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Purpose: This paper aims to investigate student subgroups' responses to the coercive digitalisation of teaching and learning processes during the pandemic. Respective variance is discussed in terms of digital inequality and is interpreted as a need to individualise teaching and learning and quality assurance practices. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses data from surveys (N = 955) on student perceptions of the introduction of emergency digitalisation -- an important aspect of higher education. The authors perform latent class analyses to identify student subgroups. The students were asked to rate digital learning processes and their overall learning experiences. Findings: The identified student subgroups are proponents, pragmatics and sceptics of digitalised teaching and learning processes. These subgroups have different preferences with regard to teaching and learning modes of delivery, which implies the relevance of individualised educational services and respective quality assurance practices to reflections on improvement needs. Research limitations/implications: The data are from a single, typical German university; therefore, the scope of the results may be limited. However, this study enriches future research on the traits of student subgroups and students' coping strategies in an ever-changing learning environment. Practical implications: The findings may help individualise universities' counselling services to enhance overall teaching performance and quality assurance practices in a digitalised environment. Originality/value: The findings provide insights into students' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on teaching and learning. This paper enriches the research on student heterogeneity and relates this to development needs of quality assurance practice.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the perceptions of preservice teachers regarding their learning during the teaching practicum (TP) period in the context of the pandemic. Specifically, the objectives of this study are to analyze the difficulties and the learning consequences perceived by student teachers and also to identify proposals with which to improve the initial teacher education (ITE) during the TP period in times of uncertainty and crisis. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a mixed-methods approach. The participants consisted of 89 preservice teachers (student teachers). An online questionnaire was used to collect data during January 2022 in two rounds. The data analysis was carried out from an integrative perspective and used both a descriptive approach and the content analysis of the participants' narratives. Findings: The results show the differences, adjustments and adaptations that have had to be implemented in schools as a whole. The findings also highlight the difficulties that the pandemic context has caused for the TP period in schools and the relevant implications that it has had on ITE during these past two academic years. Originality/value: This research is relevant for a better understanding of the challenges faced during the pandemic in the field of early childhood and primary education. More specifically, this paper gives important clues to higher education institutions on how to carry out TP, especially in times of uncertainty and crisis.

Purpose: This paper aims to critically evaluate the evolution of Assurance of Learning (AoL) in business education and identify gaps and responsibilities in higher institution landscapes moving into the future. This comes amidst increasing structural reforms, an increasingly digitalised world, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and wider scrutiny of graduate competencies for job readiness. Design/Methodology/Approach: A systematic literature review comprising 27 journal articles published between 2018 and 2022 is the methodology used in this research. This approach is justified as it provides a recent synopsis of current trends on AoL and encompasses the changes over the course of the COVID-19-induced higher education landscapes. Findings: The systematic literature review revealed a strong flavour for AoL measurement through the students' perspectives, with little emerging from faculty insights. Only six out of the 27 articles were framed in a non-English speaking background, revealing that most studies were still concentrated in a US or English environment. Also, while papers on AoL have increased in numbers from 2018 to 2022, there remains scant literature on AoL measurements related to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent digital technologies, and how these would have changed given the rapid shift to online or hybrid environments. Originality/Value: A comprehensive review of AoL literature from 2018 to 2022 is undertaken through Leximancer, which reveals conceptual and relational ties between core themes and concepts of interest. The findings inform business school leaders of the current state of AoL processes, by combining the views of students, faculty and managers.

Purpose: Higher education institutions (HEIs) seek innovative approaches to attract students. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many HEIs have considered diversification through digitalization. From the initial urgency to implement technology at the start of the pandemic to a gradual acceptance over time, HEIs witnessed a shift in perceptions. This paper aims to explore the evolution of the use of technology in HEI classrooms from pre- to post-Covid-19 as seen through the eyes of students and faculty members. Design/methodology/approach: Seven surveys were conducted from March 2020 to January 2023 with faculty members and students at one business HEI in Switzerland. This longitudinal study analyzed the perceptions of faculty and students regarding technology in the ever-changing HEI environments. These results have been used to make practical recommendations for future HEI classroom settings. Findings: The findings reveal that the social aspect must be considered when implementing technology into HEIs. Faculty members and students need appropriate training and adequate resources to engage with the technology in and outside the classroom. The results suggest that one result of the pandemic was a greater acceptance of blended learning practices in traditional business education. Originality/value: The pandemic has left long-lasting effects on teaching and learning. While many HEIs revert to traditional ways, the authors suggest the need to embrace technology that encourages engagement and authentic teaching and learning. HEIs must listen to their faculty members and students, to create more innovative learning environments.

Purpose: Using sentiment analysis (SA), this study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and virtual learning experiences among 1,125 students at a public Argentinean faculty. Design/methodology/approach: A study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, surveying 1,125 students to gather their opinions. The survey data was analysed using text mining tools and SA. SA was used to extract the students' emotions, views and feelings computationally and identify co-occurrences and patterns in related words. The study also examines educational policies implemented after the pandemic. Findings: The prevalent emotions expressed in the comments were trust, sadness, anticipation and fear. A combination of trust and fear resulted in submission. Negative comments often included the words "virtual", "virtual classroom", "virtual classes" and "professor". Two significant issues were identified: teachers' inexperience with virtual classes and inadequate server infrastructure, leading to frequent crashes. The most effective educational policies addressed vital issues related to the "virtual classroom". Practical implications: Text mining and SA are valuable tools for decision-making during uncertain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. They can also provide insights to recover quality assurance processes at universities impacted by health concerns or external shocks. Originality/value: The paper makes two main contributions: it conducts a SA to gain insights from comments and analyses the relationship between emotions and sentiments to identify optimal educational policies. The study pioneers exploring the link between emotions, policies and the pandemic at a public university in Argentina. This area of research still needs to be explored.

