the appropriateness of the learning delivery vis-à-vis learning outcome, and the preparation of the learning materials fit for self-directed independent learning.

In times of disaster, the educational system takes on a different route for effective learning continuity. The learning curriculum requires it to be more responsive to the current needs of the learners and the teachers.

“ Concerns in completing OJT”

“Dissertation/Thesis defense scheduled”

“Concerns on when the academic year ends”

The flexibility that the curriculum has to adopt requires the offering of choices on the current reality of the educational environment and customizing a given course to meet the needs of the learners. It is therefore crucial in considering the provision of the possibility of making learning choices to learners. These learning choices can cover class times, course content, instructional ( Huang et al., n.d. ).

It is a challenge for the university to consider the restructuring of the curriculum to address the gaps in the learning outcomes left when classes were suspended and the re-scheduling of the mid-semester On-the-Job Training of some programs. Amidst this crisis, flexibility in the next academic calendar has to be considered while it is uncertain when the COVID-19 crisis will be contained.

The Role of Technology

In the overall narratives concerning teaching-learning delivery and assessment, the role of information technology particularly on internet connection has been repetitively mentioned by both teachers and students. In the crisis scenario, faculty and students could eventually bounce forward to the usual teaching-learning activities outside the classrooms had this concern been made available to all. Per survey results, most of the students and some faculty members are residing outside the city and are experiencing unstable if no internet connection at all.

“ No internet connectivity/unstable connectivity”

“Occasional power interruptions”

In designing for online or distance learning, there is a need to understand the role of technology to attain the success of the engagement ( Kerka, 2020 ). Internet is not the only factor to consider but also the equipment that is needed for the teachers and the learners to engage effectively. If these are not available, there is a need to evaluate the approach used in the teacher-learner interaction.

“Limited gadgets (one laptop shared with other siblings/no laptop or PC only phone)”

“No printer for completion of a requirement to be submitted”

With the current health crisis with the shifting of learning delivery, the challenge would be on how to provide an inclusive IT infrastructure to provide quality education for all learners ( Internet access and education: Key considerations for policy makers, 2017 ).

The Learner’s and the Teacher’s Learning Environment

In an attempt to address the disruption of classes and promote continuity of learning, teachers immediately resort to online learning as the most workable way of delivery of the lessons. In this new learning setup, students are forced to stay at home and transfer their classrooms to the same location. In most cases, it is often overlooked that learners come from different home settings and have different home arrangements.

“Not appropriate learning environment (congested home setting)”

“Lack of support from parents (assigning home tasks when a student is supposed to be work on learning tasks)”

“Overlapping of home activities and academic activities”

In most cases, families frequently engaged their children in learning activities, however, different patterns were observed across different social groups. Families in low socio-economic position households, and those living in disadvantaged neighborhoods provided fewer learning experiences. This may in part be due to the challenges that families living in socially and economically disadvantaged circumstances face in accessing the financial and social resources needed to provide a rich early home learning environment for learning. The findings reveal that education is still pursued in economically challenging settings but with more challenges. A home learning environment has a positive “direct association” with a child’s academic performance ( Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2015 ). The findings require a three-helix platform in education that is the partnership between academe, industry, and the stakeholders.

Maslow Before Bloom Orientation: Safety and Security

Prevailing sentiments among employees and students are their concern for their safety and security. The basic needs of humans according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs are foremost in the minds of the university’s clients and workers. As reported by the students and employees, their foremost concern is safety and the psychological manifestations of the anxiety of being infected.

“Foremost concern is safety and security even after ECQ is lifted”

“Fear of being infected with COVID”

“With PUI/PUM family members or the students themselves”

“Psychological and emotional reactions (anxiety, panic, fear, loneliness, a feeling of helplessness, mood swings, anger)”

The second category of concerns is on security and the possibility of sustaining their education due to loss of jobs, loss of family members, and the uncertainty of traveling to the university.

“Family financial crisis–no budget to buy loads, sustain needs”

“Unable to go home”

“Transportation concerns”

The concerns raised by the participants of the study require the university to provide access to considerable support to deal with the struggles, challenges, and even trauma because of the pandemic. There is a need to help manage mental health, self-esteem, and relationships after the quarantine which left some of the students isolated for quite a time ( Sweeney, 2020 ). Mental health programs have to be in place in formal learning settings. Because of the unprecedented challenges that students and teachers experienced in the pandemic, the ability to successfully hurdle through formal learning may be limited if the overall well-being is compromised.

Strategic Scenario Analysis

This section presents the analysis of the possible scenarios that might take place in the university based on the following components: the planned curriculum, instruction (teaching-learning process), assessment, student engagement, and technology and infrastructure. The probable scenario is the current enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status of the City or province where the university is located. During ECQ, no face-to-face interaction is allowed and province-wide lockdowns are implemented. The best scenario allows the limited face-to-face class and the worse scenario happens when the locale is under ECQ and placed on a lockdown due to the increasing COVID-19 cases.

In the area of curriculum and instruction, the action points revolved around the identification of courses that can be flexibly offered, rescheduling offerings when health measures permit it and providing interventions for competencies that were not met. The additional action points would refer to the creation of materials that would meet the needs of the students in the different scenarios and the provision of access to all resources that aid learning. Lastly, plans for assessment delivery are laid out to ensure the validity of means and with consideration to quarantine measures. Laying down the scenarios provide options for the educational institution to be able to meet the demands of the changes enforced by the pandemic to the delivery of learning to students. Reviewing these options reveal that the differences in the plan of action for this area of concern are a matter of granting access to students for resources needed for learning continuity.

The next area of concern is student engagement which reveals the different levels of engagement of parents and guardians, the means of communication with students, and an investment in the capability-building of faculty members to facilitate the teaching-learning process amid the pandemic. The focus on the trainings for the faculty members in the area implies that flexible learning in this health crisis requires a particular skill set to heighten student engagement without diminishing the role of support systems in the students’ homes and the need for appropriate technology to facilitate the needed interactions. This leads to the last area of concern on technology and infrastructure. The University has to take into account and facilitate the provision of needed equipment, materials, systems, software, and physical structures to support flexible learning. The complete scenario matrix is reflected in Table 10 .

TABLE 10 . Scenario matrix.

Migrating to Flexible Teaching and Learning: The University’s Strategic Response for Academic Continuity

After exploring the perspectives of the respondents and the analysis of the emerging scenarios in teaching and learning, the University implemented the proactive response to ensure academic continuity in times of crisis. It is evident that for universities to thrive and lead, the flexible teaching-learning modality needs to be adopted taking into consideration the best and worst-case scenarios. Migrating to flexi learning means recalibrating the written curriculum, capacitating the faculty, and upgrading technological infrastructure to respond to the changing scenarios amid and beyond the pandemic. Outlined in the paragraphs that follow were the ways forward pursued by the university as a response for academic continuity.

Recalibrate the Curriculum

To address the competencies which were left at the time of the class suspension, discipline-based course mapping was conducted. A series of cluster meetings by faculty members teaching similar courses teaching load were done for the revision of the unified syllabus, integration of the outcomes-based teaching and learning strategies using flexible learning platforms such as distance and online learning options, and the learning assessment strategies suitable for individual student needs. A syllabi repurposing is conducted and the revisiting of the syllabi focusing on the essential course outcomes. This strategy enables the faculty to revise the activities/course work/tasks/experiences that can be delivered through blended learning. This also enabled them in designing the instructional strategies, activities, and assessments that will achieve the learning objectives. The modification of the syllabi incorporated the development of modules, assessment tasks that can be delivered using differentiated instruction/in class or off class.

A program-based curriculum review was also conducted to identify courses that would need to be re-scheduled in its offering due to its nature and requirement such as swimming courses. Moreover, On-the- Job (OJT) which was supposedly offered during summer or mid-year was transferred to a later semester as industry partners are limiting its personnel at the height of the pandemic.

Reconfiguring the OJT, practice teaching and Related Learning Experience based on simulation set-up with scenario-based activities with assigned equivalency hours was also developed. The Practice teaching using blended learning or online approach, Nursing used alternative Related learning simulation.

The strategic actions included short-term plans of possible limited physical classes and long-term plans of pure online classes. Embedded in the plans are the in-class and off-class mode, re-structuring and retrofitting requirement for limited face-to-face classes, and the upgrading of internet-based facilities for pure online classes. On top of this, they need to cater to learners who have no access to the internet includes the translation of online learning modules to printed modules.

Capacitate the Faculty

Flexible learning capacitation of faculty was also addressed as online learning was new to the university. The university conducted an upskilling and rewiring through series of online trainings on module development for flexible learning distance education and the use of an online learning management system for faculty members. Reskilling and reconfiguring of faculty through webinar series on laboratory teaching using simulation learning for teachers handling laboratory, RLE, OJT. And a cross-skilling and reimagining using series of online webinars on developing counseling skills of faculty members concerning the COVID crisis. The university initiated the Higher Education Connect webinar series by discipline which served as an avenue of sharing and exchanging best practices during the pandemic-induced suspension of physical classes. The series of online for and webinars provided the teachers’ professional development including information sharing platform, Online learning platform, Hands-on training platform, Repository of web tools, and Laboratory for data analytics.

Safe learning infrastructure for Reframing Teaching and Learning was addressed through Telecounseling Services with mobile hotline numbers to cater to the needs of the clients and Student Communication Center with hotline numbers accessible by phone or online to cater to the academic concerns of the students. The university also initiated the Adopt-a-Student program for stranded students during the Enhanced Community Quarantine and assisted in the process of going back to their provinces.

Upgrade the Infrastructure

The university’s priority is to ensure that technology is sustainable and feasible. The ICT focal persons of the university were mobilized to Determine basic computer configuration and minimum Operating System requirements and provide alternative solutions to learners with technological/location-related challenges. For example, provide small learning activity packages for learners with slow internet connections. Ensure changes to the learning activity that can be made with internal resources. Determine the characteristics, possibilities, and limitations of the learning management system (LMS) to be used and ensure consistency of access across platforms (if applicable).

An Organizational Structures as a support system was also created which was the Center for Innovative Flexible Learning to provide assistance and monitoring so that the existing Information Technology Office of the university will not be overwhelmed.

It is also strategic to develop collaboration with stakeholders (Local Government Units (LGU), Alumni, Partner agencies). The forging of partnerships with LGU provides avenues where students during off-class students will go to the learning hub in the LGU complete with internet connectivity for students to work on their tasks in case they don’t have connectivity at home, so students will not go to the internet café and pay. This will also provide opportunities for resource sharing for the benefit of the students.

ICT Infrastructure in teaching and learning and student services was also addressed through Online enrollment, full utilization of Google Classroom as the learning management system, and the fully online delivery of classes. The university also changed its internet subscription to higher bandwidth and subscription to zoom for online meetings and conferences. Internet Connectivity of faculty members has assisted a monthly internet allowance. Gadget on loan for students in coordination with Student Supreme Council. Library online services through Document Delivery Services (DDS) and Modern Information Assistant in the New Normal Innovative Education.

Implementation and On-Going Assessment of the Strategic Response

The implementation of the strategic response entails the collaborative engagement of all stakeholders in the university. The process requires the involvement of the administration, faculty, staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders that enables the institution to move forward, managing and mitigating risks successfully. Hence, the university is implementing the continuous process of consultation, feedbacking, and intensive monitoring as important ingredients for the plans to be successfully implemented. The regular conduct of dialogues and discussions among stakeholders, capacity building of students and faculty, open communication through hotline centers, and continuous quality assurance monitoring mechanisms enable the university to enhance and implement successfully the strategic programs and activities amid the pandemic.

Anchored on the initial success of the evidenced-based strategic plans, the university at present has institutionalized the flexible learning system with the establishment of the Center for Flexible Learning that manages, capacitates, and assists the students and the faculty members in the continuing implementation of the flexible learning modality. Technology support has been provided by increasing the internet bandwidth to ensure uninterrupted connectivity in the campus and providing internet allowance to the faculty. Students with limited or no connectivity are given printed modules as instructional resources. In anticipation of the limited face-to-face classes as safety and health protocols may allow, the curricular offerings, teaching-learning processes, and assessment tools have been enhanced by applying best practices that maximize quality teaching and learning. On-going trainings and webinars for the faculty, students, and stakeholders to thrive in the new educational landscape have been conducted. The university has also established professional learning communities which become avenues for the sharing of resources and practices that continuously support and enhance teaching and learning continuity amid and beyond the pandemic.

Teaching and learning continuity amid the pandemic requires an analysis of the parameters by which the university operates from the perspective of the stakeholders to include the students, faculty, curriculum, and external stakeholders. Grounded on data, higher education institutions have to conduct strategic scenario analysis for best, possible and worse scenarios in the areas of curriculum and instruction, student engagement, and technology and infrastructure. To ensure teaching and learning continuity amid and beyond the pandemic, higher education institutions need to migrate to flexible teaching and learning modality by recalibrating the curriculum, capacitating the faculty, and upgrading the infrastructure. These strategic actions have to be continuously assessed, modified, and enhanced to respond to the volatile, uncertain, and changing scenarios in times of crisis.

