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Within the Caribbean, the number of students pursuing postgraduate studies in higher education institutions (HEIs) has increased over the years. Consequently, locally contextualised epistemologies and empowering methods are needed to help adult learners in Caribbean higher education (HE) navigate their studies. This paper presents findings from a photovoice study undertaken with postgraduate adult learners at an HEI in Jamaica. Participants used photographs, written reflections and group discussions to explore their HE journey. Given the intervening nature of the pandemic in the immediate period after the study was conceptualised and participants engaged, this paper focuses on the ways in which photovoice offered participants opportunities to make meaning of their HE journey. Findings demonstrate that the use of photovoice was transformative in how it empowered participants through the opportunity to engage in self-discovery and discuss their thoughts and emotions, facilitated peer support, and how it enabled adult learners to forge resilience as they undertook their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper utilises a Teaching and Learning Regime (TLR) approach to analyse the student experience (SE) in the COVID-19 setting. Using mixedmethods methodology, the research uses interviews and survey responses from current students at a UK university to identify the multidimensional and immersive relationship with their institution. TLR moments were used to thematically analyse the findings. They illustrated a nuanced and often divided SE that, in a COVID-19 environment, bring in extensive external influences from home-life, mental health levels and socio-economic standing. The analysis reveals COVID-19 mixed responses to online learning and the relationship between students and staff members, and the perceived value of online learning. It highlights the importance of spaces and buildings in the SE, and the significant impact friendships and flatmates have had on sustaining university routines and activities. It will also show the intense powerlessness and sadness that has impacted this cohort of students, and how this has manifested through distrust of higher management structures and health implications. The paper highlights ways in which the TLR approach can be used to identify enhancements to the SE in COVID-19 times. These include understanding the value students place on materiality and personal connections, and in maintaining accessibility and flexible learning that have had a positive impact on their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lasting effects of COVID-19 on education are not yet fully understood. However, many studies have reported on how educationalists and students have responded to the transition from the traditional classrooms to an emergency remote learning and teaching. Prominent researchers in the field strongly argue that teachers' contexts exert a critical role in influencing teachers' resilience. There are fewer studies that targeted resilience during COVID-19. Research into resilience in education is relatively new, approximately 10–15 years old. A global compilation of emergency remote education was conducted in 2020. This paper draws on the 2020 research compilation, and further shares its findings through a resilience lens. The study was conducted at a Saudi Arabian university and employed a mixed-method research approach. This paper reports on the qualitative findings only. Findings from this study have shown that gender inequity may be the contributing factor that female educators experienced. They experienced challenges in terms of personal resources and internal processes; however, despite these setbacks, teachers have adapted and coped regardless of material challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on findings from the From Adversity to University project, a unique widening participation initiative developed by one university to support a diverse range of people into Higher Education through engagement with a 12-week bridging module. This small-scale case study presents an in-depth exploration of how learning space shaped students' experience of a bridging module during the COVID-19 pandemic. Space is conceptualised through a theory of embodied cognition which recognises the complexity of social, cultural, and cognitive inter-relations between space and students' learning experience. An interpretative narrative methodological approach was taken, drawing on the Listening Guide [LG]. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five students who completed the bridging module during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. All had been affected by homelessness and most were in recovery from alcohol and/or drug addiction. For all participants, there was a complex and dynamic interconnectivity between learning spaces and their experience of the bridging module. The findings demonstrate for the five students how learning spaces (including the flexibility of the space) contributed to participants' sense of belonging, recovery from drugs and alcohol addiction, mental health and well-being. Implications of the study point towards the need for further research into the connection between learning space and the creation of a sense of belonging particularly for students from marginalised groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working from home as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19 has extensively impacted the mental health of academics worldwide. Interviewing 73 Indonesian academics who are also mothers, the current article investigates key impacts of mental distress among them during enforced remote working in the country, and how they encountered sociocultural stressors at home. This study found that the primary triggers for their mental distress included a problematic transition from office-based to home-based work, feelings of helplessness at home, and the use of multiple learning technologies at home. This paper discusses recommendations to aid problem-solving in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedagogical research during the Covid-19 pandemic initially focused on emergency remote teaching and subsequently shifted its focus to instructional design, student engagement, and teacher competencies. Existing research in the area highlights the need to go beyond an instrumental approach for e-learning to be truly effective. This includes examining critical factors such as power and control, the rationale behind decision-making processes, and accountability in educational policies in the context of e-learning. In an attempt to understand the mechanisms through which these critical factors influence remote teaching, the current paper employs an interpretative phenomenological lens to analyse subjective experiences of teaching online during the pandemic. Experiences particular to pre-pandemic teaching, transitioning to online teaching, and adapting to the new "normal" were explored. The overarching themes included the role of training/technical support, the need for enhancing student engagement, grading and assessment policies, the validity of online assessments, and optimal work-life balance. The uncertainty that the pandemic brought is far