A Qualitative Approach to Help Adjust the Design of Management Subjects in ICT Engineering Undergraduate Programs through User Experience in a Smart Classroom Context

Digital transformation in higher education: A qualitative evaluative study of a hybrid virtual format using a smart classroom system

This study presents the salient perceptions of students and instructors in a master's program taught in a hybrid virtual format using the pocket Bipolar Laddering tool, a written open-ended electronic data collection system. Perceptions about the hybrid virtual format were tested on the participants of a master's program taught in the 2021-2022 academic year through a hybrid virtual format based on a Smart Classroom system developed as part of the digital innovations implemented to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This work aims to shed light on the users' salient perceptions of the format, detect the positive elements mentioned by the surveyed participants and identify the negative items in a bid to minimize, or even revert, their effects for future editions of the master. As expected, the findings suggest that one of the main advantages of this format is that it allows students who have difficulty attending classes on campus to enroll on courses. However, the participants detected diverse elements that could be improved such as interaction, the degree of socialization, or the technical problems that arose during teaching sessions. It is hoped that these findings will be of use when adjusting new editions of the program and will help to determine the design and implementation of other hybrid virtual programs in the Institution.

“Seeing and Being Seen” or Just “Seeing” in a Smart Classroom Context When Videoconferencing: A User Experience-Based Qualitative Research on the Use of Cameras

This research examines the form in which undergraduates use video cameras during videoconferencing class sessions in a Smart Classroom context and, more specifically, the reasons why a considerable number of students opt to turn off their cameras when videoconferencing during the sessions while others keep them on. The study was carried out in an institution that had previously switched from face-to-face teaching to an Emergency Remote Teaching solution, initially adopted in 2019–2020 to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Findings suggest that using cameras when videoconferencing is associated with increasing and enhancing the interaction between the student and the rest of the class, although not all students agreed with this conclusion. In addition, having the video cameras switched fomented socialization and improved the overall online learning experience for students. However, the surveyed students pointed out diverse negative elements, such as why they had to turn on their personal cameras, privacy concerns, and limitations derived from the available technology infrastructure, in addition to other factors such as distractions, anxiety, and cognitive load. This work discusses how these elements can influence the well-being and the user experience of the students, both positively and negatively.

Academia's responses to crisis: A bibliometric analysis of literature on online learning in higher education during COVID-19

This paper aimed to provide a holistic view of research that investigated online learning in higher education around the globe during COVID-19 utilizing a bibliometric analysis. The researchers used co-citation analysis and text mining afforded by VOSviewer to document and analyze research patterns and topics reported in peer-reviewed documents published between January 2020 and August 2021. Findings of this study indicated that scholars from 103 countries or regions from the Global North and Global South investigated a wide array of topics, such as use of various technologies and strategies, redesigned curriculum, student perceptions and psychological impacts of the pandemic-imposed online learning. Many researchers applied technology acceptance theories and structural equation modeling to investigate factors associated with adoption and impacts of the pandemic-imposed online learning. Of the large quantity of research, medical education and chemical education were the most investigated disciplines. Inquiry-based learning, discovery learning, hands-on learning and collaborative learning emerged as instructional approaches frequently discussed or utilized across the target studies. This paper discussed (a) ongoing and emerging challenges to online higher education, (b) placing innovative pedagogies at the forefront of online learning, and (c) rapid, but imbalanced distribution of evolving literature based on the findings.

Applying the Cloud Intelligent Classroom to the Music Curriculum Design of the Mental Health Education

The cloud intelligent classroom, supported by modern technologies, is the main trend of curriculum design in the future. The purpose of this study is to explore the promotion and integration between digital technology and the curriculum design of mental health education in colleges and universities and realize their real value. First, the overall idea and practical value of the study are clarified after the relevant literature is reviewed. Second, the setting, the teaching methods, and the ideas of the cloud classrooms based on digital technology are elaborated in detail. Then, the final effect of mental health education in cloud intelligent classrooms is demonstrated and summarized after the teaching practice, a questionnaire survey, and the expert assessment. Finally, the research conclusions are drawn and the suggestions for constructing the cloud intelligent classrooms of mental health education are proposed based on the practice and surveys. The research is based on the reality of mental health education in colleges and universities, rational thinking, and action. While updating the means and methods of the curriculum design of the mental health education in the high school, it expands the connotation of cloud intelligent classroom and pursues the unity of “form” and “content.” The cloud intelligent classroom helps to improve the teaching quality of mental health education for the music majors in colleges and universities in the short term. Cloud intelligent classrooms can also help to achieve the curriculum design and teaching objectives.

Flipped Learning in Engineering Modules Is More Than Watching Videos: The Development of Personal and Professional Skills

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has highlighted two key outcomes for students of all accredited engineering programs: the ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences and the capacity to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. Likewise, in recent years, written exams, assignments, and oral presentations show transmission-skill deficiencies among engineering students. Flipped teaching serves to boost students to meet these outcomes and other competencies: comprehension reading, communication skills, character building, collaborative work, critical thinking, or creativity. So, flipped learning is more than watching videos. This research proposes two evidence-based transferable learning strategies built on a flipped-teaching model and was applied by the authors in engineering courses during the second year of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19: problem-based learning and teamwork assignments. The study comprised two phases. First, a systematic review of reports, writings, and exams delivered by students. It included some video-watching analytics to detect misuse. In the second stage, the authors ascertained trends of these outcomes. Student perceptions and other achievement indicators illustrate the possibilities for encouraging learners to achieve transmission, communication, and literacy outcomes. Results indicate that these learner-centered approaches may help students learn better, comprehend, apply, and transmit knowledge. But they require an institutional commitment to implementing proactive instruction techniques that emphasize the importance of student communication skills.