Data Availability Statement

The raw data supporting the conclusion of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Ethics Statement

Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author Contributions

FD, DP, LG, and MO contributed to the conception and design of the study. DP and LG organized the data and facilitated the initial analysis. FD and DP wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors wrote sections of the manuscript and contributed to the manuscript revision. MO ran the final plagiarism test and grammar check prior to submission.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords: teaching and learning continuity, flexible learning, pandemic, higher education, scenario–analysis

Citation: Dayagbil FT, Palompon DR, Garcia LL and Olvido MMJ (2021) Teaching and Learning Continuity Amid and Beyond the Pandemic. Front. Educ. 6:678692. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.678692

Received: 10 March 2021; Accepted: 06 July 2021; Published: 23 July 2021.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2021 Dayagbil, Palompon, Garcia and Olvido. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Michelle Mae J. Olvido, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Education in the Midst of a Pandemic: Four Key Takeaways

Let’s apply the lessons we are learning and find new ways to make progress together.

We are living in unprecedented times. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, more than 130 countries have closed schools entirely , impacting 80 percent of the world’s student population. Here in the United States, at least 46 states have shut down their schools , sending more than 50 million children home. Parents don’t know how long they will need to care for and educate their children while simultaneously attending to employment obligations—if they are lucky enough to still have jobs. School closures pose especially serious challenges for students with disabilities, children who rely on schools to provide breakfast or lunch daily, and families who lack reliable Internet access or computers. Meanwhile, educators across the country are trying to figure out how to serve students from a distance, effectively and equitably.

I’m grateful to work for an organization that maintains a pulse on the impact of real-time issues affecting students and education in the midst of a pandemic. Mathematica works with our partners to use data to measure how access to resources affects student outcomes. As a member of my town’s local school board for the past four years, I’ve also had the honor of supporting school administrators facing difficult decisions.

Based on my experiences as an education researcher, a parent, and a school board member, I suggest four key takeaways we should be considering right now.

1. Effective digital learning requires resources and coordination. Many schools will close for more than a few weeks and perhaps through the end of the school year. Schools must seek alternatives to classroom-based instruction. A smooth transition to digital learning requires that (1) all students have access to technology and the Internet; (2) teachers have the training, support, and expertise to use remote technology to drive instruction aligned with their planned curriculum; and (3) parents and caregivers are equipped to support and oversee students’ participation in digital learning activities. Achieving these requirements takes time and coordination.

Some schools with ample resources have been able to jump right in and provide digital lessons and activities, but many public schools have far less experience and assets. These schools are scrambling to determine which families need laptops or tablets and Wi-Fi access. They are reaching out through a variety of means, contacting families eligible for the free and reduced-price lunch program, and broadly distributing mailings and phone calls. School leaders are working with teachers to provide guidance on next steps as they await guidance from state and federal leaders about what they legally can and cannot provide and what accountability requirements remain . Teachers are considering class instruction through platforms such as Zoom, student self-paced digital learning activities, or distribution of paper learning packets. And many teachers have their own families that need their support.

These unparalleled times underscore key issues that extend beyond our current crisis. As our education system moves toward remote learning, schools need to collect information on families’ technology needs. Teachers need training and supports to use technology in and outside the classroom. And school leaders and teaching staff need a strong understanding of how to integrate technology to support learning while ensuring data privacy . Fortunately, there are free resources available for school leaders to access now.

School leaders who are trying different strategies to educate students while their schools are closed can collect outcome data and then use our free Evidence to Insights Coach (e2i) Coach to inform decisions about what technology strategies and tools are most effective for their students.

2. Serving all students equitably requires intentional effort. Educators are being flooded with links to online learning resources and must comb through them to determine whether they align with their curriculum and are accessible to all youth as required by law. Federal statutes require this accessibility to everyone, including those with disabilities or language barriers, unless provisions are made to provide alternate access. Such provisions would include, for example, speech recognition software for those who are visually impaired, or closed-captioning or translation services for those with hearing or language barriers.

School districts initially received guidance from the federal government that they could not mandate learning activities that did not serve all students equitably. Many districts then launched “enrichment” activities rather than requirements. More recent guidance encourages schools to provide distance education and think creatively about ways to support those with special needs (for example, individualized phone conversations and teletherapy). Special education leaders are brainstorming how to deal with a variety of issues, such as whether and how to develop individualized education plans and what kinds of compensatory services will make up for lost time once this crisis has ended. Organizations such as the Public Broadcasting System are stepping up to partner with state education agencies to support educational programming and resources. Despite best intentions, students with greater needs might fall behind at a faster pace than their classmates.

We already know that students living in economically under-resourced settings and those with special needs lag in academic growth. Mathematica partners with educators in understanding how to close this gap. For example, we constructed a school-level growth measure for kindergarten to grade 3 to make student growth in early elementary grades more visible to inform educational investments. We also study promising learning approaches, provide technical support for data-driven decision making, and examine best practices for educators’ professional development, including online learning communities so that teachers in different locations can meet without having to travel. Moving forward, our research community will continue to work with federal, state, and local partners, as well as philanthropy partners, to learn about promising approaches to reducing the achievement gap.

3. Some families rely on schools for their children’s nutritional needs. School closures have made one fact highly visible: many children rely on schools for healthy breakfasts and lunches. Given business closures, more families than ever might be struggling to put food on the table. Communities across the country have rallied to support these families—for example, public and private organizations in my town have partnered to identify families in need and prepare and distribute daily meals.

Mathematica’s research on supports to reduce hunger provides some useful guidance. In her recent blog post on food insecurity, my colleague Ronette Briefel discussed the need to increase awareness of this issue and consider strategies to ensure that families have access to healthy meals year round. In particular, programs to promote food security when school is out during the summer provide useful prototypes for providing nutrition assistance during the summer months to reduce food insecurity when schools are closed.

4. Supporting the physical and social emotional well-being of youth is as important as supporting their learning. Emotional health was a rising priority for educators even before the coronavirus epidemic. Now it has become critical. Shielding children from the news is nearly impossible. They have been asked to shelter at home and avoid physical interaction with their friends.

In response, schools are promoting resources on mindfulness and yoga. Museums and not-for-profit organizations are providing enriched online programming. And we’ve all come to understand the power and promise of art and music to lift spirits, with famous writers, artists, and musicians sharing their work online. Although this underscores the critical importance of emotional health, physical activity plays a key role in well-being, as studies of programs like Playworks , which is now offering online recess programming, have shown.

We don’t need to measure stress right now to know that we are all feeling it. We will get through this together, and we will be forever changed. Let’s apply the lessons we are learning in the wake of this challenge and find new ways to make progress together, advancing the well-being of our nation’s children, youth, and families.

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Title & authors

Locion, Jayben, P, et al. "The Academic Experiences of Senior High School Students in the Midst of Pandemic." East Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research , vol. 1, no. 6, 27 Jul. 2022, pp. 1017-1032, doi: 10.55927/eajmr.v1i6.684 .

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The Academic Experiences of Senior High School Students in the Midst of Pandemic Image

As the world evolves, new problems arise and this leads to a bigger barrier for students especially with education. This paper uncovers the struggles of students with regards to the new learning modality as a result of the pandemic; COVID-19. It presents and discuss findings and methods in which the researchers examined information acquired from personal interviews – phenomenological study through “thematic analysis” (Sutton & Austin, 2015). Specifically, STEM Students from Samar National School were asked various questions about their experiences with education in the midst of the pandemic. 5 informants were purposively selected through selection criteria and data was collected through a semi-structured interview. As a result, the responses demonstrate how STEM students deal with the pandemic and the challenges it brings. Some students experience barriers especially doing online classes in their own homes; such as noise, doing chores, and lack of motivation. Some are not used to the new learning set-up and they only try their best to adapt with this as soon as possible. Not only with education prior but some also faced mental health struggles as an effect of the change of learning practices. Furthermore, most of the informants have comparable replies to the many issues they have experienced. In sum, the results uncovered the different challenges and struggles that these students faced with the new learning modality and how these affected their performance. This study is also about conveying a message to all students that in this fight, they are not alone.

$Post\u002DPandemic Covid\u002D19: Factors Affecting Startup Success in the Indonesian Economy Image$

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Lessons from the COVID pandemic in music education the advantages and disadvantages of online music education

Affiliations.

1 Music Faculty, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 82, Hungary.
2 Doctoral School of Human Sciences, University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Hungary.
3 Doctoral School of Human Sciences, University of Debrecen, Faculty of Music University of Debrecen, 4032, Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 82, Hungary.
4 Károli Gáspár University of Reformed Church, Faculty of Pedagogy, 2750 Nagykőrös, Hősök tere 5, Hungary.
PMID: 39170398
PMCID: PMC11336562
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35357

The COVID-19 pandemic had far-reaching effects on various areas of everyday life. In several countries, singing, the most accessible form of musical expression, was banned, as was the use and teaching of wind instruments. Nevertheless, innovations in music education combined with teachers' dedication and creativity introduced several elements into the teaching process which are worth using in the future. The aim of our study is to explore the experiences of this novel form of music education among teachers at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels in Hungary and abroad. The respondents in our survey answered open-ended questions on the advantages and disadvantages they had experienced with online education. The MAXQDA software was used for the qualitative analysis of the data collected. Music teachers highlighted the disadvantages of online education. As for positive responses, teachers mentioned the improvement of digital competencies and the development of students' autonomy.

Keywords: COVID-19; Innovation of music education; Music education; Music teacher; Online education.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Imran M., Liu X., Wang R., Saud S., Zhao Y., Khan M.J. The influence of digital economy and society Index on sustainable development indicators: the case of European union. Sustainability. 2022;14(18) doi: 10.3390/su141811130. - DOI
Banhidi Z., Dobos I., Nemeslaki A. A. What the overall digital economic and society Index reveals: a statistical analysis of the DESI EU28 dimensions. Reg. Stat. 2020;10:42–62.
DESI . European Commission; 2019. Digital Economy and Society Index. https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=5989
DESI . European Commission; 2020. Digital Economy and Society Index. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/digital-economy-and-soc...
European Commision Educational inequalities in Europe and physical school closures during Covid-19. 2020. https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/sites/jrcsh/files/fairness_pb2020_wave04_covid_...

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The true scale of Australia's international student industry — in four charts

Topic: Universities

A graphic of two women in graduation outfits, against a purple background with a red graph line over the top.

The government is in the midst of one of the biggest crackdowns on the international student sector in decades. ( ABC News: Gabrielle Flood )

The international education industry is big business.

Australia has the second-highest share of international students globally, trailing only behind Luxembourg.

Those hundreds of thousands of students bring in about $30 billion to the economy each year, making it Australia's fourth-largest industry according to Bureau of Statistics data.

Or, as Education Minister Jason Clare puts it, "the biggest export we don't dig out of the ground".

Since the 1980s — when Australia led the way in pioneering international education — successive governments have enjoyed the benefits of these students, who pay up-front sometimes four times what domestic students do for the same degree.

But now the government is cracking down on the sector amid a wider push to bring down migration, in what Australian National University higher education expert Andrew Norton has called "by far the biggest reversal in policy" since international education was established.

It has already brought in a slew of changes aimed at weeding out bogus applicants, including changed visa processing priorities, more stringent entry conditions, and a doubling of the application fee, which have led industry bodies to warn that visa applications are plummeting and job cuts will soon follow .

But it's the contentious plan to cap the number of international students able to study at Australian institutions from the first day of next year that had many in the sector holding their breath.

On Tuesday, they finally had some answers: The number of international students able to start their studies next year will be capped at 270,000 across the higher education and vocational sector under the government's planned reform, with individual limits to be placed on specific providers.

This will equate to about 7,000 fewer commencements than in pre-pandemic times and about 53,000 less than last year, according to government analysis.

There's a lot at stake and plenty of big numbers being thrown around, so let's take a look at the data.

How many international students are getting visas?

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy issued a stark warning earlier this month: If international student visa approvals continued on their current trajectory, 14,000 university workers could lose their jobs.

The calculation is based on two key figures. The first is the estimate that every four international students support one staff member with their fees. The second is that in the most recent financial year, the number of student visas for people attending higher education institutions had fallen by 60,000 compared to the one before.

"Even without legislative powers to cap international students, the government has already taken a sledgehammer to the international education sector," Mr Sheehy said.

But looking at higher education student visa approvals over the past two decades, a more complex picture emerges. While approvals dropped sharply in the 2023-24 financial year, that was coming off a post-COVID spike well above any previous year.

According to Professor Norton, 2022-23 saw an abnormal number of visa applications thanks to pent-up demand during the COVID period. The large number of visas granted — 261,317 — was also boosted by efforts to clear backlogs in the system.

But even with the fall-off from the record high, more international students had their visas approved in the last financial year than nearly every year since 2005.

It's this consistent growth that the government says it's keen to curb.

When you're talking about visa applications, it's important to remember that there is likely to be a delay before a drop in visas being granted starts to impact actual student numbers.

That's because once international students arrive, they often stay for years to complete their course.

"We did see pretty strong demand and visa grants up to the end of 2023 … that means the number of people in Australia on student visas will still be high even if the number of commencements has dropped this year and will drop again next year," Professor Norton said.

Where are international students studying?

Visa approvals are just one part of the puzzle. Another way of measuring the scale of the sector is with enrolment numbers.

This can be tricky as the number of enrolled international students fluctuates throughout the year as new students arrive to start their courses and others graduate.

Professor Norton estimates that by the end of the year, somewhere between 700,000 and 800,000 individuals will have enrolled in higher education settings, from English language schools to university degrees, at some point over the past 12 months — more than there's ever been.

In the year to May, there were 810,960 international student enrolments (including in schools, English language courses, vocational education and training, higher education and non-award) — a 17 per cent increase on pre-COVID 2019 figures.

The majority were enrolled in higher education institutions, but the highest growth since before the pandemic was in the vocational sector, where enrolments increased by about 50 per cent compared to pre-pandemic numbers.

The cap announced on Tuesday will only apply to vocational training providers and higher education institutions.