from resolved and there are still speculations regarding the resurgence of newer variants of COVID-19 and its repercussions on the education sector. The results of the study emphasise the fact that academicians are not just service providers but also end-users in online education. The findings will enable policymakers to reformulate decisions and guidelines in light of these dual roles, thereby addressing the needs and concerns of academicians more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alongside unprecedented shifts in health care, and widespread lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an almost immediate shift towards digitally supported remote delivery in higher education. This paper explores the experiences and perceptions of 15 teaching academics from five universities in Victoria, Australia during this time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with academics after they had been delivering teaching, learning and assessment remotely for a six-month period. The analysis showed that while the remote delivery environment enhanced many aspects of teaching and learning, including agile and adaptable academic skill-sets, there were challenges. The academics' sophisticated teaching skills and experience, that were intuitively relied upon in the face-to-face setting, did not always translate to the online environment. In particular, this was noticed in terms of the relational approach to teaching and learning, including relationships, rapport, and connectedness within classes, and the absence of social formative assessment cues to evaluate learners' understandings. Students were not asking questions in class and required additional support from academics, which subsequently increased already overburdened workloads. After considering the findings of our work and others, we provide recommendations to support high quality teaching and learning in digitally supported remote delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020 virtually all UK universities were suddenly thrown into an unprecedented and sudden closure of campus and facilities owing to the British Government's Covid-19 pandemic lockdown policies. Further evidence suggests that this exacerbated existing gendered differences. This paper reports on UK academic responses from an international survey examining the work-life balance of academics under Covid-19 lockdown. The aim of the study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of academics, using these to inform how universities can improve the work-life balance of academics during the current and post-lockdown scenarios, as well as in the longer term, given a pandemic-prone future. Rich in qualitative comments, primarily derived from women academics, gendered contrasts in work-life balance appear magnified under conditions of lockdown. Key lessons for HE internationally emerge from the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted almost all areas of our lives, including the internationalisation of higher education. Therefore, enabling the internationalisation of higher education is one of the biggest challenges for academic institutions, and in this context, there is a need to move beyond myths and realities. Owing to the scarcity of research in the domain, this study aims to identify various critical strategies and empirically examine their impact on the internationalisation of higher education. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to explore strategies and develop a theoretical framework. To test research hypotheses, this study employed an explanatory research design utilising a survey instrument methodology to collect data from 253 respondents from both the public and private sector universities in Pakistan. The measures of the internationalisation of higher education were adopted from earlier studies while an instrument was developed to measure strategies on a 5-point Likert scale. The reliability and validity of data were ensured, and correlation and regression analyses were utilised to test hypotheses, in addition to validation of hypotheses through AMOS and PLS-SEM. Findings revealed a significant and positive impact of communicating, cooperating, coordinating, collaborating, and continuing strategies (5C's) in enhancing the internationalisation of higher education. Also, the finding implies that an integrated policy through the adoption of the 5C's strategies needs to be implemented by academic institutions to overcome the challenges of the internationalisation of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores Foundation Year students' experiences of Higher Education learning. The research took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided a unique opportunity to formulate factors which contribute to the success of a Foundation Year programme. During the pandemic, the demand to study from home, created uncertainty as to whether students, classically with low confidence, reliant on university support, would cope away from a high level of face-to-face guidance during national lockdown. This article draws on qualitative data from interviews with six students from one University in England. Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field and capital demonstrate students can develop capital through a Foundation Year programme. This capital can be utilised during extreme learning situations like COVID-19. The findings show that the students felt prepared for independent, online learning due to the capital they had developed during the Foundation Year of their course. Initial analysis, from this small-scale project, identifies five factors which suggest an environment which is conducive to achieving study success for Foundation Year students. These factors contribute to a shift of habitus from when they first started at university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the learning experiences including academic performance and assessments of Foundation students at a British University's campus in Malaysia during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A focus on foundation students is important because First-Year Experience is crucial to their academic success in higher education. Using a mixed methods approach to enrich our study, we triangulate data from focus group interviews, a structured survey, and student performance - from two cohorts of students. One group transitioned from physical to online learning while the other group had their learning entirely online. The findings reveal challenges they faced as a result of the abrupt change to online learning, their adaptation and mitigation strategies and their responses to online assessments. Findings from this study show that many students struggled with synchronous learning and found it difficult to focus or attend synchronous classes due to a lack of conducive learning environment or technological challenges. Interestingly, students' performance did not vary between cohorts that joined pre-pandemic and during the pandemic; across quantitative and qualitative modules, even though additional time allowance was allocated for online assessments. These findings are important for us to provide recommendations to improve existing institutional frameworks and strategies necessary to enhance support for student learning experience during