Perceived Challenges and Experiences on Remote Teaching among Faculty in a Higher Education Institution of Health Sciences in UAE during COVID 19 Pandemic.
Corresponding Author(s) : Dr. Kavitha Parthasarathy
International Journal of Allied Medical Sciences and Clinical Research,
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2021): 2021 Volume - 9 Issue - 2
Abstract
Background:Education is considered as the foundation to build a society capable of keeping pace with progress. The ongoing new corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which arose at the end of 2019, poses a severe challenge to world public health systems. Online nursing education programs have grown exponentially over the time. As online education continues to grow due to the present pandemic situation, teaching faculties are forced to continue teaching online, and it is important to understand their perceptions and challenges of online teaching. Hence, theaimof the study is to explore the faculty’s perceived challenges and experiences on remote teaching during COVID pandemic among faculties in higher educational institution.
Methods:Cross sectional descriptive survey study design adopted. Using Total population sampling design, 27 samples selected for this study from one of the higher educational institution of health sciences in UAE. The data collected by using structured self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics.
Results: The study explored faculties perceptions in the following six areas: Technical proficiency, Institutional support, Relationship and communication with students, Transition to remote teaching, Lifestyle changes and job satisfaction related to remote teaching method. The study revealed, large proportion of (81%) the faculties not used with online teaching. The majority of the teaching faculty (70%) was comfortable in using the (LMS) learning management system. Regarding Communication and relationship with students and colleagues, more than half (55%)of the faculties appreciated the student involvement and participation, only few (33%)of them felt difficulty in face to face communication with students due to cultural barrier.
Impact of transition to Remote teaching revealed that maximum number (70.37%) of faculty felt that online exam integrity was lowered. More than half (70.37%) of the faculty members stated that their life style changed significantly, such as exercise and sleeping were affected to the great extend (59.26%) and (55.56%) respectively.
With regard to Physical and psychological impact, more than half of the faculties expressed eye strain (55.56%), neck and back pain (40.74%) and difficulty to fall in sleep(37.04%) to the great extent due to long time computer use. When compared remote teaching with traditional teaching method 40.74% of the faculty members reported that no change in the job satisfaction level.
Conclusion:Online education has become a major teaching strategy during the COVID pandemic situation which helped the educational institutions to continue the teaching. The study explored that the majority of the teaching faculty were comfortable in using the educational technology. There are some notable physical and psychological experiences reported by most of the faculties. Though the remote teaching had some disadvantages, it is a boon for carrying out the teaching and learning during this COVID pandemic situation, which we are hopeful to overcome and fight together.
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11. AperribaiLeire, CortabarriaLorea, AguirreTriana, VercheEmilio, BorgesÁfrica. Teacher’s Physical Activity and Mental Health During Lockdown Due to the COVID-2019 Pandemic.Front Psychol. 2020; 11:577886.doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.577886, PMID 33262727.
12. Mastel-SmithB., Post J., Lake P. Online Teaching: “Are You There, and Do You Care?”J NursEduc. 2015; 54(3):145-51. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20150218-18.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.
13. Richter SL, Schuessler J.B.. Nursing Faculty Experiences and Perceptions of Online Teaching: A Descriptive Summary. Teaching and Learning in Nursing.2019;14(1):26-9. doi: 10.1016/j.teln.2018.09.004.
14. KimmonsRoyce, VeletsianosGeorge, VanLeeuwenCharlene. What (some) facultyaresaying about the shift to remoteteaching and learning; 2020. Available from: https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2020/5/what-some-faculty-are-saying-about-the-shift-to-remote-teaching-and-learning.
15. SaharET, CherneyID. Perceived online education barriers of administrators and faculty at a U.S. university in Lebanon. Creighton J InterdiscipLeadersh. 2016;2(1):15-31.
References
2. Allen.E and J.Seaman.Changing CourseTenYears TrackOnlineEduc US. 2013. Google Scholar.
3. AlaofiS. How do teachers and students perceive the utility of blackboard as a distance-learning platform? (Case study from Taibah University, Saudi Arabia); 2016. Available from:https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/How-Do-Teachers-and-Students-Perceive-The-Utility-a-Alaofi/35637273b434570090727d179108a38eebc10d26[cited7/6/2021].
4. Mastel-SmithBeth, PostJerri, LakePamela. Online Teaching: “Are You There, and Do You Care?” J NursEduc. 2015; 54(3):145-51. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20150218-18.
5. DehghaniAli, KojuriJavad, DehghaniMohammad Reza, KeshavarziAbdolkhalegh, NajafipourSedigheh. Experiences of students and faculty members about using virtual social networks in education: A qualitative content analysis. J Adv MedEduc Prof. 2019; 7(2):86-94. doi: 10.30476/JAMP.2019.44712, PMID 31086800.
6. FrazerChristine, SullivanDebra Henline, Weather spoonDeborah, HusseyLeslie. Faculty perceptions of onlineteachingeffectiveness and indicators of quality. NursRes Pract. 2017; 2017:9374189. doi: 10.1155/2017/9374189.
7. FerrelMeganne N., RyanJohn J.The impact of COVID-19 on medicaleducation. Cureus. 2020; 12(3):e7492. doi: 10.7759/cureus.7492, PMID 32368424.
8. GazzaElizabeth A.The experience of teaching online in nursing education. J NursEduc. 2017; 56(6):343-9. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20170518-05, PMID 28585982.
9. RichardsonJenniferC, BesserErin, KoehlerAdrie, LimJiEun, StraitMarquetta. Instructors’ perceptions of instructorpresence in onlinelearningenvironments.IRRODL. 2016; 17(4), June p: 82-104. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v17i4.2330.
10. MorinKaren H.Nursing education after COVID?19: same or different?J ClinNurs. 2020; 29(17-18):3117-9. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15322, PMID 32416017.
11. AperribaiLeire, CortabarriaLorea, AguirreTriana, VercheEmilio, BorgesÁfrica. Teacher’s Physical Activity and Mental Health During Lockdown Due to the COVID-2019 Pandemic.Front Psychol. 2020; 11:577886.doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.577886, PMID 33262727.
12. Mastel-SmithB., Post J., Lake P. Online Teaching: “Are You There, and Do You Care?”J NursEduc. 2015; 54(3):145-51. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20150218-18.View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.
13. Richter SL, Schuessler J.B.. Nursing Faculty Experiences and Perceptions of Online Teaching: A Descriptive Summary. Teaching and Learning in Nursing.2019;14(1):26-9. doi: 10.1016/j.teln.2018.09.004.
14. KimmonsRoyce, VeletsianosGeorge, VanLeeuwenCharlene. What (some) facultyaresaying about the shift to remoteteaching and learning; 2020. Available from: https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2020/5/what-some-faculty-are-saying-about-the-shift-to-remote-teaching-and-learning.
15. SaharET, CherneyID. Perceived online education barriers of administrators and faculty at a U.S. university in Lebanon. Creighton J InterdiscipLeadersh. 2016;2(1):15-31.