Mr Clare said this growth had brought back the "shonks … seeking to exploit the industry and make a quick buck".

"And we're implementing a number of reforms to tackle that, including most recently the shutting down of more than 150 dormant or ghost colleges, places that aren't really operating to provide an education for international students but are really a back door just for people to work here."

The proposed legislation would give the minister powers to limit the enrolment of overseas students by provider, course, or location and pause the registration of new providers or courses.

The bill (but not the recently announced cap) would apply to 1,500 international educational providers, of all shapes and sizes. And some will be able to weather a drop in enrolments better than others.

Peter Hendy, chief executive of Independent Higher Education Australia, told the inquiry earlier this month that almost half of the entire private education sector was set up with international students in mind, so "there are many who have a hundred per cent international student bodies".

Across the private higher education landscape, he said, about 47 per cent of all students hailed from overseas.

Would slashing international student numbers actually cool the rental crisis?

One of the reasons given for the government's clampdown is the need to free up homes as the rental crisis continues unabated.

In his budget speech, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said international student enrolments had outpaced the creation of dedicated student housing, putting pressure on rents and making "finding housing harder for everyone".

But while rental vacancy rates are tight everywhere, international students aren't spread evenly across the country.

Analysis by the Property Council of Australia found there were just 13 local government areas (LGAs) where international students made up more than 10 per cent of the rental market, while in three-quarters of all government areas they accounted for less than one per cent of renters.

All up, international students make up about 4 per cent of Australia's total rental market , which includes purpose-built student accommodation.

The areas with the highest proportion of international student renters were Adelaide and the Sydney suburb of Burwood, where they were just under a quarter of all renters.

But a separate analysis of the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane rental markets by SQM Research found even in suburbs where international students made up a greater share of renters, vacancy rates were not any lower than in other parts of the city.

Just one locality among the top 10 suburbs for each city had a vacancy rate lower than the citywide average, which was Parkville in Melbourne.

Advocates say that is evidence that international students are not to blame for the housing crisis.

The Property Council's Student Accommodation Council executive director Torie Brown said their analysis determined that even if rentals occupied by international students were opened up, it would make little difference because most were renting properties that often were not of interest to Australian families or other renters.

"The reality is international students are not competing for family homes in the suburbs," Ms Brown said.

"They're far more likely to be looking for purpose-built student accommodation or apartments in CBDs or close to universities."

If there was a large drop in international student numbers, she said it would free up some student accommodation and "some" apartment stock close to universities but it would not have a significant impact beyond that.

Ms Brown added she believed the cap was a sustainable figure.

Professor Norton agrees that cutting international students won't be a quick fix for Australia's housing woes, but with time he believes it could make a difference.

"Once you take into account the dependents of the students, you're probably looking at 900,000 people," he said.

"It's not plausible to say that 900,000 won't have an impact on the accommodation market, but it's hard to quantify exactly what the impact will be."

How reliant are universities on international student fees?

International student fees are the second-largest source of income for tertiary institutions across the board, behind government funding.

But some institutions are more dependent on it than others.

For example, Torrens University — a private provider in South Australia — received more than half its revenue from international student fees in 2022. One of Australia's largest institutions, the University of Sydney, wasn't far behind with 47 per cent of its revenue coming from international student fees.

The University of Queensland (34 per cent), University of Melbourne (33 per cent), Monash University (31 per cent) and the University of New South Wales (31 per cent) rounded out the top six.

In total, international students paid $8.6 billion in fees that year — less than in pre-pandemic times, but still a pretty penny.

According to Universities Australia chair David Lloyd, that income stream has allowed higher education providers to continue despite "a shortfall in government funding for research, teaching, and campus infrastructure".

"Every dollar from overseas students is reinvested back into Australia's universities, having fewer students here will only widen the funding gap at a time universities need greater support," he said.

And before the caps are even introduced, there are concerns the current debate is already leading prospective international students to look towards more welcoming countries for their study.

"The government is doing everything it can think of short of closing the industry down to try and reduce the number of students," Professor Norton said.

"Certainly, there's a very negative vibe."

Hochul’s Pandemic Study Is a $4.3 Million Flop

by Bill Hammond
June 21, 2024

The newly released study of New York’s coronavirus pandemic response falls far short of what Governor Hochul promised – and the state urgently needs – in the aftermath of its worst natural disaster in modern history.

Hochul had commissioned a $4.3 million after-action review of the crisis, saying she wanted it to cover “the good, the bad and the ugly” and bolster the state’s preparedness for future outbreaks.

Yet the 262-page report from the Olson Group , a Virginia-based consulting firm, turns out to be thinly researched, poorly argued, ill-informed, sloppily presented and marred by obvious errors.

Although many of its findings ring true, it glosses over or ignores some of the state’s most questionable actions – such as ordering thousands of Covid-positive patients into nursing homes .

It looks especially weak in comparison to a similar review prepared for the state of New Jersey, which 648 pages longer – and far more detailed, authoritative and clearly written.

Hochul should declare the Olson Group’s work unacceptable, demand a refund and launch a real after-action review – by joining with Legislature to establish an independent pandemic response commission .

Thin research

The Olson Group study’s shortcomings start with its research. By the authors’ own account, their primary source of information was the commentary of stakeholders within New York, gathered through targeted surveys, interviews and “town hall-style listening sessions.”

The firm also compiled thousands of documents issued by various state agencies, including “leadership intelligence reports” prepared on a daily basis by the governor’s office.

Anecdotes and official documents are necessary and useful, but the research is lacking on other fronts.

The authors could have consulted experts with a national or international perspective – but they make no mention of doing so.

They provide no new data or fresh analysis of existing data. They make little effort to compare New York’s performance with those of other states or countries. They do not identify the best practices that have emerged with the benefit of hindsight.

The authors often give former Governor Andrew Cuomo and other officials credit for being proactive without carefully measuring the real-world impact of their decisions – a crucial step in weighing costs and benefits.

Another missing element is hard numbers. The report refers to various programs as being underfunded without giving the dollar amounts or putting their finances in context. It discusses school closures without quantifying the impact in terms of infection rates or lower test scores.

Instead, the report relies heavily on anonymous quotes – without always specifying the commenters’ roles or level of expertise.

The authors acknowledge that “a number of key officials were unwilling to participate” due to “concerns about possible litigation and other legal actions” which “has undoubtedly resulted in some gaps in the record.” These officials, too, are unnamed – making it unclear who Olson did and did not speak to.

Their choice of people to consult also raises questions. Why did they survey the Commission on Judicial Ethics but not the comptroller’s office or either house of the Legislature? Why did they hold just one town hall each for the hospital and nursing home industries, with a total of 20 participants, when the health and human services sector had three town halls with 112 participants?

A flawed narrative

The Olson Group’s account of New York’s first wave appears to be largely based on what officials thought was happening at the time – which we know in retrospect was wrong in important ways.

Although the state did not confirm its first Covid case until March 1, 2020, it’s now clear that the virus arrived in New York in late January or early February of that year and had been spreading for weeks undetected.

Because testing was initially scarce and then ramped up quickly, it appeared that the state’s infection rate was surging through late March into early April. In fact, it likely peaked in mid-March.

The report fails to confront the implications of these revelations – which indicate that officials were too nonchalant in February, but overreacted in late March and April. Nor does the Olson Group lay out a clear plan for improving public health surveillance so that the state is not similarly blindsided in a future pandemic.

Sloppiness and mistakes

The report’s credibility is undermined by factual errors and other mistakes. Some appear to be the result of sloppiness, but others point to deeper misunderstanding of the subject matter.

For example:

On p. 11, the report refers to businesses seeking proof of vaccination as part of the reopening process in May of 2020 when vaccines did not become available until December 2020.
On p. 28, the report includes two charts that were copied from the Empire Center’s website without attribution.
On p. 36, a paragraph headed “Covid-19 mental wellness resources” – which actually talks about sewage testing – is printed twice in a row.
On p. 63, the report says the Health Department’s underreporting of nursing homes was the result of “adherence to state law requiring that deaths in NYS be reported based on where the decedent expires, not where they became ill or injured.” There is no law or requirement that would have prohibited the Health Department from tallying nursing home residents who died in hospitals.
On p. 67, the report asserts that the state comptroller’s office “is not required to consult with the agencies it is auditing” and failed to do so regarding an audit of Health Department nursing home policies. In fact, the audit in question included a 14-page response from the Health Department, and the comptroller’s office has detailed its extensive consultation with department officials.
From p. 241 to p. 257, the report devotes 16 pages to list the dates and file names of “leaders’ intelligence reports” that are of no value without links to the reports themselves.
On p. 260, a chart of “daily deaths” shows a spike in the fall of 2021 that does not show up in other publicly available data

Missing topics

The report passes over a number of seemingly relevant issues, including several high-profile scandals related to the pandemic response.

The authors do not explain these omissions, leaving the public to wonder whether they were the result of political interference or oversights by the Olson Group.

Among the topics left out:

The need to obtain FDA approval before state’s Wadsworth Laboratories could use their own test kits, which delayed the launch of widespread testing early in the crisis.
The discovery in April 2020 that turning critically ill patients on their stomachs, known as “ proning ,” was in some cases safer and more effective than putting them on ventilators.
Repeated instances in which Governor Cuomo publicly clashed with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over pandemic policy and sometimes overruled their orders.
The use of state resources and personnel to provide expedited Covid testing to friends and relatives of the governor and other high-ranking officials at a time when testing was otherwise scarce.
The neglected condition of the state’s pandemic stockpile, which was full of masks, gowns, ventilators and other supplies that were in many cases years beyond their expiration dates .
The altering of a July 2020 Health Department report on the pandemic in nursing homes, which was rewritten by the governor’s office to lower the number of reported deaths by almost 3,000, or 31 percent.
The governor’s decision to publish a memoir in the midst of the crisis, which involved the use of state personnel and resources and brought him a fee of $5.2 million.
The Hochul administration’s award of a lucrative home-test contract to a company owned by campaign donors that was charging unusually high prices.

Questionable conclusions

Many of the report’s conclusions seem reasonable, but the authors fail to back them up with enough evidence and detail to provide a useful guide for policymakers.

In one of their central findings, for example, the authors fault Cuomo for taking an excessively top-down approach to managing the crisis and sidelining various state and local agencies that could have played a larger role:

Governor Cuomo’s decision to center the State’s response in the Executive Chamber and, more specifically, in his office was a significant and unnecessary mistake. The structures developed through hard-won experience from events including 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy were largely ignored and the State’s chief executive office served as the central point of the response.

Yet this conclusion seems to be largely based on comments from other officials involved, some of whom were among those he sidelined. The report does not cite specific lessons from 9/11 or Hurricane Sandy that were being ignored.

Its main example of Cuomo failing to use available structures relates to the vaccine roll-out, which he assigned to hospitals rather than the county governments that had specially prepared for that task. The argument about over-centralized control would be more persuasive if the report went into more detail about its downsides.

Another weak point is the report’s analysis of the much-debated March 25, 2020, order mandating nursing homes to admit Covid-positive patients being discharged from hospitals.

The report gives a garbled, incomplete account of the events surrounding the order and comes to a generally supportive conclusion:

The State is required by virtue of the applicable federal standards to have planning and processes in place to execute medical surge strategies to preserve the capacity to provide life-saving clinical care. It is also obligated to ensure that people are not discriminated against due to their health conditions. The policy to admit or return COVID-19 patients to nursing homes following hospital admission was an attempt to accomplish both standard public health disaster practices.

That analysis ignores key considerations :

The policy was based on exaggerated projections of hospital crowding that never came to pass.
Alternative sites were available, such as the temporary hospital at the Javits Convention Center, but they went largely unused.
Nursing homes received no warning before the March 25 mandate was issued.
Officials failed to emphasize the need for precautions in handling the admissions – or that facilities had the option of turning them down.
The policy applied statewide even though the crisis was concentrated in New York City.
The policy remained in place until early May even though hospital demand peaked in mid-April.

These are the type of details that a proper after-action review should itemize – not to shame past officials for mistakes, but to help future officials avoid repeating them.

Legislation to establish an independent pandemic response commission has been introduced in both the Assembly and Senate. Despite high-level negotiations in the closing days of the legislative session, it has not yet been approved by either house.

Lawmakers should pass that bill at their earliest opportunity – because the 83,000 New Yorkers who died deserve better from the state’s leadership than a shoddy consultant’s report.

About the Author

Bill Hammond

As the Empire Center’s senior fellow for health policy, Bill Hammond tracks fast-moving developments in New York’s massive health care industry, with a focus on how decisions made in Albany and Washington affect the well-being of patients, providers, taxpayers and the state’s economy.

New York Runs Away from the Pack on Medicaid Spending

Hochul’s Pandemic Review Contract Included a Gag Clause, Records Confirm

State Offers Taxpayer-Funded Health Coverage to Unionized Home Care Workers

A Closer Look at $4 Billion in State Capital Grants to Health Providers

82 Questions Hochul’s Pandemic Report Should Answer

How a Medicaid ‘Cut’ Could Lead to More Unionization of Home Care Aides

Budget Deal Slows Medicaid Growth But Plants Seeds for Future Spending

Albany’s New Health Insurance Tax Comes with Few Limits

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Wildfire Smoke Is A Health Risk For Pregnant People — Both Physically And Mentally

A new report recommends providing better education for pregnant people on environmental health risks and increasing access to air purifiers.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by The 19th . It was written by reporter Jennifer Gerson .