Purpose: This study aims to explain the primacy that rapid, centralised decision-making gained in higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on Australian universities. Design/methodology/approach: This paper draws on discussions regarding policy problems of an international, purpose-convened on-line policy network involving over 100 registrations from multiple countries. It analyses emerging institutional policy governance texts and documents shared between network participants, applies policy science literature regarding traditional institutional policy-making routines and rapid decision-making, and references media reportage from 2020. The paper traces how higher education institutions rapidly adjusted to pandemic conditions and largely on-line operations. Findings: The study finds that higher education institutions responded to the COVID-19 crisis by operationalising emergency management plans and introducing rapid, centralised decision-making to transition to remote modes of operation, learning and research under state-imposed emergency conditions. It highlights the need to ensure robust governance models recognising the ascendance of emergency decision-making and small-p policies in such circumstances, notwithstanding longstanding traditions of extended collegial policy-making routines for big-P (institutional) Policy. The pandemic highlighted practice and policy problems subject to rapid reform and forced institutions to clarify the relationship between emergency planning and decision-making, quality and institutional policy. Practical implications: In covering a range of institutional responses, the study advances the possibility of institutions planning better for unexpected, punctuated policy shifts during an emergency through the incorporation of rapid decision-making in traditionally collegial environments. At the same time, the paper cautions against the normalisation of such processes. The study also highlights key practices and policies that require urgent reconsideration in an emergency. The study is designed as a self-contained and freestanding narrative to inform responses to future emergencies by roundly addressing the particularities of the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic as it affected higher education. Originality/value: There is only limited research on policy-making in higher education institutions. This research offers an original contribution on institutional policy-making during a prolonged emergency that deeply changed higher education institution's governance, operations and outlook. Particularly significant is the synthesis of experiences from a wide range of sector personnel, documenting punctuated policy shifts in policy governance (meta-policy), institutional policy-making routines and quality assurance actions under great pressure. This paper is substantially developed from a paper given at the Association for Tertiary Education Management Institutional Policy Seminar, 26th October 2020.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is two-fold: to describe how Lean methodology can be used, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to enhance the learning experience for non-traditional adult learners (NALs) and to explore attitudes and perceptions of students toward the integration of Lean methodology in online classes. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were used to collect data for the study. NALs were invited to participate in 60--75 min semi-structured interviews. These interviews allowed researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of a participant's experience. A six-step thematic analysis framework was used to conduct the data analysis. Findings: This paper presents a Lean model that can be implemented in an online medium of instruction. The core concepts of Lean methodology: jidoka, just-in-time, customer-centered approach, team involvement and standardization and how these can be used in online learning have been described in-depth. In total, 40 students participated in the semi-structured interviews. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: work-life balance; lack of standardization; learning online classes and connection to the workplace. Practical implications: These findings could help academic institutions, instructors and course designers as they work on implementing new teaching and learning strategies for NALs. Originality/value: There is extremely limited evidence on the usage of Lean methods for NALs in a public health crisis. As academic institutions move to the online medium of instruction to contain public health problems, this project can provide important practical tips to instructors.

Purpose: Following education's recent and abrupt reliance on technology-mediated pedagogies, the novel coronavirus pandemic has, in many instances, highlighted the unpreparedness of learning institutions worldwide to implement effective online instruction. While practical quality considerations include content delivery, teacher training, equipment provision, and networked infrastructure, the situated and enculturated means by which online language education occurs represents a learner-focused factor that language educators may inadvertently neglect as they struggle to accommodate an emerging digital frontier. With this issue in mind, this paper aims to contribute to quality assurance in digital foreign language instruction by providing a sociocultural interpretation of CALL as learners and instructors alike continue to struggle within the boundaries of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: In focussing on learner equity, identity and interaction, the current conceptual paper draws attention to potential affective factors driving computer-assisted language learning (CALL) participation structures, providing sociological consideration of the potential impacts of digital language education and, in doing so, confront the deterministic notion that online language learning represents a general equaliser of hierarchical participation structures. Findings: Although CALL's dynamic nature does provide users with openings to revise linguistic, semiotic and social practices, a growing body of research contests the broad depiction of digital language learning as automatically strengthening learner equity and interaction. Euphoric visions of technology inexorably engendering positive outcomes thereby risk obscuring those sociocultural pressures that impact user identity and, thus, how diverse social actors interact within unfamiliar learning communities. Originality/value: This conceptual study is among a select few that focusses on CALL quality assurance during COVID-induced online education.

