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This study employed qualitative methods to examine the expectations, challenges, learning loss, and development of professional skills among preservice teachers of Islamic education as they engaged in online field practice. Interviews were conducted with individual participants and focus groups, and reflection papers were collected from 46 preservice teachers of Islamic education assigned to an online teaching practicum. Participants had mixed feelings about their online field practice due to a lack of experience and doubts about their preparedness and ability with virtual field practice. Results revealed they experienced setbacks, including a deficiency in pedagogical expertise for virtual instruction and challenges in promoting class communication and involvement online without in-person learning environments. However, virtual teaching, creativity, and improved cognitive abilities were encouraged. It is recommended that educational establishments offer supplementary assistance to preservice teachers trained during the pandemic to augment their professional growth.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact of hybrid learning on the satisfaction, effectiveness and academic performance of faculty and students in private universities in Kuwait. The study specifically addresses the challenges and experiences confronted by students and faculty members in utilising hybrid learning, assesses whether hybrid learning leads to improvements in academic performance and proposes measures for providing quality hybrid learning models in post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situations. Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a quantitative method by collecting data via a questionnaire targeting private university students and faculty members in Kuwait. A total of 311 participants completed the survey. Findings: The results show that students were in favour of the hybrid learning method and viewed this as being efficient when coming to satisfaction, academic performance and overall effectiveness; whilst faculty members have voiced the members' disfavour of the hybrid model of teaching as the members believe that the system is unjust, especially when coming to student's academic performance. Originality/value: Although research related to hybrid learning in different parts of the world has existed for many years, the research only recently gained prominence in Kuwait due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper will likely be of interest to academics, policymakers, the government and universities as the pandemic continues to make hybrid learning more popular and, therefore, would increase awareness with regards to students' and faculty members' opinions about the system and proposed ways to resolve any issues.

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

This paper explores the student learning experience using technology as an e-learning tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article utilized qualitative methods to examine the quality of student learning using deep and surface approaches to understand what influences student engagement with technology. Interviews were conducted with 21 students from various academic majors using deductive content analysis to evaluate their responses. The findings show that technology increased student engagement with class discussion, and students became more informed about lecture material. It is noteworthy that there were some variations in the students' interpretation of the learning experience with technology, indicating a gap in the quality of learning. Notably, there was an improvement in grades compared to the last online session and the face-to-face learning experience prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there were fewer missing quizzes and late assignments. These outcomes may be used to enhance teaching strategies and problem solving within teaching and learning to develop a new mode of delivery. In addition, these findings are important for the future of education in a post-pandemic world.

The world has witnessed a major pandemic that has threatened the status of education across the globe. Such a crisis highlights the importance of education technology, which has not been an influential part of Kuwait's education until the onset of COVID-19. Delays and interruptions of the academic year disrupted the lives of many students around the world, including Kuwait. Since e-learning technologies are not traditionally used in Kuwaiti higher education, this study aims to investigate the acceptance of technology and whether that has changed with the pandemic. It seeks to find useful strategies that could assist teachers in effectively using electronic distance-learning digital resources. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) has been developed to investigate the degrees of usage and acceptance of technology. This paper adopts an improved model that also includes the educational experience of teachers, in an attempt to understand the context of Kuwaiti higher education. Therefore, this quantitative study examines the use and acceptance of educational technologies of English language instructors in higher education. The study uses an online survey among 33 English language instructors at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) to also account for the perceptions and experiences of the teachers. The results revealed an overall high acceptance level of educational technology, with varying degrees of implementation.

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