In the midst of yet another hazy summer, as over 50 large fires burn in the West , a new report published by Human Rights Watch examines the growing risk that fire season poses to pregnant people and lays out recommendations for how to address the threat.

The international advocacy organization worked with Nurturely, a nonprofit focused on perinatal care in Oregon, to interview over 50 birth workers like doulas and midwives, public health officials and climate experts to better understand how wildfire seasons in the state are playing out for pregnant people.

The authors learned that wildfire smoke is becoming a mental health stressor for pregnant people, and that for low-income residents, information about smoke hazards — and solutions for how to protect themselves — can be out of reach.

Smoke rises from Lahaina as seen through an airplane window Wednesday morning, Aug. 9, 2023, in Maui, Hawaii. A large fire consumed the historic West Maui town Aug. 8. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

“Before we did the research, we knew that many of the chemicals inside wildfire smoke are well known to be reproductive toxins. We also knew that there was a growing body of epidemiology that was showing that there was a link between wildfire exposure and adverse birth outcomes,” said Skye Wheeler, a senior researcher and the report’s lead author. “But what we couldn’t see was what it actually felt like on the ground. And to better understand that, we turned to the people working on the real front lines of where the climate crisis meets human health and wellbeing.”

It’s a viewpoint that Kate Kelly, senior director of the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress, a think tank, said is sometimes missing from public health policy. “It’s not always how we arrive at our policy recommendations — just asking normal people what they need,” she said. “So I thought that was unique and impactful.”

A combination of climate change and decades of poor forest management means longer and more intense wildfire seasons. More “mega fires,” or fires that burn more than 100,000 acres, are expected in the coming years. Their smoky plumes release particle pollution from organic matter like trees, but also toxic pollution from burning homes, like plastic and household chemicals.

There is a growing body of research about the effects of wildfire smoke on pregnancy, but it’s in early stages, said Dr. Emilia Basilio, an assistant professor in maternal and fetal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “What we do know is that there’s a definite link with wildfire smoke and preterm birth, so babies being born ahead of time, which can lead to complications like low birth weight.”

Air pollution research also makes scientists think that wildfire smoke could be linked to pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes high blood pressure, she said. “That link has been substantiated with a lot of air pollution data, and we know that wildfire smoke has the same sort of composition as air pollution in terms of particulate matter — especially particulate matter that’s very small, so less than 2.5 microns in size, which is what we inhale,” she said. “It gets into our bloodstream and also kind of deposits into the placenta.”

For many of the doulas and midwives Wheeler interviewed, the threats extend beyond physical concerns. In addition to pre-existing health conditions like asthma, “the people that our interviewees were often most concerned about were people with pre-existing mental health conditions like depression or anxiety,” Wheeler said. “When you wake up every day for like, one, two or three weeks and the air is full of smoke and the light is strange and the sky is dark, this is all having a real impact on the health of pregnant people, and a real impact on anxiety as well.”

In the report, doula Katie Minich said she feels like wildfire season makes it harder to have a normal pregnancy now. “There’s a lot more anxiety,” she told the researchers. “Pregnant people must worry: What if I go into labor when I’m trying to evacuate? A lot of things are more uncertain, things we used to take for granted.”

Research on this topic is extremely limited, said Wheeler, so one of her recommendations in the report is to fund more of it. “We have every reason to suspect that the climate crisis is impacting maternal mental health,” she said.

The report also examines the barriers that keep pregnant people from protecting themselves from wildfire smoke. Low-income communities of color are more susceptible to exposure due to poor housing stock, homelessness, people working in outdoor jobs like farmworking and having less information about environmental threats to pregnancy.

“While we have very top-down, very broad advice from public health officials — including, for example, the CDC and EPA providing some insights for pregnant people about what they should do on wildfire smoke days,” Wheeler said, “it’s not that easy to put that advice into action.”

For example, measures like buying air purifiers or air conditioners can be too costly. Living in poor housing stock often means that smoke can seep through leaky windows and doors. And when a wildfire hits and the air quality worsens, these communities are less likely to evacuate either due to the expense or not having nearby family who can take them in.

Birth workers play an important role in filling in some of the information gaps and can connect patients to resources, said Wheeler. “We found that quite often, community-oriented birth workers like midwives or doulas were providing information to patients, and that’s because people were asking them. They were using the best advice that they could get and trying to make it as useful as possible for pregnant people, and to try and provide a sense of comfort where they could.”

Kelly, whose organization released a report on the role birth workers play in public health, said those workers are also key to lowering the risks of poor maternal health outcomes. Black women in the United States are three times more likely to die in childbirth than White women. “Regardless of natural disasters or a public health crisis like a pandemic, the country overall faces a dire maternal health crisis, and this crisis disproportionately impacts women of color,” she said. “Doulas can help bridge the gap in the quality of care people receive, and sort of disrupt the cycle of harm caused by a biased healthcare system that doesn’t serve them.”

The report offered several recommendations, including providing better education for pregnant people on environmental health risks, more outreach to those from marginalized communities when wildlife smoke or poor air quality is a concern, increasing access to air purifiers and housing weatherization programs, and expanding support for birth workers. The report also recommends greater coordination at the federal level, including adding reproductive justice experts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice office.

But, Wheeler said, none of these recommendations are going to be enough if the root cause of the problem isn’t addressed. “What we heard very clearly from more than half of the people we interviewed was that we need big climate action,” she said. “We need massive reduction in fossil fuel burning, that this (crisis) is fundamentally changing how amenable to new life and pregnancy health our environment is.”

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Effect of diabetes education on complications and diabetic control amongst adult patients with diabetes in madinah, saudi arabia.

1. Introduction

Research objectives, 2.1. study design and inclusion/exclusion criteria, 2.2. sample size calculations, 2.3. study tool, 2.4. statistical analysis, 2.5. ethical considerations, 3.1. patients’ characteristics, 3.2. factors associated with differences in patients’ knowledge score, 3.3. educating patients with type 2 diabetic significantly improves their k scores, 3.4. educating patients with diabetes influences their diabetic control, 3.5. educating patients with diabetes improves their quality of life by reducing diabetic complications, 4. discussion, limitations, 5. conclusions, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Click here to enlarge figure

Social and Clinical Characteristics
N	364
Age	53 ± 13 (15–80)
Gender (%)
Male	176 (48.33%)
Female	188 (51.67%)
Marital status (%)
Single	34 (9.38%)
Married	275 (75.43%)
Divorced	16 (4.41%)
Window/er	39 (10.78%)
Diabetes type and treatment (%)
Type 1	55 (15.11%)
Type 2 using insulin	132 (36.26%)
Type 2 not using insulin	177 (48.63%)
Family income (%)
No income	12 (3.3%)
Less than 6000 SR	163 (44.7%)
6000–12,000 SR	114 (31.2%)
12,000–18,000 SR	59 (16.4%)
More than 18,000 SR	13 (3.65)
Does not want to answer	3 (0.8%)
Duration of diabetes in years (range)	20 ± 12 (1–50)
Level of education
Illiterate	27 (7.4%)
Up to high school degree	230 (63.4%)
Undergraduate degree	92 (25.1%)
Postgraduate degree	15 (4.1%)
Family history of diabetes (%)
1st degree relative (Mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter)	219 (60.2%)
2nd degree relative (grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt)	23 (6.3%)
Both 1st and 2nd degree relative	35 (9.6%)
I do not Know	39 (10.6%)
No family history of diabetes	48 (13.3%)
Complications of diabetes (%)
Retinal disease	76 (20.8%)
Cardiovascular disease	47 (12.9%)
Diabetic foot	4 (1.1%)
Peripheral nerve disease	36 (9.8%)
Renal disease	11 (3.1%)
I do not have any complications of diabetes	190 (52.3%)
Visited Nutrition Clinic (%)
Yes	140 (38.4%)
No	224 (61.6%)

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Share and Cite

Al-Nozha, O.M.; Mogharbel, G.H.; Badawi, A.S.; Alawfi, A.K.; Aljayyar, M.W.; Makhdoom, O.N.; Kateb, H.M.; Sayed, A.A. Effect of Diabetes Education on Complications and Diabetic Control Amongst Adult Patients with Diabetes in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Healthcare 2024 , 12 , 1708. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12171708

Al-Nozha OM, Mogharbel GH, Badawi AS, Alawfi AK, Aljayyar MW, Makhdoom ON, Kateb HM, Sayed AA. Effect of Diabetes Education on Complications and Diabetic Control Amongst Adult Patients with Diabetes in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Healthcare . 2024; 12(17):1708. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12171708

Al-Nozha, Omar M., Ghazi H. Mogharbel, Ahmad S. Badawi, Abdulaziz K. Alawfi, Mohammed W. Aljayyar, Osamah N. Makhdoom, Husain M. Kateb, and Anwar A. Sayed. 2024. "Effect of Diabetes Education on Complications and Diabetic Control Amongst Adult Patients with Diabetes in Madinah, Saudi Arabia" Healthcare 12, no. 17: 1708. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12171708

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SAGE Open Nurs
v.10; Jan-Dec 2024
PMC11337188

Nursing Students’ Experiences and Challenges in Their Education During COVID 19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study

Puvaneswari kanagaraj.

1 Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Bisha, Bisha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Judie Arulappan

2 Department of Maternal and Child Health, College of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos University, Al Khoudh, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Arpita Pradhan

3 Narayana Multi Specialty Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

* Current address: Durgapur City Hospital and Clinic Pvt. Limited, Durgapur, West Bengal, India.

Shimmaa Mansour Moustafa Mohammed

4 Faculty of Nursing, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

Associated Data

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-son-10.1177_23779608241272484 for Nursing Students’ Experiences and Challenges in Their Education During COVID 19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study by Puvaneswari Kanagaraj, Judie Arulappan, Arpita Pradhan and Shimmaa Mansour Moustafa Mohammed in SAGE Open Nursing

Supplemental material, sj-docx-2-son-10.1177_23779608241272484 for Nursing Students’ Experiences and Challenges in Their Education During COVID 19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study by Puvaneswari Kanagaraj, Judie Arulappan, Arpita Pradhan and Shimmaa Mansour Moustafa Mohammed in SAGE Open Nursing

Introduction

The COVID-19 outbreak disrupted the nursing education across the world. The nursing students faced many challenges in their learning process.

The study explored the experiences and challenges faced by nursing students who had virtual education in India.

The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. The study was conducted as two phases. Phase 1: Qualitative data were collected using direct focus group interview with 18 students. Phase 2: Quantitative data were collected from 477 students using a Likert scale prepared by the investigators of the study on challenges experienced by nursing students on their education. The analysis was done using the descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis.

Phase 1: The analyzed data produced seven themes and 10 sub-themes; (1) technical issues—a concern, (2) regular rhythm in educational training—but not complete, (3) stress and strain, (4) evaluation—a concern, (5) communication, (6) comfort zone, and (7) easy distraction. Phase 2: Majority of the students (54.71%) experienced high-level challenges with the nursing education during pandemic. The overall mean and SD of all the domain-wise challenges were 103.39 + 7.11 with the range from 30 to 150. The mean and SD with educational challenges were (20.27 + 3.04), environmental challenges (6.92 + 1.66), communication challenges (17.61 + 4.01), technical challenges (17.39 + 3.75), evaluation challenges (7.09 + 1.94), physical and mental challenges (20.47 + 4.33), career challenges (7.06 + 1.91), and financial challenges (6.61 + 2.1). The demographic variable gender ( P = 0.045) showed a statistically significant association with the challenges.

Considering the experiences and challenges faced by the nursing students, the nursing administrators shall design educational strategies to mitigate these challenges in nursing education during a pandemic.

Implication

Virtual nursing education offers flexibility in teaching and learning, self-paced learning opportunity, lower the costs, career advancement, comfortable learning environment, more opportunities for participation, easier to track documentation and improves skills in technology. Therefore, the challenges in virtual nursing education should be lessened to have successful teaching learning experiences.

Introduction/Background

The world faced unprecedented challenges during COVID-19 global pandemic ( World Health Organization, 2020 ). The pandemic changed the lives of people at different levels. Additionally, social distancing shaped the social relationship and behavior ( Kaveh et al., 2022 ). COVID-19 significantly strained the healthcare system. In addition, it affected the education in academic institutions and universities to a greater extent ( Dewart et al., 2020 ). As a preventive and control measure, all the schools, colleges, and universities were closed ( Mustafa, 2020 ). In April 2020, 94% of learners worldwide were affected by the pandemic, representing 1.58 billion children and youth in 200 countries ( De Giusti, 2020 ). Likewise, nursing education has undergone many radical changes both in developed and developing countries. The situation affected the learning opportunities of nursing students as their clinical placements were suspended and the face-to-face teaching moved into online teaching. Additionally, the pre-clinical activities such as laboratory and simulation-based teaching were affected due to social and organizational restrictions to limit unnecessary access and contact with others ( Tomietto et al., 2020 ).

To continue the teaching–learning activity, the academic institutions adopted various digital platforms including Zoom, Google meet, WebEx, Udemy, Edmodo, Google classroom, etc. ( Mishra et al., 2020 ). Moreover, web-based conferences were routinely organized by educational institutions during this pandemic ( Kaware, 2022 ). In addition, educational institutions have placed greater emphasis on ERP systems, library modules, fee modules, and examination modules. The virtual learning enhanced the comfort, accessibility, and encouraged remote learning ( Mukhtar et al., 2020 ). Similarly, the learners found it easy to access the online material, were able to record meetings and sessions and retrieve information ( Alsayed & Althaqafi, 2022 ). The faculty and students expressed that online education is useful during the COVID-19 pandemic; it was convenient, flexible, cost low, and encouraged self-learning ( Almahasees et al., 2021 ). Likewise, online education improved the flexibility, ability to teach large classes, increased interaction between the teachers and students and increased learning opportunities for the learners ( Hako, 2021 ). Ultimately, these educational technologies have had significant positive impact on the learning of the students. Additionally, it paves the way toward the blending of technology synchronously or asynchronously into education ( Thaheem et al., 2022 ).