Purpose: This paper aims to report and analyze the lessons learnt from a case study of the implementation of the move from onsite to online learning at a Sino-Foreign higher education institution. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reports a case study based on an analysis of three elements of the move to digital education during the COVID-19 pandemic. In suggesting three elements, it argues that the first and most immediate move away from onsite teaching should be thought of as emergency response teaching, and it is the lessons learnt from this vital and necessary stage that have informed the subsequent implementation of a more digitalization process. Findings: The case study identifies the journey that the university is going through to deliver digitalized education, and how the pandemic hastened what had already been started. It illustrates how the pandemic has been useful in highlighting where we are, what decisions have been made and what still needs to be done with regard to readiness for the disruption likely by Industry 4.0. Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted at one institution, which along with eight other similar institutions is unique within China. Findings, especially the processes of making decisions, while relevant to the wider discussion on digitalization and Industry 4.0, should also be considered in this light. Practical implications: While the focus of the paper is on COVID-19 and Rapid Digitalization of Learning and Teaching, the main implication is that universities need to better prepare their teaching staff for digitalized education, especially if they are wanting to engage with disruption brought about by Industry 4.0. Originality/value: The paper is based on a single university case study of a rather unique university within China. The discussion illustrates the need for flexibility and decisiveness in making key decisions on managing disruption, but with strategic direction in mind, illustrated in the study by COVID-19, but with future digitalization initiatives also to the fore.

Purpose: This paper aims to use a quantitative approach to explore the role of online learning behavior in students' academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the authors probe its mediating effect in the relationship between student motivation (extrinsic and intrinsic) and academic performance in a blended learning context. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected from 148 students taking an organizational behavior course at one Chinese university. The data were paired and analyzed through regression analysis. Findings: The results show that students should actively engage in online learning behavior to maximize the effects of blended learning. Extrinsic motivation was found to positively influence academic performance both directly and indirectly through online learning behavior, while intrinsic motivation affected academic performance only indirectly. Originality/value: Through paired data on extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, online learning behavior and academic performance, this study provides a more nuanced understanding of how online learning behavior affects the focal relationship, and it advances research on the mechanisms underlying the focal relationship. Practitioners should enhance students' online learning behavior to boost blended learning effects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the major challenges faced and lessons learned during the unplanned transition to online examinations (OE) at a traditional university following the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This exploratory study involved two distinct samples (110 students and 30 instructors) drawn from a large public university and triangulated the qualitative and quantitative data to analyze how the university navigated the unplanned transition to OE. Findings: The university faced several challenges related to a lack of proper institutional infrastructure, non-familiarity of the stakeholders with OE, lack of effective communication, limited student access to technology resources because of socio-economic impediments and academic integrity issues. Practical implications: Short- and medium-term recommendations are proposed to enable continuity of teaching and learning in future emergency situations, including the establishment of technology-enabled exam centers, as well as strategies to assure instructor readiness for OE, academic integrity among students and the validity of the evaluation procedure for future OE. Originality/value: This study shows how the unplanned transition to OE in a public university exposed new challenges for conducting OE, particularly in resource challenged emerging countries, where full integration of OE was a new experience and prior knowledge of potential issues was lacking.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate a culture-based blended learning multilingual course created for adult learners in ten languages and the development of learners' 21st-century skills during its implementation in six European countries -- Croatia, Latvia, Slovenia, Romania, Poland and Czechia in the COVID-19 period. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey of 638 participants was conducted using a paper-based questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out applying Bereday's four-step model comprising description, interpretation, juxtaposition and comparison to find out similarities and differences among various groups of learners. Findings: Overall, learners have developed their 21st-century skills, but the improvement has not been the same for all target audiences. Learners with economic, social and cultural barriers were more positive in their evaluation than those with geographic and learning obstacles. Research limitations/implications: The research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the face-to-face stage was replaced with online learning on virtual platforms, which impacted the research results. The results cannot be generalized to all adult learners as significant differences were discovered among various target groups of learners. Practical implications: The course may be implemented for formal and non-formal adult education when face-to-face teaching/learning is restricted. Social implications: The findings indicate that the course is especially suitable for learners with economic, social and cultural obstacles to learning. Originality/value: The article focuses on the use of blended learning in non-formal/informal adult education, which is a less widely researched area. The target course implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic shows a novel way of engaging adult learners in lifelong learning, including those with certain barriers to learning.

Purpose: Using sentiment analysis (SA), this study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and virtual learning experiences among 1,125 students at a public Argentinean faculty. Design/methodology/approach: A study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, surveying 1,125 students to gather their opinions. The survey data was analysed using text mining tools and SA. SA was used to extract the students' emotions, views and feelings computationally and identify co-occurrences and patterns in related words. The study also examines educational policies implemented after the pandemic. Findings: The prevalent emotions expressed in the comments were trust, sadness, anticipation and fear. A combination of trust and fear resulted in submission. Negative comments often included the words "virtual", "virtual classroom", "virtual classes" and "professor". Two significant issues were identified: teachers' inexperience with virtual classes and inadequate server infrastructure, leading to frequent crashes. The most effective educational policies addressed vital issues related to the "virtual classroom". Practical implications: Text mining and SA are valuable tools for decision-making during uncertain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. They can also provide insights to recover quality assurance processes at universities impacted by health concerns or external shocks. Originality/value: The paper makes two main contributions: it conducts a SA to gain insights from comments and analyses the relationship between emotions and sentiments to identify optimal educational policies. The study pioneers exploring the link between emotions, policies and the pandemic at a public university in Argentina. This area of research still needs to be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to identify and discuss factors affecting students' performance in web-based learning (WBL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a quantitative method to analyze data collected using an online structured questionnaire. Responses were gathered from undergraduate students (n = 270) studying engineering education at a university in Indonesia. A measurement analysis is used to validate the instruments, and structural equation modeling is used to examine the associations among constructs. Findings: Attitude, anxiety and motivation affected students' performance in WBL. Motivation played an essential role in influencing WBL. The results also showed equal opportunities between men and women in WBL. Research limitations/implications: This research may provide a foundation for future research designing WBL in higher education. This study provides valuable insights in policy formulation and an effective web-based e-learning design by considering students' personal characteristics potentially affecting WBL performance. Originality/value: This study identifies factors influencing students' performance in WBL. Furthermore, it added students' genders to explore the moderating effect on the model.

