Several bachelor courses of Inholland University of Applied Sciences experimented with the possibilities of the online synchronous classroom. Two platforms were used; Zoom video conferencing and Barco Virtual Classroom. As research group, we conducted exploratory observations as this experimentation unfolded during several of these sessions. Interviews were held with some teaching and technical staff. Organisational, technical and pedagogical factors regarding the delivering of flexible education were examined. During the observations of this emergent practice, some patterns became visible. This report contains a first description of the seven phases when initiating the online classroom.
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Seven college lecturers and two senior support staff were interviewed during 2021 about their experiences teaching in hybrid virtual classrooms (HVC). These technology-rich learning environments allow teachers to simultaneously teach students who are in class (on campus) and students who are joining remotely (online). There were two reasons for this choice: first, ongoing experimentation from innovative teaching staff who were already using this format before the COVID-19 pandemic; secondly, as a possible solution to restrictions on classroom size imposed by the pandemic. Challenges lecturers faced include adjusting teaching practice and lesson delivery to serve students in the class and those online equally; engaging and linking the different student groups in structured and natural interactions; overcoming technical challenges regarding audio and visual equipment; suitably configuring teaching spaces and having sufficient pedagogical and technical support to manage this complex process. A set of practical suggestions is provided. Lecturers should make reasoned choices when teaching in this format since it requires continued experimentation and practice to enhance the teaching and learning opportunities. When external factors such as classroom size restrictions are the driving force, the specific type of synchronous learning activities should be carefully considered. The structure and approach to lessons needs to be rethought to optimise the affordances of the hybrid virtual and connected classroom. The complexity of using these formats, and the additional time needed to do it properly, should not be underestimated. These findings are consistent with previous literature on this subject. An ongoing dialogue with faculty, support staff and especially students should be an integral part of any further implementation in this format.
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Providing high-quality feedback is essential for improving preservice teacher performance. Rather than post-lesson feedback, immediate performance feedback while teaching is considered effective. This article reports on developing and piloting a standardised tool for synchronous feedback. Eight teacher educators from a Dutch higher education institution were trained to use the tool (based on accepted models of teacher roles, observation criteria and feedback levels) with pre-recorded lessons. Interobserver reliability was good for teacher roles and sufficient for feedback levels. Positive evaluations of the tool and educators’ interest in its application, warrant further research into scalability and effectiveness of synchronous feedback delivery.
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The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the experiences of safety and security management students, enrolled in an undergraduate course in the Netherlands, and present quantitative data from an online survey that aimed to explore the factors that have contributed to students’ satisfaction with, and engagement in, online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main findings suggest an interesting paradox of technology, which is worth further exploration in future research. Firstly, students with self perceived higher technological skill levels tend to reject online education more often as they see substantial shortcomings of classes in the way they are administered as compared to the vast available opportunities for real innovation. Secondly, as opposed to democratising education and allowing for custom-made, individualistic education schedules that help less-privileged students, online education can also lead to the displacement of education by income-generating activities altogether. Lastly, as much as technology allowed universities during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue with education, the transition to the environment, which is defined by highly interactive and engaging potential, may in fact be a net contributor to the feelings of social isolation, digital educational inequality and tension around commercialisation in higher education.
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On a four-year bachelor course at Inholland University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, additional modern language was offered to first-year students studying at three locations. Since each location only had a few students and there was only one language teacher available, across the three locations, lessons were given by the teacher in a ‘hybrid’ classrooms. The teacher was at one location with some students while students from the other two locations would join via live video link. The focus was to develop speaking and listening skills through in-classroom discussion that took place via the video link. Short video news segments in the language were watched live in class. This lead to discussion and practicing the language. Learning support materials were available in the form of a grammar book with an online self-test learning environment. The research group conducted research on this original and creative solution to teaching smaller groups since much could be learned from a practical, didactic and organisational perspective. Several organisational issues influenced the course. And from a pedagogical perspective, this case supported findings from the literature that it is complicated to engage with students live in a classroom while also communicating with students at other locations via a video screen.
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In een hybride virtueel klaslokaal (HVC) zijn docenten en/of studenten zowel fysiek als digitaal synchroon bij een onderwijsonderdeel aanwezig. De online studenten danwel docenten kunnen thuis zijn, of bevinden zich bijvoorbeeld in een authentiek werksituatie of ergens in het buitenland. Hybride virtuele klaslokalen zijn ontworpen om studenten op locatie en studenten op afstand aan elkaar te verbinden. De fysieke en digitale onderwijsactiviteiten lopen synchroon aan elkaar. Het kan daarmee ook digitaal aanschuifonderwijs genoemd worden. Wat zijn de voordelen van het HVC? Wanneer gebruik je het en wanneer gebruik je het niet? Op welke manier gebruik je het dan en welke consequenties heeft dit voor het didactische repertoire? Welke technische opstellingen horen hierbij? Het lectoraat Teaching Learning & Technology heeft onderzoek gedaan naar de inzet van HVC in het onderwijs en vanuit interviews met docenten en ondersteuners praktische handvaten ontwikkeld op zowel didactisch als technisch niveau. Deze zijn te lezen in het onderzoeksrapport.
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From the article: "Whilst the importance of online peer feedback and writing argumentative essays for students in higher education is unquestionable, there is a need for further research into whether and the extent to which female and male students differ with regard to their argumentative feedback, essay writing, and content learning in online settings. The current study used a pre-test, post-test design to explore the extent to which female and male students differ regarding their argumentative feedback quality, essay writing and content learning in an online environment. Participants were 201 BSc biotechnology students who wrote an argumentative essay, engaged in argumentative peer feedback with learning partners in the form of triads and finally revised their original argumentative essay. The findings revealed differences between females and males in terms of the quality of their argumentative feedback. Female students provided higher-quality argumentative feedback than male students. Although all students improved their argumentative essay quality and also knowledge content from pre-test to post-test, these improvements were not significantly different between females and males. Explanations for these findings and recommendations are provided"
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Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is often framed as an example of a broader practice known as Virtual Exchange (VE). The term Virtual Exchange has increasingly been used as an attempt to unify a fragmented field of Higher Education practice and is often used interchangeably with the term COIL. However, the design of COIL, with its strong focus on collaborative and intercultural learning, is often very different to other VE initiatives. Labelling all VE initiatives, including COIL, generally as VE, can lead to both educators and researchers having difficulty identifying and distinguishing COIL. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of VE and define COIL and its key characteristics. This article also describes how theory can inform practice and explains why continued interchangeable use of the term COIL with the umbrella term Virtual Exchange is unhelpful for future research and practice.
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This chapter discusses the following keywords for learning outcomes for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). 1. Clarity: Knowing what you want your students to achieve. 2. Shared: Designed together with your partner to match your course content. 3. Aligned: Linking different components (outcomes, assessment, and activities) of your COIL project together.
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In this study we measured the effect of COIL on intercultural competence development using a quasi-experimental design. Our sample consisted of 108 undergraduate students from two universities, one located in the Netherlands (NL) and one in the United States (US). Students’ self-reported intercultural competence was measured using a pre-post survey which included the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). Qualitative data were collected to complement our quantitative findings and to give a deeper insight into the student experience. The data showed a significantly bigger increase in intercultural competence for the US experimental group compared to the US control group, supporting our hypothesis that COIL develops intercultural competence. This difference was not observed for the NL students, possibly due to the NL control group being exposed to other international input during the course.
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