Review of Literature

Although online education was beneficial to both the teachers and learners, it posed various challenges to the faculty and students ( Nimavat et al., 2021 ). Poor student attendance, loneliness, issues with internet connectivity and lack of information and technology skills were reported as challenges of online education ( Hako, 2021 ). The faculty and students indicated that efficacy of online teaching and learning is less effective than face–face teaching and learning. Moreover, online learning is ineffective for deaf and hard of hearing students. Likewise, online education is linked to lack of interaction and motivation, data privacy and security and technical issues ( Almahasees & Amin, 2021 ; Alsayed & Althaqafi, 2022 ). Furthermore, online education was inefficient in terms of maintaining academic integrity ( Mukhtar et al., 2020 ). The teachers reported difficulties in motivating the students without visual connection during online teaching ( Moustakas & Robrade, 2022 ). Also, Atout et al., (2022) reported lack of resources for the clinical learning, distracting home environment and challenging evaluation of learners as the barriers for virtual learning.

The challenges faced by the instructors includes transitional difficulties from offline to online teaching, communication barriers, changes in the teaching style and additional time and resources for preparation of teaching. The institutions experienced challenges such as need for additional training for faculty and students, technical and multimedia support, online counselling sessions for teachers and the need to have technical troubleshooting team. Students experienced challenges related to having technical skills to learn online, lack of readiness, network and speed issues, and lack of identity, interaction and participation. There were challenges related to content such as development of new material, regular assignments, multimedia tools, and checking assignments and sharing regular feedback with the students. Technological challenges included device suitability, network stability and speed, tools of conferencing software for online teaching and ease of use. Lastly, the motivational factors included lack of sense of job security, non-availability of salary on time, and lack of family support, mental and emotional support from colleagues and higher authorities ( Siddiquei & Kathpal, 2021 ).

To enhance the online teaching and learning, technical aptitude enhancement, resource management and utilization, time management, control over the learning environment and help seeking are essential ( Barrot et al., 2021 ). Furthermore, formal training for the teachers, and enhancement of psychosocial wellbeing of both the learners and teachers are necessary to curb the feelings of loneliness and isolation. Moreover, the nature of the problems related to the shift from face to face to online learning should be identified to combat these challenges ( Hako, 2021 ). In India, both the undergraduate and postgraduate students were badly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced many challenges with online education ( Joshi et al., 2020 ; Kamal & Illiyan, 2021 ; Muthuprasad et al., 2021 ; Pandit & Agrawal, 2022 ; Rannaware et al., 2022 ; Sengupta, 2022 ). However, very few studies explored the challenges encountered by the nursing students during the online learning ( Gaur et al., 2020a ; George et al., 2022 ; Kanagaraj et al., 2022 ; Lata & Kudi, 2022 ). Therefore, the authors decided to understand the experiences and challenges encountered by nursing students in their nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that the study finding will be beneficial to the educational authorities, curriculum developers, and policy makers to design appropriate measures and strategies to enhance effective learning both in nursing education and practice.

An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was utilized in this study. The study integrated qualitative data into quantitative data to understand the experiences and challenges experienced by nursing students’ during the pandemic.

Research Setting

The study was conducted among nursing students of Narayana Hrudayalaya College of Nursing, Koshy's College of Nursing and Kirubanidhi College of Nursing, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. These colleges initiated virtual classes from April 2020. Therefore, these colleges were selected as settings for the study.

The target population of the study included both Diploma and BSN students. The accessible population included both Diploma and BSN students studying in Narayana Hrudayalaya College of Nursing, Koshy's College of Nursing and Kirubanidhi College of Nursing, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Sample, Sample Size, and Sampling Techniques

Three nursing colleges were conveniently selected for the study. In Phase 1, the researchers used purposive sampling technique to collect the qualitative data from six students in each college (Narayana Hrudayalaya College of Nursing, Koshy's College of Nursing and Kirubanidhi College of Nursing, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India). The data collection was done face to face. Thus, in total, 18 students participated in the focused group interview during phase I. For Phase 2, the sample size calculation was done based on the previous cross-sectional study ( Thapa et al., 2021 ). Having the expected proportion of challenges experienced by nursing students as 15%, with 95% confidence interval, and with the precision, the minimum required sample size was 400. In total, all the three nursing colleges had 654 students. Convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data in phase II.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

The study included nursing students who were enrolled for Diploma and BSN program, exposed to online learning, and second, third, and fourth year nursing students. The study excluded those who were not willing to participate, and first year nursing students as they had limited exposure to the virtual theory and clinical classes, which may give a limited and inaccurate data. Considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 477 students participated in the study.

Description and Interpretation of Study Instrument

The instruments used in the study were prepared by the researchers of the study. The qualitative data collected during the first phase of the study was utilized in preparing the tool used for the quantitative phase of the study. It included four parts namely demographic variables, background variables, open-ended questions to explore the participant's experiences and challenges and Likert scale to assess the challenges.

Part 1 included the demographic variables of the participants including age, gender, course of study, year of study, residence, and place of attending online classes.

Part 2 comprised of the background variables such as gadgets used for attending online classes, source of internet, mode of theory classes taken during the last 6 months, mode of practical training, methods of teaching theory classes, audio visual aids used, and the virtual platform used.

Part 3 consisted of a questionnaire related to students’ experiences and challenges. It included 15 open-ended questions related to the aspects of theoretical learning, practical learning, study materials, teaching methodology, evaluation process, issues related to physical and mental health, issues related to technology and issues related to finance.

Lastly, Part 4 included a Likert scale on challenges having 30 questions with eight domains; educational challenges (six items), environmental challenges (two items), communication challenges (five items), technical challenges (five items), evaluation challenges (two items), physical challenges (six items), career challenges (two items), and financial challenges (two items). Dimensions were evaluated using 5-point Likert scale varying from strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), neutral (3), agree (4) and strongly agree (5). The total score ranges from 30 to 150. The domain-wise challenges were interpreted as 1–50 = low challenges, 51–100 = moderate challenges, 101–150 = high challenges. The instrument was prepared in English and no translations were done.

Reliability and Validity of the Tool

Content validity was obtained from eight experts in the field of nursing education. The calculated content validity index was 0.80. Pilot study was conducted with 10% of the study participants (42 students) to test the reliability of the tool before administering to the main study participants. Using Cronbach's alpha (inter-item reliability), the internal consistency assessed was 0.89, which is highly reliable. The participants participated in the pilot study were excluded from the main study.

Ethical Considerations

Ethical approval was obtained from the Research and Ethics Committee of Narayana Hrudayalaya College of Nursing (NHH/AEC-CL.2022-BI5 dated 22/3/2022), Kirubhanidhi College of Nursing (KCC/22/22 dated 04/3/2022), and Koshy's College of Nursing (KCN/15 dated 07/3/2022) and Institutional review board. After getting the ethical approvals, formal permission was obtained from the Head of Nursing colleges to collect data. The researchers explained the purpose of the study to the participants involved in both quantitative and qualitative data collection. The participants were informed that their participation in the study was voluntary. Since the participants were not forced to participate in the study, they were given the freedom to withdraw from the study at any time without any penalty. The participants signed the informed consent and responded to all the questions and returned the completed questionnaire. All the audio recordings were coded and password protected. It was explained to the participants that they were not exposed to any kind of risk. To keep the data anonymous, no identifying information was collected from the participants. The researchers maintained confidentiality of information throughout the study period. All the collected data were stored in a password protected file. Only, the investigators of the study had access to the data.

Data Collection (Qualitative Phase)

In Phase I of the study, three focus groups were selected using purposive sampling technique. Each group included six participants with a total of 18 nursing students. After getting the consent, the participants shared their experiences and challenges faced during their educational training in the pandemic. The interviews were conducted from 25/2/2022 to 25/3/2022 and each interview lasted for 1.30 h to 2 h. The first and third authors conducted the interview. The first author is a PhD and the third author is a BSN holder. The first author is an assistant professor and the third author is a staff nurse. Both of them were females. Both of them were trained in qualitative data collection. The researchers established rapport with the study participants. The researcher used 15 open-ended probing questions and the participants were given the freedom to express additional views and comments. All the interviews were conducted in person in the college and audio recorded with their consent. Focus group discussions were continued till the data saturation occurred. The transcripts were returned to the participants for their correction.

Data Collection (Quantitative Phase)

In Phase II, the quantitative data were collected using convenient sampling technique. The total number of students participated in the study were 477. The questionnaires were transferred to Google forms and were circulated to the students after explaining the objectives and getting the informed consent. The quantitative data were collected from 11/04/2022 to 20 /04/2022. The response rate was 72.9% (477) which included Narayana Hrudayalaya College of nursing (88 participants), Koshy's College of nursing (235 participants) and Kirubanidhi College of nursing (154 participants).

Data Analysis (Qualitative Phase)

The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The collected data were transcribed and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Reflexive thematic analysis was performed in this study ( Clarke & Braun, 2017 ).

Data Analysis (Quantitative Phase)

The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 22.

Credibility, Dependability, and Transferability

To ensure credibility of the data, the researcher strongly engaged with the focused group interviews by means of observation, documentation, and taking notes. Dependability was achieved through reviews and comments given by the research guide, who is the second author of the study who has full knowledge of the study design and methodology. The data collected from participants and the findings could be applicable to other contexts, situations, times, and populations and the study setting. It ensures transferability.

The researcher adhered to rigor by carefully collecting data via audio recordings and by taking field notes. Each focus group interview was transcribed immediately after the interview. The transcripts were given to the participants for cross-checking and approval. In addition to ensuring rigor through trustworthiness criteria, the authors followed mixed-methods research legitimation criteria by ensuring design quality, design suitability, within design consistency, design fidelity, and analytic adequacy ( Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009 ).

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness was established by using an unbiased approach in selecting the participants and by participant's being honest, clearly recorded, and accurately presented inputs. The transcriptions, coding, and themes–subthemes were discussed by the research team for their verification. Then based on the themes and subthemes the quantitative questionnaire was created by the researchers.

Phase 1 Qualitative Phase

Table 1 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of background variables of 18 participants who shared their experiences and challenges faced during their educational training in the pandemic. Table 2 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of participants’ background variables.

Table 1.

Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Demographic Variables of Nursing Students.

Demographic variables	Qualitative data		Quantitative data
	Frequency		Frequency
	Phase 1 ( = 18)	Percentage	Phase II ( = 477)	Percentage

18–23 years	16	88.9	432	90.6
23–29 years	2	11.1	45	9.4
Gender
Male	4	22.2	111	23.3
Female	14	77.8	366	76.7
Course
B.Sc. Nursing	14	77.8	331	69.4
GNM	4	22.2	146	30.6
Year of study
Second year	4	22.2	226	47.4
Third year	9	50	226	47.4
Fourth year	5	27.8	25	5.2
Residence
Urban	11	61.1	216	45.3
Semi-urban	2	11.1	113	23.7
Rural	5	27.8	148	31
From where you attended the online classes most of the time
Home	7	38.9	79	16.6
Hostel	11	61.1	398	83.4

Table 2.

Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Baseline Variables of Nursing Students.

Demographic variables	Qualitative data		Quantitative data
	Frequency		Frequency
	Phase 1 ( = 18)	Percentage	Phase II ( = 477)	Percentage
Gadget used for attending online classes (multiple choice)
Mobile	18	100	469	98.3
Laptop	2	11.11	52	10.9
Tablet	1	5.55	13	2.7
Desktop			4	0.8
Source of internet (multiple choice)
WiFi	3	16.66	87	18.2
LAN	-	-	1	0.2
Mobile data	18	100	451	94.5
Mode of theory classes taken for the last 6 months
Online	1	5.6	69	14.5
Offline	5	27.7	157	32.9
Both online and offline	12	66.7	251	52.6
Mode of the practical training
Online	1	5.6	50	10.5
Offline	7	38.9	289	60.6
Both online and offline	10	55.5	138	28.9
Methods of teaching used for theory classes (multiple choice)
Lecture cum discussion	18	100	451	94.5
Seminar	1	5.55	98	20.5
Role play	-	-	38	8
AV aids used (multiple options)
Power point presentation	17	94.4	445	93.3
Videos	7	38.9	218	45.7
White / Black board	-	-	88	18.4
Virtual platform used (multiple options)
Zoom	8	44.4	250	52.4
Google meet platform	10	55.6	286	60
Cisco	-	-	106	22.2
Web-ex	4	22.2	179	37.5

Experiences and Challenges Faced by the Nursing Students

In Phase 1, the experiences and challenges experienced by nursing students with their educational training during the pandemic were analyzed using thematic analysis. Table 3 reports seven themes and 10 sub-themes. The themes identified includes: (1) technical issues—a concern, (2) regular rhythm in educational training—but not complete, (3) stress and strain, (4) evaluation—a concern, (5) communication, (6) comfort zone, and (7) easy distraction. The sub-themes were: (1.1) problems with internet connectivity, (1.2) issues with the digital platform, (2.1) theoretical learning experience-better, (2.2) deficient practical skills, (3.1) physical stress, (3.2) mental stress, (4.1) unfair evaluation and lack of feedback, (5.1) decreased quality of communication, (6.1) very convenient, and (7.1) difficult to concentrate.