Purpose: Amid the worldwide lockdown and emergency transition to online classes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper aims to examine high school students' satisfaction in this unique learning environment. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was first used to extract a set of important factors from a number of variables. A logistic regression was subsequently used to access student satisfaction levels during the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition, a small qualitative study was conducted to gain additional insight into student satisfaction ratings. Findings: A study sample of 486 usable responses revealed that students were most satisfied with the responsiveness of teaching staff, which included the provision of assignments and feedback on performance. The study also revealed that students experienced a range of emotions; those who experienced positive emotions (joy, pride, hope) were more satisfied than those who experienced negative emotions (frustration, anxiety, boredom). Research limitations/implications: Policymakers and educators in high schools could benefit from these findings when formulating policy recommendations to support the manning of operations during crisis situations and justify the introduction of future offerings of blended or online courses. Originality/value: The study was conducted in a real and unprecedented crisis which created a unique environment to examine factors influencing Jamaican high school students' satisfaction levels during the lockdown.

Purpose: To overcome the spread of the noble coronavirus, the lockdown was imposed on March 25, 2020 by the Government of India which adversely affected the education system in the country and changed the traditional classroom teaching to online teaching. This paper aims to explore the factors encouraging university teachers to use and adopt e-learning systems during the COVID-19 pandemic and to find out the major challenges faced by them in adopting e-learning systems in Odisha, an Indian State. Design/methodology/approach: The population of this study was teachers of different universities in Odisha, India. An online questionnaire was administered to collect data from the teachers of the state who were involved in the e-learning system for taking their online classes during the COVID-19 situation. During the study 610 valid responses were processed for data analysis. The results of the analysis were presented through factor analysis, t-test and structural equation model. Findings: The findings revealed three major factors as user-friendly, convenient and performance encouraged teachers to use and adopt e-learning systems. The results also identified major challenges such as accessibility to the internet, information and communication technologies literacy and skills and technological support, faced by university teachers in adopting e-learning systems. Research limitations/implications: The findings of the study have suggested that the university authorities can develop an effective e-learning system to support their teachers for the continuance of education and learning opportunities. The insights of this study can help the regulatory authorities of higher education to redesign policy and infrastructure for promoting effective e-learning systems. Originality/value: Many studies have been conducted in relation to e-learning during COVID-19. However, this is a unique study that identifies supporting factors and addresses the challenges faced by university teachers in adopting an e-learning system.

Purpose: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led education institutions to move all face-to-face (F2F) courses online. The situation is unique in that teachers and students can make a direct comparison of their courses before (F2F) and after COVID-19 (online). This study aims to analyze teachers' viewpoints for this unprecedented change. Design/methodology/approach: The study followed a mixed-method approach within an ex post facto survey research design. Research tools were distributed among 200 Indian secondary school teachers following a heterogeneous purposive sampling technique. As the study was conducted during the pandemic backdrop researchers used Google forms and telephonic interviews to collect data. Findings: Teachers viewed positively to this shift from F2F to online teaching-learning (OTL). They were found to have an overall moderate level of online teaching efficacy and where good efficacy prevails there found minimal concern for infrastructure, an attitude showing least concern for "what is not" and more concerned with "what they can do with what is having." A statistically significant effect of teacher efficacy was found on their perception of OTL infrastructure that supports this strong conviction among few teachers. Statistical analysis revealed for every 1 standard unit increase in self-efficacy, the perceived OTL infrastructure was to be increased by 0.997 standard units which support the strong correlation between the two chosen cognitive variables (r = 0.8). Besides, teachers were not found as a homogeneous group concerning their reported readiness for online teaching yet, different subgroups of teachers exist which may require different approaches for support and counseling. Originality/value: The paper reports an original empirical survey conducted in India and the write-up is based strictly on the survey findings only. An exclusive analysis of teachers' views of their efficacy and perceived OTL infrastructure. At the same time, path-breaking in analyzing the chemistry between the two variables which will help improving apposite culture, practice and understanding of the digital pedagogy securing quality OTL in the long run.