times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-parent families represent a significant proportion of all UK families, but literature suggests that they face challenges in accessing, participating in, and completing Higher Education (HE). This article draws on data obtained from three months of mixed-methods research in 2021 with single-parent students to explore the meanings of being a single parent studying at university in the UK in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so it considers the personal demands that the pandemic placed on single-parent students, and the avenues of support available for single-parent students in the context of the UK HE system. These issues are then analysed within a theoretical framework to argue that single-parent students occupied a simultaneous position of agency and mastery in the context of HE. The article concludes with three key recommendations for change: (1) Universities should collect data on student parents and use this data to enable tailored support via student support services; (2) Universities should work with Student Unions to ensure parent-friendly freshers activities and ongoing social/support groups for student parents; and (3) Universities should make concrete changes to campus space, including the introduction of accessible, flexible, discounted childcare on campus, parent and baby rooms, and baby-changing facilities. These three changes would significantly improve the experiences of single-parent students studying at university in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes to the student experience. Thus, there is a need to centre students' lived experiences in pedagogical research which explores the effects of the pandemic on student life. The current study aimed to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted undergraduate students, with a focus on students' educational experiences, social interactions, and mental wellbeing. Open-ended questionnaires were disseminated to undergraduate students across the UK (N = 53). A student-centred reflexive thematic analysis identified four dominant themes that each relate to students' lived experiences of Higher Education during COVID-19. These were: variations in motivation during the pandemic, the importance of personal connection, a disconnect between university and the student, and students' development through adversity. These themes broadly demonstrate the variability in student experiences during the pandemic and, crucially, highlight the need for future education provision to centre personal connections, including between students and their institutions. Lack of interaction with staff and peers, as well as barriers to support, led to feelings of detachment from university. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying at university and obtaining a degree is not only an appealing prospect, but now considered a necessity in the current economic climate in the UK. Concurrent financial, social, and academic challenges can converge and present a threat to student wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges whilst adding novel stressors to the Higher Education context. Despite a growing prevalence of poor psychological outcomes in students, not all students reach out for help. Understanding factors that predict actual help-seeking behaviour during a period of intense upheaval could provide insight into which groups would benefit from additional attention and resource. The aim of this study was to explore predictors of help-seeking behaviour in a large sample of UK university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1261 participants completed a 40-item bespoke health-related questionnaire whilst under social restrictions. Hierarchical binary logistic regression revealed that students who had sought help for an emotional difficulty were more likely to be female and studying at a postgraduate level. Participants seeking help were also more likely to have recently changed accommodation, reported higher stress levels and higher Fear of COVID-19 scores. These results contribute towards the understanding of help-seeking behaviours during times of unprecedented stress and social isolation. Institutions could consider these findings should further outbreaks of COVID-19 occur, or in the eventuality of another pandemic. Outreach work may be beneficial for those most susceptible to social isolation should infection control measures be reintroduced in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 had an unprecedented impact on daily living and resulted in many restrictions across all areas of life. Consequently, educational establishments in the UK adapted teaching delivery by moving to online or blended learning during the main 'stay at home' phase and many remained online as ongoing restrictions were announced. Many changes made during this period such as a move to online learning are likely to remain, in some capacity, as we emerge from the pandemic. The aim of this study was to explore student engagement with online and blended learning in a Higher Education (HE) institution using a mixed methods approach. One hundred and eighty-two HE sport students completed an online survey and a total of twenty one HE students took part in a series of online focus groups to gain a unique insight into how the move to online learning affected engagement from the student perspective. The findings indicated that although most students engaged with the online materials, many had a perceived negative experience. Students in general would not recommend online delivery to others and an overwhelming majority felt disadvantaged in terms of motivation and lack of community by moving to online learning. There was some positive feedback around the use of some technological tools to facilitate answering questions as well as use of online lectures for delivering content driven sessions. Our results clearly demonstrate that that a one size fits all approach is not appropriate when it comes to online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic placed increasing pressure on university staff with spiralling workloads due to the rapid implementation of changes to university processes and staff being required to take on additional duties due to self-isolating or unwell colleagues. The mental health of students was also adversely affected due to changes in their education and social life and the overall uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Engaging in creative and cultural activities has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on mental wellbeing. The present study aimed to explore how and why staff and students in one UK university engaged with arts, cultural and creative activities, and the perceived impact of this engagement on their mental wellbeing during UK lockdowns. This article presents findings from a series of fourteen qualitative interviews conducted with staff and students in the summer of 2021. Thematic analysis identified that participants engaged in the activities to enhance their mental wellbeing through a sense of achievement, enjoyment, absorption and connecting to others. However, the activities were also used as a coping strategy, to deal with loss, and to make meaning of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature data show that acute, severe, and also chronic stress play an important role in the development of somatic and mental disorders. It is well documented in the literature that starting university studies results in anxiety in many ways for individuals. In this present work, we examined how perceived stress affects the appearance of depression and sleep disorders among a special group: the first-year undergraduates. In February 2020, 134 students completed a 14-question Perceived Stress Scale questionarre. In addition, the 13-question Beck Depression Scale and the 8-question Athens Insomnia Scale were used as measures to assess their current mental health status. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which anxiety and depressive symptoms changed had become a major issue worldwide. In June 2020, we repeated our previous measures in the given population with the same methods. Our research clearly proved higher perceived stress values among undergraduate students, which were associated with high depressive symptom parameters and insomnia. However, unexpectedly, questionnaires completed during the quarantine period of the COVID pandemic showed lower perceived stress, which was accompanied by a decrease in depressive symptoms and insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aimed to evaluate UK student mental health during the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we were interested in exploring factors that contribute to students' anxiety levels about COVID-19. Demographics, mental health symptomatology and well-being-related variables were tested as predictors of COVID-19 anxiety. A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 1,164 UK university students (71.8% females). Measures included self-reported data on stress, social phobia, anxiety, depression, psychotic-like experiences, hopefulness, group membership, social identity, belonging, loneliness, COVID-19 related variables and demographics. The majority of participants were between 18 and 24 years old (92.2%), White British (57.9%) and in the first or second year of their course study (63.12%). A series of multiple linear regressions revealed that being female, experiencing more stress and anxiety, and greater worry about COVID-19 and its effects on social relationships were significant in explaining students' pandemic-related anxiety. Students' level of pandemic-related anxiety was independent of ethnicity, socioeconomic background and pre-existing mental health problems. Worrying about the future was the most common pandemic-related stressor, but it was not a significant predictor of COVID-19 anxiety. Our findings are in line with previous findings that females and students experiencing more stress have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings could inform the delivery of targeted stress-management interventions that might prove beneficial for student wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 global pandemic precipitated migration to online learning and teaching for students and universities. This study explored the change in self-identification in an academic role through the significant disruption caused by the urgent migration from on-campus teaching to online teaching in the face of lockdowns designed to limit the spread of the virus. Drawing upon identity theory, this study explored the impact of the swift change in work practices on the academic identities of staff (n = 33) at a UK university. Three themes were identified: identity disruption, sensemaking and nostalgia for what had been lost. Hearing directly from academics is important because academic identity, in an increasingly neoliberal sector, was already a topic of interest, with tension and insecurity affecting work practices, including interactions with students. The experiences of the disrupted academic sessions could result in significant changes in practice, and a re-shaping of the academic role to build upon online pedagogies, interactions with students, and peers. If so, what it means to be an academic will change with consequent implications for prioritisation, workloads, attracting and retaining academics, and student experience. The themes arising from this study are discussed and implications for future practice are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer and cohort interaction are essential elements in building a sense of community for doctoral students, yet the restrictions placed on universities in the rapidly evolving COVID-19 environment challenged the ways both doctoral students and faculty approached their teaching and learning. In many environments, public health measures forced doctoral programmes to reconsider traditional delivery methods of supervision and peer learning. This study explores the value of a virtual doctoral networking group created to foster academic connection and peer learning during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Uniquely, the membership draws students from both traditional and applied doctoral programs that use different delivery modalities (online and in person) and includes students at various stages of their doctoral studies. Through the use of personal reflections, we created narratives that we analysed thematically using the Braun and Clarke method. Our findings challenge and extend the previous understanding of the cohort model of learning. We demonstrate that the benefits of the cohort model of learning can occur across programs and independent of the stage of progression in the programmes, in a virtual context. These benefits open opportunities to new ways of supporting doctoral students in a post-pandemic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has affected humanity and education worldwide as continued learning amidst massive school closures required the unprecedented decision to make a rapid transition from in-person learning to remote online learning. This abrupt and temporary shift to remote online learning due to crisis circumstances was described as emergency remote teaching (ERT). Using a multi-method approach, this study aimed to explore college students' emergency remote teaching experiences during the COVID-19 crisis. Analysis of online survey data revealed the various detrimental effects of the recent outbreak of COVID-19 and emergency remote teaching on the participants' educational and personal experiences. The results revealed not only that the participants have experienced learning loss and lack of motivation, but also that the pre-existing educational and social inequities seemed exacerbated and amplified during ERT and the COVID-19 crisis. Issues in terms of accessibility, digital divide, inequity, and mental/emotional/physical health that the participants, more likely females, experienced during emergency remote learning were especially concerning. The results highlighted the importance of addressing and combating the inequities, creating and maintaining a sense of community, and most significantly providing socio-emotional support, 'TLC' (Tender Loving Care; TLC (Tender Loving Care) is an expression, describing extra attention to make someone or something look or feel better), and compassion, to college students and the instructors during the uncertain times and as we move forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]