Table 3.

Themes and Subthemes of Experiences and Challenges Faced by Nursing Students.

S. no.	Themes	Sub-themes
	Technical issues—a concern	1.1. Problems with internet connectivity
	Technical issues—a concern	1.2. Issues with the digital platform
	Regular rhythm in educational training—but not complete	2.1. Theoretical learning experience-Better
	Regular rhythm in educational training—but not complete	2.2.Deficient practical skills
	Stress and strain	3.1.Physical stress
	Stress and strain	3.2.Mental stress
	Evaluation—a concern	4.1.Unfair evaluation
	Communication	5.1.Decreased quality of communication
	Comfort zone	6.1.Very convenient
	Easy distraction	7.1.Difficult to concentrate

Theme 1: Technical Issues: A Concern

Modern technology is progressive in all sectors. With this technology, it was possible to deliver training in all educational sectors including nursing education during COVID-19. Though it was helpful, technical problems interrupted the teaching–learning process. Most of the participants expressed their concern related to technical issues. It includes issues with internet connectivity, and issues with the digital platform.

Subtheme 1: Problems with Internet Connectivity

Constant network issues were an unavoidable fact for many students. Students could not be connected to the virtual class on time due to the internet connectivity issues and they had to miss attending the classes.

“Sometimes it keeps on showing error code and by the time I get connected the class is completed by the faculty” (5A).

Students stated that they faced technical and network issues while attending the classes.

“During online classes, we have faced a lot of technical and network issues” (2A).

In addition, fluctuations in the network connectivity were another technical issue faced by students and it affected the virtual learning of the students.

“I faced fluctuations in my network during a natural calamity in my place so I missed many classes during that time” (13A).

Subtheme 2: Issues with the Digital Platform

There are various platforms used to deliver online educational training. The participants expressed their difficulties as they had hitches in updating the digital platforms, and mentioned that the lack of experience in using the platforms affected their learning.

Digital platform did not work if the application is not updated on time. This was stated as below;

“If I did not update the app on time, it will not work” (1A).

Students faced problems in joining the virtual platform due to issues with the virtual platform.

“Sometimes I faced problems with joining with the virtual platform” (8A).

Lack of experience in using the virtual platform by both the faculty and student was another challenge stated by the students.

“Had struggle to join the meeting initially for both students and faculties because it was very new to us” (5A).

Students faced difficulties in submitting the assignments and answer sheets, as they did not have previous experience in submitting it through digital platforms.

“I struggled while submitting the answer sheets /assignment through digital platforms” (4A).

Theme 2: Regular Rhythm in Educational Training: But not Complete

Virtual education is a boon during pandemic. It took the education system in a rhythmic manner. Though the online lectures were beneficial, at times, students faced few challenges.

Subtheme 1: Online Theoretical Learning Experience

The students utilized the opportunities to learn from online classes with few challenges in attending online classes.

Commencement of online classes helped the students to have continuity in their studies. As the online classes were started on time immediately, it did not affect their theoretical learning.

“…It was not at all possible for the colleges to continue the offline classes so that the apex body instructed to start with online classes and it's good that we were in touch with our studies” (12A).

Different methods and techniques of teaching adopted during online classes enhanced interest in their learning.

“During online classes teacher used to teach with PPTs, and some good videos to make the session interesting. Sometimes they used to conduct lecture cum discussion. That time I was interested to listen to the class” (15A).

“I was interested to attend the online theory classes when teachers used to take a class by showing some videos related to theory content. It was good” (16A).

Students encountered issues with the storage of study materials as they had minimal storage space in their gadgets.

“Teachers used to send notes in PDF form in the mail or by WhatsApp. When I have storage issues in my gadgets, I deleted the content because of storage issues” (18A).

Subtheme 2: Deficient Practical Skills

Practical training is a major part of nursing profession. Students faced many challenges while attending online practical classes.

Most of the students stated that their theoretical learning through virtual mode was excellent. However, students felt that learning practical skills through direct clinical experience is rewarding than learning through virtual platform.

“…theory classes were very good. But in case of practical, like IV infusion, it was very easy to watch the procedure in a virtual platform, but it was very difficult to perform. I feel offline clinical exposure is better than online” (3A).

Students stated that they learnt basic nursing skills through direct clinical experience before the pandemic. However, the students lack confidence in performing the skills that they learnt through videos. The students felt nervous while performing the skills directly on the patients, as they did not get hands-on experience during virtual learning.

“…During my first-year clinical posting, I learnt basic procedure like vital signs checking, wound care, surgical dressing, etc with the direct clinical experience, suddenly everything goes on online, the faculty used to show us best videos. While watching videos I feel I can do. But when it's time to do directly, my hands were shivering and I was not confident. I feel offline exposure is better, we can get more exposure” (1A).

Huge gap in practical learning due to the pandemic affected the learning of the students. Thus, the students did not recommend online learning for learning the skills.

“I did not get adequate practical posting in my first year because of COVID-19. It continued with the second year too. So I have a huge gap with practical learning. For practical learning, online learning is not appropriate” (7A).

Theme 3: Stress and Strain

Prolonged online training affects the students’ physical as well as mental health. They felt more stressful.

Subtheme 1: Physical Stress

Students experienced physical symptoms such as strain in the eyes, neck pain, back pain and numbness in the legs due to prolonged usage of phone and sitting.

“I have to write my notes by seeing my phone. Every time I need to continuously see my mobile and make notes. It was straining my eyes and stressful for me” (16A).

“While attending online classes I used to keep my video on and listen to the class. Due to prolonged sitting, I have neck pain, eye strain also” (5A).

“I felt back pain and numbness in my leg while attending the online classes with prolonged sitting. I used to walk in between for some time to reduce the numbness” (12A).

Subtheme 2: Mental Stress

Students were anxious, as they could not complete the given tasks in online classes.

“I was anxious because I did not complete my task given in online classes, I was lazy” (4A).

As the students did not get practical experience in the clinical area, their confidence levels were low during the pandemic. Moreover, as the students did not get any opportunity to practice directly in the clinical area during the pandemic, they felt tensed and lacked confidence to directly practice on the patient after the pandemic.

“Due to lack of practice in clinical, my confidence had come down” (8A).

“I felt stressed out when I am thinking about my practical learning. I did not get adequate opportunity to practice” (10A).

“After lockdown when I came in the clinical setting, I was tensed about how I will handle the patient” (15A).

Theme 4: Evaluation: A Concern

Evaluation is the process of providing feedback to the students to improve themselves. The test, examination, assignment, and evaluation were new for the students and faculty during the pandemic and there were malpractice incidences by the students.

Sub-Theme 1 - Unfair Evaluation and Lack of Feedback

Students felt conducting exam using Google form as useful.

“Some faculties conducted few exams in Google Form, it was good because at that time I studied and attend the exam” (16A).

Malpractice in the online exam could be observed in the students during virtual learning.

“For the online exam, I never used to study because I can copy from PPT, my screenshots, or from Google and score good marks” (2A, 8A, 17A, 18A).

Students stated that they did not get proper feedback on their assignments.

“In my point of view, some faculties did not give us proper feedback on my assignment writing” (6A).

One student stated the unfair evaluation as the students copied scored well.

“I feel very bad when I write without copying and score very less marks; while the students who did malpractice scored well. So the evaluation was going very wrong” (4A).

Theme 5: Communication

It is necessary to build proper communication between the teachers and students to continue a smooth training session online. However, students felt that this distance learning created a communication gap between teachers and students.

Sub Theme 1- Decreased Quality of Communication

Limited and disrupted communication with the friends and teachers created distress in the students.

“It was not possible for me to communicate face to face with my friends and teachers during the online classes. It was quite distressing” (1A).

“Online class communication was the major problem. We could not communicate with faculties and peers like offline” (18A).

Students felt that they could not clarify their doubts with the faculty. However, faculty responded to their queries through WhatsApp and social media.

“If it comes to communication, it was very limited… During offline we can directly ask doubts to the faculty, but not now” (2A).

“During the online classes communication was not easy like face to face communication. But teachers were responding by WhatsApp and other social media after class time also” (6A).

Theme 6: Comfort Zone

Online classes were attended by the students either from hostel or home.

Subtheme 1: Very Convenient

Students felt comfortable staying home and attending online classes.

“It was convenient for me. Because I can stay at home, take care of my family and attend class also” (8A).

“For me, it was convenient, I got more time and can get up late to attend classes” (2A, 3A, 7A).

Students expressed that their transport expenses could be minimized, as they were not required to travel during the pandemic.

“I could save time. Even transport expenses could be minimized” (10A).

Theme 7: Distraction

Distraction was very high in online classes.

Sub-Theme 1: Difficult to Concentrate

Students were distracted during the online classes due to many notifications received from other online applications and disturbance from their siblings.

“As my internet is on I will get many notifications from other apps during class, it was a distraction for me” (4A, 9A, 11A).

“I attended online classes from my home only. I had disturbance from siblings, during my online classes” (7A, 16A).

Students themselves got distracted as they were using social media in between the online classes.

“I used to browse on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. during the online classes” (13A).

Phase 2: Quantitative Phase

Table 1 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of participant's demographic variables. Majority (90.6%) of the participants were in the age group between 18 and 23 years. Most of them were females (76.7%). 69.4% of the students were undergraduate (BSN) nursing students, while the rest were in Diploma nursing program. 47.4% of the participants were in their second and 47.4% were in their third year of study. Nearly half (45.3%) were from urban areas and 23.7 were from semi-urban areas, while the remaining (31%) were from rural areas. A large number (83.4%) of students attended the online classes from their hostels.

Table 2 outlines the frequency and percentage distribution of participants’ background variables. The results showed that the majority (98.3%) of the students used mobile phones to attend online classes. Most of them (94.5%) used the mobile data to have the internet connection. Almost half of the participants (52.6%) attended both online and offline classes. More than half (52.6%) of the participants had both online and offline practical exposure, and around 33% had offline clinical exposure. Most of the students (94.5%) attended lecture and discussion sessions. A huge number (93.3%) used power point presentation, and 45.7% of them used videos for teaching. Majority (60%) used Google Meet, while 52.4% used Zoom. The remaining used multiple platforms like Cisco, and Webex.

Figure 1 describes the frequency and percentage of distribution of level of challenges. It was classified as low, moderate, and high level of challenges. Majority of them (54.71%) experienced high-level challenges, 44.6% encountered moderate-level challenges, and the remaining experienced low-level challenges related to their nursing education during the pandemic.

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Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Challenges Faced by Nursing Students During Their Educational Training.

The domain-wise challenges with nursing education during pandemic were shown in Table 4 . The eight domains included educational challenges, environmental challenges, communication challenges, technical challenges, evaluation challenges, physical and mental challenges, career challenges, and financial challenges. The mean and standard deviations for educational challenges is (20.27 ± 3.04), environmental challenges (6.92 ± 1.66), communication challenges (17.61 ± 4.01), technical challenges (17.39 ± 3.75), evaluation challenges (7.09 ± 1.94), physical and mental challenges (20.47 ± 4.33), career challenges (7.06 ± 1.91), and financial challenges (6.61 ± 2.1). The overall mean and S.D. of all the domain was 103.39 ± 1 7.11 with the range from 30 to 150.

Table 4.

Assessment of Mean and Standard Deviation of Domain-Wise Challenges Faced by the Nursing Students n = 477.

Domain-wise challenges	Mean	Standard deviation	Range
Educational challenges	20.27	3.04	6–30
Environmental challenges	6.92	1.66	2–10
Communication challenges	17.61	4.01	5–25
Technical challenges	17.39	3.75	5–25
Evaluation challenges	7.09	1.94	2–10
Physical and mental challenges	20.47	4.33	6–30
Career challenges	7.06	1.91	2–10
Financial challenges	6.61	2.1	2–10
Total

Table 5 displays the item-wise challenges. The results of Educational Challenges indicated that almost 38.57% responded that they lack interest in learning. 15.93% either strongly agreed or agreed that face-to-face learning is very effective than E-learning. A larger portion (78.62%) of participants mentioned that the notes and lectures were inadequate. More than half of the participants (54.3%) agreed that virtual demonstration is not very effective for the practical patient care, and 61.21% mentioned that they lack confidence while taking care of patients. The participants provided similar responses during the qualitative phase of the study. The students lack confidence in performing the skills that they learnt through videos. Similarly, the students felt nervous while performing the skills directly on the patients, as they did not get hands-on experience during virtual learning. However, one third of the respondents (33.75%) expressed that they could learn the modern ways of handling patients through videos.

Table 5.

Item-Wise/Domain-Wise Analysis of Challenges Faced by Nursing Students.