Purpose: Higher education institutions (HEIs) seek innovative approaches to attract students. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many HEIs have considered diversification through digitalization. From the initial urgency to implement technology at the start of the pandemic to a gradual acceptance over time, HEIs witnessed a shift in perceptions. This paper aims to explore the evolution of the use of technology in HEI classrooms from pre- to post-Covid-19 as seen through the eyes of students and faculty members. Design/methodology/approach: Seven surveys were conducted from March 2020 to January 2023 with faculty members and students at one business HEI in Switzerland. This longitudinal study analyzed the perceptions of faculty and students regarding technology in the ever-changing HEI environments. These results have been used to make practical recommendations for future HEI classroom settings. Findings: The findings reveal that the social aspect must be considered when implementing technology into HEIs. Faculty members and students need appropriate training and adequate resources to engage with the technology in and outside the classroom. The results suggest that one result of the pandemic was a greater acceptance of blended learning practices in traditional business education. Originality/value: The pandemic has left long-lasting effects on teaching and learning. While many HEIs revert to traditional ways, the authors suggest the need to embrace technology that encourages engagement and authentic teaching and learning. HEIs must listen to their faculty members and students, to create more innovative learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the perceptions of preservice teachers regarding their learning during the teaching practicum (TP) period in the context of the pandemic. Specifically, the objectives of this study are to analyze the difficulties and the learning consequences perceived by student teachers and also to identify proposals with which to improve the initial teacher education (ITE) during the TP period in times of uncertainty and crisis. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a mixed-methods approach. The participants consisted of 89 preservice teachers (student teachers). An online questionnaire was used to collect data during January 2022 in two rounds. The data analysis was carried out from an integrative perspective and used both a descriptive approach and the content analysis of the participants' narratives. Findings: The results show the differences, adjustments and adaptations that have had to be implemented in schools as a whole. The findings also highlight the difficulties that the pandemic context has caused for the TP period in schools and the relevant implications that it has had on ITE during these past two academic years. Originality/value: This research is relevant for a better understanding of the challenges faced during the pandemic in the field of early childhood and primary education. More specifically, this paper gives important clues to higher education institutions on how to carry out TP, especially in times of uncertainty and crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to report and analyze the lessons learnt from a case study of the implementation of the move from onsite to online learning at a Sino-Foreign higher education institution. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reports a case study based on an analysis of three elements of the move to digital education during the COVID-19 pandemic. In suggesting three elements, it argues that the first and most immediate move away from onsite teaching should be thought of as emergency response teaching, and it is the lessons learnt from this vital and necessary stage that have informed the subsequent implementation of a more digitalization process. Findings: The case study identifies the journey that the university is going through to deliver digitalized education, and how the pandemic hastened what had already been started. It illustrates how the pandemic has been useful in highlighting where we are, what decisions have been made and what still needs to be done with regard to readiness for the disruption likely by Industry 4.0. Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted at one institution, which along with eight other similar institutions is unique within China. Findings, especially the processes of making decisions, while relevant to the wider discussion on digitalization and Industry 4.0, should also be considered in this light. Practical implications: While the focus of the paper is on COVID-19 and Rapid Digitalization of Learning and Teaching, the main implication is that universities need to better prepare their teaching staff for digitalized education, especially if they are wanting to engage with disruption brought about by Industry 4.0. Originality/value: The paper is based on a single university case study of a rather unique university within China. The discussion illustrates the need for flexibility and decisiveness in making key decisions on managing disruption, but with strategic direction in mind, illustrated in the study by COVID-19, but with future digitalization initiatives also to the fore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explain the primacy that rapid, centralised decision-making gained in higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on Australian universities. Design/methodology/approach: This paper draws on discussions regarding policy problems of an international, purpose-convened on-line policy network involving over 100 registrations from multiple countries. It analyses emerging institutional policy governance texts and documents shared between network participants, applies policy science literature regarding traditional institutional policy-making routines and rapid decision-making, and references media reportage from 2020. The paper traces how higher education institutions rapidly adjusted to pandemic conditions and largely on-line operations. Findings: The study finds that higher education institutions responded to the COVID-19 crisis by operationalising emergency management plans and introducing rapid, centralised decision-making to transition to remote modes of operation, learning and research under state-imposed emergency conditions. It highlights the need to ensure robust governance models recognising the ascendance of emergency decision-making and small-p policies in such circumstances, notwithstanding longstanding traditions of extended collegial policy-making routines for big-P (institutional) Policy. The pandemic highlighted practice and policy problems subject to rapid reform and forced institutions to clarify the relationship between emergency planning and decision-making, quality and institutional policy. Practical implications: In covering a range of institutional responses, the study advances the possibility of institutions planning better for unexpected, punctuated policy shifts during an emergency through the incorporation of rapid decision-making in traditionally collegial environments. At the same time, the paper cautions against the normalisation of such processes. The study also highlights key practices and policies that require urgent reconsideration in an emergency. The study is designed as a self-contained and freestanding narrative to inform responses to future emergencies by roundly addressing the particularities of the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic as it affected higher education. Originality/value: There is only limited research on policy-making in higher education institutions. This research offers an original contribution on institutional policy-making during a prolonged emergency that deeply changed higher education institution's governance, operations and outlook. Particularly significant is the synthesis of experiences from a wide range of sector personnel, documenting punctuated policy shifts in policy governance (meta-policy), institutional policy-making routines and quality assurance actions under great pressure. This paper is substantially developed from a paper given at the Association for Tertiary Education Management Institutional Policy Seminar, 26th October 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is two-fold: to describe how Lean methodology can be used, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to enhance the learning experience for non-traditional adult learners (NALs) and to explore attitudes and perceptions of students toward the integration of Lean methodology in online classes. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were used to collect data for the study. NALs were invited to participate in 60–75 min semi-structured interviews. These interviews allowed researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of a participant's experience. A six-step thematic analysis framework was used to conduct the data analysis. Findings: This paper presents a Lean model that can be implemented in an online medium of instruction. The core concepts of Lean methodology: jidoka, just-in-time, customer-centered approach, team involvement and standardization and how these can be used in online learning have been described in-depth. In total, 40 students participated in the semi-structured interviews. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: work-life balance; lack of standardization; learning online classes and connection to the workplace. Practical implications: These findings could help academic institutions, instructors and course designers as they work on implementing new teaching and learning strategies for NALs. Originality/value: There is extremely limited evidence on the usage of Lean methods for NALs in a public health crisis. As academic institutions move to the online medium of instruction to contain public health problems, this project can provide important practical tips to instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Following education's recent and abrupt reliance on technology-mediated pedagogies, the novel coronavirus pandemic has, in many instances, highlighted the unpreparedness of learning institutions worldwide to implement effective online instruction. While practical quality considerations include content delivery, teacher training, equipment provision, and networked infrastructure, the situated and enculturated means by which online language education occurs represents a learner-focused factor that language educators may inadvertently neglect as they struggle to accommodate an emerging digital frontier. With this issue in mind, this paper aims to contribute to quality assurance in digital foreign language instruction by providing a sociocultural interpretation of CALL as learners and instructors alike continue to struggle within the boundaries of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: In focussing on learner equity, identity and interaction, the current conceptual paper draws attention to potential affective factors driving computer-assisted language learning (CALL) participation structures, providing sociological consideration of the potential impacts of digital language education and, in doing so, confront the deterministic notion that online language learning represents a general equaliser of hierarchical participation structures. Findings: Although CALL's dynamic nature does provide users with openings to revise linguistic, semiotic and social practices, a growing body of research contests the broad depiction of digital language learning as automatically strengthening learner equity and interaction. Euphoric visions of technology inexorably engendering positive outcomes thereby risk obscuring those sociocultural pressures that impact user identity and, thus, how diverse social actors interact within unfamiliar learning communities. Originality/value: This conceptual study is among a select few that focusses on CALL quality assurance during COVID-induced online education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Amid the worldwide lockdown and emergency transition to online classes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper aims to examine high school students' satisfaction in this unique learning environment. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was first used to extract a set of important factors from a number of variables. A logistic regression was subsequently used to access student satisfaction levels during the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition, a small qualitative study was conducted to gain additional insight into student satisfaction ratings. Findings: A study sample of 486 usable responses revealed that students were most satisfied with the responsiveness of teaching staff, which included the provision of assignments and feedback on performance. The study also revealed that students experienced a range of emotions; those who experienced positive emotions (joy, pride, hope) were more satisfied than those who experienced negative emotions (frustration, anxiety, boredom). Research limitations/implications: Policymakers and educators in high schools could benefit from these findings when formulating policy recommendations to support the manning of operations during crisis situations and justify the introduction of future offerings of blended or online courses. Originality/value: The study was conducted in a real and unprecedented crisis which created a unique environment to examine factors influencing Jamaican high school students' satisfaction levels during the lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To overcome the spread of the noble coronavirus, the lockdown was imposed on March 25, 2020 by the Government of India which adversely affected the education system in the country and changed the traditional classroom teaching to online teaching. This paper aims to explore the factors encouraging university teachers to use and adopt e-learning systems during the COVID-19 pandemic and to find out the major challenges faced by them in adopting e-learning systems in Odisha, an Indian State. Design/methodology/approach: The population of this study was teachers of different universities in Odisha, India. An online questionnaire was administered to collect data from the teachers of the state who were involved in the e-learning system for taking their online classes during the COVID-19 situation. During the study 610 valid responses were processed for data analysis. The results of the analysis were presented through factor analysis, t-test and structural equation model. Findings: The findings revealed three major factors as user-friendly, convenient and performance encouraged teachers to use and adopt e-learning systems. The results also identified major challenges such as accessibility to the internet, information and communication technologies literacy and skills and technological support, faced by university teachers in adopting e-learning systems. Research limitations/implications: The findings of the study have suggested that the university authorities can develop an effective e-learning system to support their teachers for the continuance of education and learning opportunities. The insights of this study can help the regulatory authorities of higher education to redesign policy and infrastructure for promoting effective e-learning systems. Originality/value: Many studies have been conducted in relation to e-learning during COVID-19. However, this is a unique study that identifies supporting factors and addresses the challenges faced by university teachers in adopting an e-learning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led education institutions to move all face-to-face (F2F) courses online. The situation is unique in that teachers and students can make a direct comparison of their courses before (F2F) and after COVID-19 (online). This study aims to analyze teachers' viewpoints for this unprecedented change. Design/methodology/approach: The study followed a mixed-method approach within an ex post facto survey research design. Research tools were distributed among 200 Indian secondary school teachers following a heterogeneous purposive sampling technique. As the study was conducted during the pandemic backdrop researchers used Google forms and telephonic interviews to collect data. Findings: Teachers viewed positively to this shift from F2F to online teaching-learning (OTL). They were found to have an overall moderate level of online teaching efficacy and where good efficacy prevails there found minimal concern for infrastructure, an attitude showing least concern for "what is not" and more concerned with "what they can do with what is having." A statistically significant effect of teacher efficacy was found on their perception of OTL infrastructure that supports this strong conviction among few teachers. Statistical analysis revealed for every 1 standard unit increase in self-efficacy, the perceived OTL infrastructure was to be increased by 0.997 standard units which support the strong correlation between the two chosen cognitive variables (r = 0.8). Besides, teachers were not found as a homogeneous group concerning their reported readiness for online teaching yet, different subgroups of teachers exist which may require different approaches for support and counseling. Originality/value: The paper reports an original empirical survey conducted in India and the write-up is based strictly on the survey findings only. An exclusive analysis of teachers' views of their efficacy and perceived OTL infrastructure. At the same time, path-breaking in analyzing the chemistry between the two variables which will help improving apposite culture, practice and understanding of the digital pedagogy securing quality OTL in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this case study is to share the authors' involvement and observation in adopting online exam as an evaluation tool, in the hope that others may too be able to adapt and circumvent this lockdown period while bringing a more reliable methodological approach in an online exam. Design/methodology/approach: This is a case study that reports the application of an online examination for a year 3 MBBS Professional Exam during the period of lockdown (movement control). This case highlights the conduct of online theory in the form of single best answer multiple choice questions and online practical via objective structured clinical examination, without jeopardizing the integrity of the system, and the measures adapted to mitigate potential academic dishonesty. Findings: The authors' observation shows that online exam can be conducted in scenario where conventional exam is not possible. Research limitations/implications: This is an observation in a real-life scenario that discusses the purpose and the process. A single study may not be sufficient to relate the reliability and generalizability of the analysis. Practical implications: The practice of social distancing is a hindrance towards traditional classroom teaching. Online exam has promising potential to be the solution to this problem. The authors have demonstrated that an MBBS theory and practical exam can be conducted remotely without any physical contact, without any compromise in achieving the learning objectives within the curriculum. Medical education can proceed with a new drive while ensuring the learning process continues a stable momentum. Originality/value: Online examination is almost unheard of, especially for undergraduates in the medical programme. This study highlights a plausible approach in the design of the online examination and identifies the barriers and favourable edges of this platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine whether the remote teaching experience of instructors in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic has improved after one year. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved 75 instructors teaching at an institution of higher education in Israel, who answered twice (once in 2020 and again in 2021) a quantitative questionnaire that examined their remote teaching experience. Findings: The hypotheses about greater use of digital tools and about more positive attitudes of instructors toward remote teaching and learning at the second measurement than at the first one were confirmed. This hypothesis about lower levels of technical difficulties in remote teaching at the second measurement was not confirmed, but the level of reported difficulty was already low at the first measurement. Practical implications: It is recommended that academic institutions continue the trend of deploying innovation in teaching with confidence in the ability of instructors to adapt to change. At the same time, instructors should be provided with mental and technical support. Originality/value: Few studies have examined the change in attitudes of instructors toward remote teaching over time. In the present study, we used a repeated measures design, which made it possible to monitor the instructors' adaptation to remote teaching. Adaptation to the new teaching method can contribute to innovation in teaching in academic institutions and to improvement in its quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In March 2020, higher education institutions (HEIs) were obliged to complete the semester online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the semesters that followed, HEIs reopened and closed again because of new waves of the pandemic. While flexibility was lauded, previous literature cited student problems such as lack of motivation and social contact. This study aims to explore students' perceptions of learning during four exceptional semesters. Design/methodology/approach: Five surveys were conducted via the program LimeSurvey during the online courses at one business school in Switzerland: April 2020, June 2020, December 2020, June 2021 and December 2021. The participation varied between 56% (April and June 2020), 52% (December 2020), 47.5% (June 2021) and 42.4% (December 2021). Findings: The results of this longitudinal study were analyzed to examine the consequences of "forced" online learning. The analysis reveals that although the students appreciate the usefulness of the learning experience, their motivation decreased. The historic crisis has underlined sudden technological changes in the learning programs that have had multiple (adverse) effects on students' learning. Originality/value: Based on the results, this study concludes that students have mixed perceptions regarding the learning environments (traditional, hybrid or blended) moving forward. Whatever the choice, HEIs must carefully plan the most effective teaching/learning environment to ensure that students remain engaged. This study reveals the links and interconnections in this complex online setting called "learning" based on four semesters of urgent remote learning and one semester of hybrid face-to-face courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The closure of educational institutions in the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global teaching and learning landscape. Face-to-face classroom activity has been shifted to online classroom activity. This study aims to investigate the effect of social media-based education on students' academic performance during the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This study analyzes the perceptions of 302 university-going students of Bangladesh using structural equation modeling. Findings: Results show that Facebook features, perceived usefulness and personal tutorial have a positive and significant relationship with the use of social media (USM). Furthermore, the USM has a positive and significant relationship with the academic performance of the university-going students of Bangladesh during the pandemic. Research limitations/implications: This research has considered the social media usage of university students during the pandemic for academic purposes. This study has not considered income group, technical literacy and device availability of the students. Therefore, the findings may not be generalized to all classes of society. Practical implications: This study validates that the USM can ensure good academic performance by engaging students through collaboration and attention. Originality/value: Diffusion of knowledge and interactive face-to-face learning procedures have faced a massive loss because of this COVID-19 pandemic. Easiness in the mode of teaching technique can be a precondition for its acceptance among the students. As the impact of social media on academic performance in this pandemic context has remained unexplained, this study is designed to focus on this emerging issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to identify critical online teaching effectiveness factors from instructors' perspectives and experiences during COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a qualitative phenomenology approach. In addition, the research used a snowball sample to identify faculty in the engineering and engineering technology fields with experience in online teaching and learning. All interviews were conducted online by the researchers. The interview questions were based on findings in the current literature. Further, the questions were open-ended. Findings: The analysis identified eight major themes that impact online teaching effectiveness: class recordings; course organization; collaboration; engagement; exam, assignment and quiz grades; games; valuable course content; and student timely feedback and response. Research limitations/implications: The study was not designed to be generalizable