S. no	Items	Strongly agree		Agree		Neutral		Disagree		Strongly disagree
S. no	Items	f	%	f	%	f	%	F	%	f	%

1	Lack of interest in learning	74	15.51	110	23.06	214	44.86	43	9.01	36	7.55
2	Face-to-face learning is more effective than E-learning	30	6.29	46	9.64	140	29.35	126	26.42	130	27.25
3	Notes/Lecture content are not adequate	224	46.96	151	31.66	72	15.09	16	3.35	14	2.94
4	Virtual demonstration is not very effective—practical patient care.	113	23.69	146	30.61	155	32.49	35	7.34	28	5.87
5	Lack of confidence while taking care of patients	162	33.96	130	27.25	117	24.53	44	9.22	24	5.03
6	Learnt modern ways of handling patients through videos.	56	11.74	105	22.01	185	38.78	80	16.77	51	10.69

7	Distracted very easily while attending online classes	142	29.77	139	29.14	133	27.88	38	7.97	25	5.24
8	My environment was very comfortable during pandemic to attend online classes	85	17.82	113	23.69	150	31.45	77	16.14	52	10.9

9	Difficulty in sharing my view with the teachers	83	17.4	141	29.56	169	35.43	55	11.53	29	6.08
10	Process of teacher–students interaction became passive.	74	15.51	145	30.4	197	41.3	48	10.06	13	2.73
11	Socializing with peer groups has decreased	109	22.85	167	35.01	151	31.66	27	5.66	23	4.82
12	Experience of loneliness without interacting much with peer groups.	115	24.11	155	32.49	151	31.66	32	6.71	24	5.03
13	Missed interaction with my seniors/college mates	94	19.71	138	28.93	167	35.01	43	9.01	35	7.34

14	Uncertain internet connection interrupts the learning process.	70	14.68	140	29.35	174	36.48	63	13.21	30	6.29
15	Teachers had difficulty in using technical aspects of the online platforms.	69	14.47	109	22.85	143	29.98	87	18.24	69	14.47
16	Good internet connection was there at my place.	140	29.35	148	31.03	125	26.21	38	7.97	26	5.45
17	Faced technical issues with learning platform /device.	114	23.9	151	31.66	146	30.61	37	7.76	29	6.08
18	Difficulty while submitting the answer sheets /assignment through digital platforms	140	29.35	144	30.19	122	25.58	44	9.22	27	5.66

19	Online evaluation may create irrational discrimination between students.	99	20.75	145	30.4	168	35.22	39	8.18	26	5.45
20	Evaluation/test conducted online was unfair	121	25.37	127	26.62	158	33.12	39	8.18	32	6.71

21	Experience of physical strain like headache, backache, neck pain, eye strain	147	30.82	149	31.24	158	23.27	43	9.01	27	5.66
22	I did not feel much mental stress	47	9.85	92	19.29	165	34.59	106	22.22	67	14.05
23	Developed insomnia	88	18.45	137	28.72	162	33.96	54	11.32	36	7.55
24	Addicted to phone due to prolonged using of phone other than learning purpose.	96	20.13	127	26.62	149	31.24	64	13.42	41	8.6
25	Regular life style has changed	125	26.21	146	30.61	148	31.03	38	7.97	20	4.19
26	Worry about online teaching applications that lack proper security system	99	20.75	131	27.46	160	33.54	55	11.53	32	6.71

27	Virtual practical training will affect my career as a registered nurse.	115	24.11	154	32.29	151	31.66	38	7.97	19	3.98
28	I may not be able to work as a skillful nurse	91	19.08	143	29.98	152	31.87	56	11.74	35	7.34

29	Extra money for my expenses for good internet package	149	31.24	128	26.83	126	26.42	40	8.39	34	7.13
30	Bought a new laptop/mobile/electric gadgets to attend virtual classes.	89	18.66	94	19.71	111	23.27	68	14.26	115	24.11

With regard to Environmental challenges , 41.51% expressed that they were comfortable with their home or hostel environment to attend online classes. However, more than half (58.91%) said that they were easily distracted while attending classes. Similar findings were seen in the qualitative phase of the study. Students were distracted during the online classes due to many notifications received from other online applications and disturbance from their siblings. Further, the students were distracted as they were using social media during the online class.

In terms of Communication challenges , almost half of them (46.96%) expressed that they had difficulty in sharing their view with the teachers, and 45.91% said that teacher–student interaction was passive. More than half (57.86%) of them expressed that peer group socialization has decreased, missed interaction (48.64%) with other college mates/seniors and experienced loneliness (56.6%) without interacting much with peer groups. Similar to these findings in the quantitative phase, in qualitative phase, the students mentioned that limited and disrupted communication with the friends and teachers created distress in the students. Moreover, the students could not clarify their doubts with the faculty.

Regarding Technical challenges , 44.03% had uncertain internet connection that interrupted the learning process. Around 37.32% expressed that the teachers had difficulty in using technical aspects of the online platforms initially. Around 39.63% had internet issues in their place. Almost 55.56% students faced technical issues with learning platform/device and around 59.54% had difficulty while submitting the answer sheets/assignment through digital platforms. Likewise, the qualitative findings revealed that the students faced technical and network issues while attending the classes. In addition, fluctuation in the network connectivity was another technical issue faced by students and it affected virtual learning. The participants expressed their concerns as they had difficulties in updating the digital platforms, and mentioned that the lack of experience in using the platforms affected their learning. Students faced difficulties in submitting the assignments and answer sheets, as they did not have previous experience in submitting it through digital platforms.

Related to Evaluation challenges , almost half of them (51.15%) mentioned that the online evaluation might create irrational discrimination between students with network issues, and 51.99% of them said that the evaluation/test conducted online was unfair. Consistent findings could be noted during the qualitative phase of study. Students mentioned that malpractice in the online exam occurred and it affected their grades. In addition, students stated that they did not get proper feedback on their assignments.

With respect to Physical and mental challenges , more than half 62.06% experienced physical strain like headache, backache, neck pain, and eye strain, 47.17% experienced insomnia, around 70.86% had mental stress, 46.75% got addicted to phone due to prolonged usage other than for learning purpose, 56.82% mentioned that the regular life style has changed, and lastly 48.21% were worried about the online teaching applications which lack proper security system. Likewise, same results are discovered in the qualitative phase of the study. Students experienced physical symptoms such as strain in the eyes, neck pain, back pain, and numbness in the legs due to prolonged sitting and continuous usage of phone. Additionally, students were anxious, as they could not complete the given tasks in online classes. Further, as the students did not get practical experience in the clinical area, their confidence levels were low and they felt tensed and lacked self-confidence to directly practice on the patients after the pandemic.

In terms of Career challenges , 56.4% agreed that virtual practical training may affect their career as a registered nurse, and 49.06% agreed that they may not be able to work as a skillful nurse with the virtual learning. Regarding Financial challenges , almost 58.07% agreed that extra money was spent for good internet package and 38.37% bought a new laptop/mobile/electric gadget to attend virtual classes.

With regard to association of demographic variables, only gender (χ 2 = 6.218, p = 0.045) has shown statistically significant association with problems or challenges faced by the nursing students during educational training in the pandemic at p < 0.05 level of significance.

During COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face teaching and learning were converted to virtual learning and the clinical experiences were suspended to protect the students from the pandemic ( Agu et al., 2021 ). The experiences with the online classes were very new for the nursing students. Moreover, the online education became unavoidable and was a good choice for the faculty and students during this pandemic across the world. Even though, the students and teachers had a positive view of the technology, which helped in the teaching–learning process during pandemic, it posted many challenges ( Mousavizadeh, 2022 ).

We conducted a mixed-methods study to explore the experiences and challenges faced by nursing students in their education during COVID-19 in India. The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. The study was conducted as two phases; the qualitative data were collected during Phase I using focus group interview with the students. The qualitative data collected during the first phase of the study was utilized in preparing the tool for the quantitative phase of the study. The quantitative data were collected using a Likert scale prepared by the investigators of the study on challenges experienced by nursing students on their education. During Phase 1, the analyzed data produced seven themes and 10 sub-themes on the challenges. These themes produced during the qualitative phase further explained the challenges experienced by the nursing students in their education during COVID-19 pandemic in the quantitative phase.

Educational Challenges

Learning motivation encourages learners’ activities and directs and maintains their progress, allowing students to immerse themselves in learning ( Kim, 2020 ). However, virtual learning decreased students’ attention and interest in classes, which then decreased their motivation to learn ( Morfaki & Skotis, 2022 ). Likewise, in the current study most of the students expressed that they lost interest in their learning. Student's interest is very important for academic achievement, so different methods of teaching and learning need to be adopted in future to improve the learning among students during online education ( Mousavizadeh, 2022 ).

During COVID-19 pandemic, the medical and nursing institutions used learning management systems (LMS) and uploaded various reading materials, videos, quizzes, and presentations to encourage the engagement of students in asynchronous learning activities. In addition, online discussion forums were created to facilitate the virtual learning process ( Atwa et al., 2022 ). Some students preferred online learning as it provides structured learning materials and enables studying from home at their own pace and convenience ( Paechter et al., 2010 ; Zheng et al., 2021 ). However, most of the students in different studies conducted across the world preferred face-to-face learning for acquiring motor skills, for establishing interpersonal relationships, and for achieving student learning outcomes ( Arias et al., 2018 ; Faidley, 2021 ; Ramani & Deo, 2021 ; Lim et al., 2021 ). Similarly, Muthuprasad et al. (2021) advocated that the online mode of learning may not be a viable option for practical/skill-oriented courses and therefore hybrid/blended curriculum involving both face to face and online modes of learning shall be adopted by the institutions.

The faculty used different methods of teaching and audio visual aids to enhance the teaching–learning process during the pandemic ( Reimers et al., 2020 ). However, students in the present study mentioned that the notes/lecture content were inadequate. Similar findings were reported in other studies that the quality and effectiveness of lecture were low; and inconsistencies were observed in some professor's lecture during COVID-19 ( Cengiz et al., 2022 ; Dziurka et al., 2022 ; Mousavizadeh, 2022 ; Mukasa et al., 2021 ; Rohde et al., 2022 ). This warrants the educational institutions to monitor the quality of teaching delivered by the faculty to their students during this pandemic. In addition, the faculty should take self-initiatives for the professional empowerment ( Osmanovic Zajic et al., 2022 ).

The professional preparation of nurses involves many hours of practical and theoretical classes which is conducted face to face, which gives a real learning experience ( Dziurka et al., 2022 ). However, COVID-19 pandemic caused alterations, restrictions, limited clinical placements and simulation training in the campus ( Rohde et al., 2022 ). Thus, many nursing institutions adopted virtual theoretical and practical learning modes. Various studies across the world including the present study reported that virtual practical learning was inappropriate and ineffective in doing practical skills. Additionally, the nursing students lack confidence in taking care of the patients as they did not have hands on training ( Cengiz et al., 2022 ; Dziurka et al., 2022 ; Gheshlagh et al., 2022 ; Mukasa et al., 2021 ; Rohde et al., 2022 ; Wajid & Gedik, 2022 ). Therefore, in addition to direct face-to-face practical training in the clinical areas, more nursing simulations, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and telenursing should be utilized to enhance the practical learning of nursing students ( Dziurka et al., 2022 ).

Environmental Challenges

Student engagement during the virtual classes are very essential. The students are expected to actively participate, show positive conduct, self-regulated, display deep learning and understanding, and should demonstrate positive reactions to the learning environment, peers, and teachers ( Bond et al., 2020 ). However, students in the current study and many other studies were distracted very easily while attending online classes, which limited their learning during pandemic ( Bergdahl, 2022 ; Farrell & Brunton, 2020 ; Fazza & Mahgoub, 2021 ; Hollister et al., 2022 ). Therefore, more peer-to-peer conversations and faculty–student exchanges are recommended to enhance the engagement and learning during the pandemic.

Communication Challenges

Effective communication between the educator and the students enhances the learning experience and creates a positive learning environment. In addition, it improves the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and thought to fulfill the purpose of teaching and learning. However, ineffective communication creates frustration, impaired interpersonal relationships, and lack of motivation ( Alawamleh e al., 2020 ). In consistent to this study, the present participants had difficulty in sharing their view with the teachers, could not socialize with peer groups, and experienced loneliness. Furthermore, studies reported that impaired communication during online learning creates uncertainties and insufficiencies in learning ( Cengiz et al., 2022 ; Mousavizadeh, 2022 ; Mukasa et al., 2021 ). Thus, effective communication with the students should be streamlined for successful virtual learning ( Mukasa et al., 2021 ).

Technical Challenges

Online education can be effectively integrated in the nursing curriculum as it guarantees effective problem-based learning. However, the nursing colleges were not adequately prepared to effectively utilize the online teaching and learning in developing and under developed countries ( Molefe & Mabunda, 2022 ). Technical aptitude was lacking among the faculty and students, which posed various challenges ( Barrot et al., 2021 ). Moreover, technical challenges limited the satisfaction of students and faculty toward online teaching and learning ( Mahyoob, 2020 ). Furthermore, failure of internet services, website failures, problems in logging into the site disrupted the teaching–learning process during the pandemic ( Fuchs, 2022 ; Gaur et al., 2020b ). Similar to these studies, the present study participants mentioned that they experienced uncertain internet connection, faced technical issues with learning platform/device, and had difficulty while submitting the answer sheets /assignment through digital platforms. In addition, the teachers had difficulty in using technical aspects of the online platforms. This calls for improving the instructional design and pedagogical methods by training the faculty and students to utilize the digital platforms effectively, which might improve the motivation and engagement of faculty and students during the online education ( Aivaz & Teodorescu, 2022 ).

Evaluation Challenges

Significant changes in the teaching and learning during the pandemic created profound opportunities and threats. Stakeholders and students reported that the evaluation during online learning was biased and ineffective ( Krishnamurthy, 2020 ) and experienced uncertainty toward the examination ( Idris et al., 2021 ). Besides, online learning affects the test scores and grades, student outcomes, attitude, and overall satisfaction with learning ( Szopiński & Bachnik, 2022 ). In the same way, the students in the current study mentioned that the online evaluation created irrational discrimination between students and the evaluation conducted online was unfair. Therefore, standard setting in the evaluation is an essential step considering the learners and educator's perspective, which would improve the teaching–learning process ( Wasfy et al., 2021 ).