to the entire population of professors who teach online classes but to gain insights from faculty who taught online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical implications: Faculty can use the factors identified for online teaching effectiveness to enhance their course design and delivery while teaching online or blended courses. Originality/value: This research provides insights into factors that impact online teaching effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to use self-reported publicly available student assessment data from the time period when there was an abrupt change in instructional method at the start of COVID-19 to assess potential for differences as a result of course delivery mode. Design/methodology/approach: A general linear model using 837 student evaluations from 191 US public higher education institutions investigates the impact on student performance and how performance was related to a number of covariates, namely, online experience of instructor prior to shut downs, discipline of study and size of institution. Findings: The analysis finds an overall grade point average (GPA) increase of 0.10 (out of 4.0) associated with the shift away from face-to-face instruction. In exploring potential covariates, only institutional size was significant in explaining this increase in GPA. This supports the notion that despite hardships inherent with the abrupt switch to online education across the country that student grades as a whole did not suffer. Research limitations/implications: The source of data was self-reported. In addition, GPA is an imperfect measure of student learning. Despite this, because GPA is highly correlated with student satisfaction, retention and matriculation, it is relevant. Practical implications: This study suggests that the rapid transition to online instruction did not negatively impact student performance and may have marginally increased these marks. These findings were cross-disciplinary and not influenced by the instructor's prior online teaching experience. These findings support the idea that institutions and instructors should be more willing to use a variety of delivery modes going forward. Originality/value: The data set used is uniquely large and varied in the number of institutions, professors, students and discipline. The COVID-19-induced transition from largely in-class instruction to mostly online or remote instruction allowed for a natural experiment that eliminates the sample selection problem associated with most other instructional method comparison studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the impact of COVID-19, the educational system across the world had to be reviewed and readapted. Both learners and tutors were forced to adopt the online teaching and learning mechanism. Learners had to cope with the drastic teaching mode. In all of these, the student's level of satisfaction remains pivotal. Teaching and learning remain successful if the students are satisfied and engaged. Therefore, this study aims to identify and assess factors that influenced students' level of learning from home satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: This study followed a mixed-method approach. Online focus groups were arranged to devise indicators for factors like the accessibility of lecturers, support from university and conducive home environment. A questionnaire was designed and disseminated through an online survey. A response rate of (N = 169) was received. The proposed framework was tested in two phases: confirmatory factor analysis and partial least square structural equation modeling. Findings: The findings revealed that education/life balance and learners' commitment have a positive and significant relationship with learning from home satisfaction. Accessibility of lecturers and a conducive home environment positively influenced education and life balance. Learners' commitment was influenced by the accessibility of lecturers, education and life balance and support from the university. Support from university was positively influenced by the accessibility of lecturers and a conducive home environment. Originality/value: Various studies focused on the quality of online teaching and learning, and very few studies paid attention to the day-to-day lives of learners at the tertiary level. This study has borrowed organizational factors and adapted them to the students' lives with two theoretical foundations which will enable a better understanding of the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess students' perceptions of four teaching and learning (T&L) methods used in a blended learning Contract Law course, namely, frontal, written assignments, simulations and online asynchronous T&L. Design/methodology/approach: Law students (n = 417) filled in an anonymous questionnaire on their relative satisfaction with the four methods and their preferences. Participation was voluntary. The questionnaire was administered at the end of term, in class, prior to the Covid-19 restrictions. The results were calculated using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Findings: The students preferred face-to-face T&L in class and ranked online T&L last. Notably, 84% preferred blended learning combining all four methods. These results suggest that the online T&L for this Contract Law course setting was unsuccessful and that teachers should experiment with blending various T&L methods to maximize learning effectiveness and students' satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: The results only reflect one course in one year among law students, thus affecting the generalizability of the findings. This is further exacerbated by the convenience sample and the fact that only one type of blending was evaluated. Overall, the findings indicated that the survey participants were not yet ready to embrace online T&L as a primary component of blended T&L. Practical implications: This study Alternative online solutions should be sought to foster social learning when face-to-face learning is not feasible for reasons, such as geographic distance, students' disabilities or the current pandemic that prohibits social gatherings. This conclusion is particularly pertinent with respect to the impact of Covid-19 on face-to-face learning. Designers of blended learning programs should listen more carefully to students' voices, and bear in mind that minimizing face-to-face T&L for various reasons might jeopardize students' satisfaction, which is likely to decrease learning effectiveness. Social implications: It is important that students' perceptions be considered when building future T&L programs, especially students' need for collaborative and social learning. Originality/value: This study assessed four T&L methods administered in one course during the pre-Covid-19 era. This setting, which is rare, enabled a real-life assessment of the effectiveness of these popular methods as perceived by students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this current study is to follow the development of preservice kindergarten teachers during the practicum phase of their teacher education studies in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and following the first period of lockdown. Design/methodology/approach: The sample included 38 preservice kindergarten teachers in their third and final year of studies who worked in kindergartens as student teachers. Data were collected using reflective journals written by the participants during their studies, after returning to work following the first lockdown. The author analyzed the data using the life-story narrative method. Findings: The analysis identified four different types of early education preservice teachers based on their ability to cope with the shift in work conditions. The discussion offers insight into participants' ability to effectively implement the professional tools they had acquired in the program and during the practicum. Research limitations/implications: Limitations include reliance on data from reflective journals, which may be missing details that would have been collected face-to-face. The study has important implications for the functioning of kindergarten teachers in times of crisis, which should be taken into account in the design of the teachers' training programs. Originality/value: The effect of the pandemic on the quality of the preservice kindergarten teachers' training process, and its implications for functioning in other types of crises are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]