Physical and Mental Challenges

COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected the physical and mental health of students ( Ro et al., 2021 ). Students missed eating, did not participate in extracurricular activities, and experienced computer-related physical stress ( Idris et al., 2021 ). Likewise, students experienced increased stress due to homework, social isolation and lack of social interactions ( Rao & Rao, 2021 ). In congruent with these study findings, the participants in the present study experienced headache, backache, neck pain, eye strain, insomnia, and mental stress. The authors recommend addressing the physical and mental health issues of the students by promoting the utilization of physical, emotional, and mental health support programs ( Idris et al., 2021 ).

Career Challenges

COVID-19 pandemic impacted the career preference, career perspective, and ideal workplace ( Wang et al., 2022 ). In the same way, the students struggled with the career decision-making process during the pandemic ( Jemini-Gashi & Kadriu, 2022 ). Likewise, working students lost their jobs, which affected their lives, studies, and health ( Tsurugano et al., 2021 ). In line with these studies, students of the present study expressed that virtual practical training will affect their career as a registered nurse and they may not be able to work as a skillful nurse. This calls for the initiation of a structured and well-designed practical training program for the nursing students in the hospitals before their placement as a registered nurse in the clinical practice.

Financial Challenges

The pandemic put a number of students under financial strain, which severely affected their mental well-being ( Negash et al., 2021 ). Similarly, the university students were disproportionately affected by the economic consequences of the pandemic, which escalated the economic uncertainty ( Gewalt et al., 2022 ). The students who lost their economic resources during pandemic experienced higher prevalence of depressive symptoms ( Tancredi et al., 2022 ). Participants in the current study mentioned that they had to spend extra money for good internet package and bought a new laptop/mobile /electric gadget to attend virtual classes, which increased their economic burden. To counterbalance these economic challenges, financial aid schemes for students need to be made available to relieve distress and allow students to focus on their studies ( Gewalt et al., 2022 ).

Strengths and Limitations

The study findings are limited to only few nursing colleges in India. Therefore, the study findings may not be generalizable to other states of India. As the study population was not selected through probability sampling strategy, the representativeness of samples might be lacking in the current study. Moreover, the study instruments were prepared by the investigators of the study that did not undergo rigorous standardization process, which might limit the strength of the study. Based on the study findings, the institutions where the study was conducted should design strategies to mitigate the challenges to have effective teaching and learning.

Implications for Practice

Virtual nursing education can be improved by refining the content and delivery methods, training of nursing faculty to use online educational strategies, and by reducing the technical and environmental barriers. Hybrid and blended teaching–learning strategies may further improve the learning among nursing students.

Virtual education can be very successful if we address the challenges and experiences of the students by performing appropriate groundwork by upgrading the required hardware and software, teaching how to use the facilities, and developing innovative teaching techniques and standard protocols for virtual education.

Supplemental Material

Acknowledgments.

The authors thank the students and faculty members who participated in this study. The authors are thankful to the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia for supporting this work through the Fast-Track Research Support Program. The authors would like to acknowledge the nursing students who have participated in the study. Special thanks to the administrators and faculty members of the institutions for their motivation and support during data collection.

Author Contributions: PK designed and conducted the study and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. JA edited and added additional content and refined the manuscript. AP collected the data. SM edited the manuscript.

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical Approval: Ethical approval was obtained from the Research and Ethics Committee of Narayana Hrudayalaya College of Nursing (NHH/AEC-CL.2022-BI5 dated 22/3/2022), Kirubhanidhi College of Nursing (KCC/22/22 dated 04/3/2022), and Koshy's College of Nursing (KCN/15 dated 07/3/2022).

Funding: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The authors are thankful to the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia for supporting this work through the Fast-Track Research Support Program.

ORCID iDs: Judie Arulappan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2788-2755

Shimmaa Mansour Moustafa Mohammed https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2956-610X

Supplemental Material: Supplemental material for this article is available online.

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IMAGES

How the pandemic has changed education
Now Published: Volume 9
How COVID-19 Pandemic Has Changed Education Forever
La educación en tiempos de la pandemia de COVID-19
Education Disrupted, Education Reimagined: Special Edition E-Book
The rise of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

COMMENTS

A Literature Review on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching and
The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in human history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 200 countries. Closures of schools, institutions and other learning spaces have impacted more than 94% of the world's student population.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Education Learning
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global disruption in everyday life, including education, since March 2020. The closure of schools due to COVID-19 has resulted in a break in education provision that has produced long-lasting learning losses. Furthermore, school closures may increase educational inequality.
Research and higher education in the time of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled the research and higher education sectors to the forefront of public attention. Laboratory capacity has been crucial for diagnostic testing; experts in infectious diseases, epidemiology, public health, mathematical modelling, and economics are central to national policy making and media coverage; clinical research has been vital to improving COVID-19 ...
PDF Education in a Pandemic
Even further, during the pandemic many families of English learners—and the students themselves—had outsized financial and caregiving responsibilities that prevented their full participation in distance learning.121 One survey of 589 families and 575 teachers from summer 2020, for example, found that only 39% of the.
A year later: Reflections on learning, adapting, and scaling education
Learnings for beyond the pandemic. The RTSL experience adapting and scaling TaRL in Botswana in the midst of a global pandemic offers key insights that are applicable well beyond this immediate ...
Education in a post-COVID world: Nine ideas for public action
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed vulnerabilities; it has also surfaced extraordinary human resourcefulness and potential. Decisions made today will have long-term consequences for the futures of education. Choices must be based on a humanistic vision of education and development, and human rights. The International Commission on the Futures of Education's new report Education in a post ...
Learning in times of COVID-19: Students', Families ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound and sudden impact on many areas of life; work, leisure time and family alike. These changes have also affected educational processes in formal and informal learning environments. Public institutions such as childcare settings, schools, universities and further education providers ceased onsite teaching and moved to distance learning - or closed down ...
Education and the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 is the greatest challenge that these expanded national education systems have ever faced. Many governments have ordered institutions to cease face-to-face instruction for most of their students, requiring them to switch, almost overnight, to online teaching and virtual education. This brief note offers pragmatic guidance to teachers ...
How teachers experienced the COVID-19 transition to remote instruction
The COVID-19 viral pandemic affected all facets of life, including schooling. ... Previous research has shown that while many teachers find online instruction to be rewarding, ... faced in light of the pandemic prevented them — and their students — from making a normal transition to remote education. Further, the circumstances took a toll ...
Science Education in the Era of a Pandemic
Among the countries worst hit by the pandemic is Italy where one of our Associate Editors, Olivia Levrini, is based. During a recent exchange, she raised the question of how history, philosophy and sociology of science (HPS) might contribute to science education in the era of a pandemic. Given the novelty of the issues generated by a major ...
Student mental health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for
With the global development of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the psychological issues which accompany this pandemic have rapidly compounded its public health burden (Torales et al., 2020).Emerging research assessing the mental health implications of COVID-19 has identified a heightened prevalence of moderate-to-severe self-reported depressive and anxious symptomatology among the ...
Science Education in the Era of a Pandemic
Accounts of science education as a research community at the time of a pandemic including the current demands and limitations of conducting and communicating research as well as academic community building; The implications of social distancing and self-isolation measures for how scientific cultures and science learning communities (e.g. in ...
The COVID-19 pandemic and E-learning: challenges and opportunities from
The spread of COVID-19 poses a threat to humanity, as this pandemic has forced many global activities to close, including educational activities. To reduce the spread of the virus, education institutions have been forced to switch to e-learning using available educational platforms, despite the challenges facing this sudden transformation.
Back to school: Research Topics on education during Covid-19
Research Topics: Well-Being of School Teachers in Their Work Environment. Closure and Reopening of Schools and Universities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and Control Measures, Support Strategies for Vulnerable Students and Psychosocial Needs. Learning in times of COVID-19: Students', Families', and Educators' Perspectives.
Insights on Leading Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Fernando M. Reimers is the Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice of International Education and Director of the Global Education Innovation Initiative and of the International Education Policy Masters Program at Harvard University. An expert in the field of global education, his research and teaching focus on understanding how to educate children and youth so they can thrive in the 21st ...
The pandemic's impact on education
The school closings due to coronavirus concerns have turned a spotlight on those problems and how they contribute to educational and income inequality in the nation. The Gazette talked to Reville, the Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at Harvard Graduate School of Education, about the effects of the ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. This is how
The COVID-19 has resulted in schools shut all across the world. Globally, over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom. As a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. Research suggests that online learning has been shown to ...
Experience and views on education during the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 has resulted in disruptions to schooling for the vast majority of Australian school children. Universities and other post-secondary education providers have also seen widespread shifts to remote learning, and considerable impacts on school funding. While there have undoubtedly been negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education institutions, students and their families, the ...
Teaching and Learning Continuity Amid and Beyond the Pandemic
Statement of Objective. This study explores the issues and challenges in teaching and learning amid the pandemic from the lenses of the faculty members and students of a public university in the Philippines as the basis for the development of strategic actions for teaching and learning continuity. Specifically, this study aimed to: Objective 1 ...
Education in the Midst of a Pandemic: Four Key Takeaways
Based on my experiences as an education researcher, a parent, and a school board member, I suggest four key takeaways we should be considering right now. 1. Effective digital learning requires resources and coordination. Many schools will close for more than a few weeks and perhaps through the end of the school year.
Student mental health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for
With the global development of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the psychological issues which accompany this pandemic have rapidly compounded its public health burden (Torales et al., 2020).Emerging research assessing the mental health implications of COVID-19 has identified a heightened prevalence of moderate-to-severe self-reported depressive and anxious symptomatology among the ...
The Academic Experiences of Senior High School Students in the Midst of
Abstract. As the world evolves, new problems arise and this leads to a bigger barrier for students especially with education. This paper uncovers the struggles of students with regards to the new learning modality as a result of the pandemic; COVID-19. It presents and discuss findings and methods in which the researchers examined information ...
Lessons from the COVID pandemic in music education the ...
The COVID-19 pandemic had far-reaching effects on various areas of everyday life. In several countries, singing, the most accessible form of musical expression, was banned, as was the use and teaching of wind instruments. Nevertheless, innovations in music education combined with teachers' dedicatio …
The true scale of Australia's international student industry
The majority were enrolled in higher education institutions, but the highest growth since before the pandemic was in the vocational sector, where enrolments increased by about 50 per cent compared ...
Hochul's Pandemic Study Is a $4.3 Million Flop
The governor's decision to publish a memoir in the midst of the crisis, which involved the use of state personnel and resources and brought him a fee of $5.2 million. The Hochul administration's award of a lucrative home-test contract to a company owned by campaign donors that was charging unusually high prices. Questionable conclusions
Wildfire Smoke Is A Health Risk For Pregnant People
In the midst of yet another hazy summer, as over 50 large fires burn in the West, a new report published by Human Rights Watch examines the growing risk that fire season poses to pregnant people ...
Healthcare
Background: Diabetes is a chronic condition that may become dangerous if there is insufficient insulin to help the body function properly. The proper care for diabetes depends on how well patients observe guidelines and prescriptions; consequently, patient education is critical. Poor learning may cause bad treatment and complications or other problems related to the disease. Objectives: This ...
Nursing Students' Experiences and Challenges in Their Education During
Impact of the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic on education. International Journal of Health Preferences Research, 4 (1), 25-30. [Google Scholar] Muthuprasad T., Aiswarya S., Aditya K. S., Jha G. K. (2021). Students' perception and preference for online education in India during COVID-19 pandemic. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 3 (1), 100101.
The post COVID-19 pandemic era: Changes in teaching and learning
This article has focused on discussing how management education will change in the post COVID-19 environment. This enabled answering the two research questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected management education. The first research question was answered in terms of changes in virtual classrooms and the use of the metaverse.
The Military and Private Business Actors in the Global South: The
The interaction of national armed forces and private business sectors offers a useful lens for viewing the politics of numerous countries of the so-called Global South. A rising trend of military political activism—often accompanied by military commercial activity—underlines the importance of drivers and outcomes in these relationships.

A year later: Reflections on learning, adapting, and scaling education interventions during COVID-19

Insight 1 : National scale can be pursued from the top down and bottom up

Insight 2: Local champions leading the charge on the ground can be particularly important, even in a virtual world

Insight 3 : Short-term shocks can lead to long-term learnings

Learnings for beyond the pandemic

Education in a post-COVID world: Nine ideas for public action

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Science Education in the Era of a Pandemic

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Introduction

Teaching and Learning in Times of Crisis

The Role of Technology in Learning Continuity

Statement of Objective

Methodology

Results and Discussion

Faculty and Students’ Access to Technology

Emerging Themes in Teaching and Learning

The Trajectory Towards Flexibility in Teaching Design, Delivery, and Assessment

The Role of Technology

The Learner’s and the Teacher’s Learning Environment

Maslow Before Bloom Orientation: Safety and Security

Strategic Scenario Analysis

Migrating to Flexible Teaching and Learning: The University’s Strategic Response for Academic Continuity

Recalibrate the Curriculum

Capacitate the Faculty

Upgrade the Infrastructure

Implementation and On-Going Assessment of the Strategic Response

Data Availability Statement

Ethics Statement

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Publisher’s Note

Education in the Midst of a Pandemic: Four Key Takeaways

About the Author

Lauren Scher

Empowering Students and Teachers Through Culturally Relevant Project-Based Math Learning at Standing Rock

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Lessons from the COVID pandemic in music education the advantages and disadvantages of online music education

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The true scale of Australia's international student industry — in four charts

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Hochul’s Pandemic Study Is a $4.3 Million Flop

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