A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic
As they emerge from the pandemic, universities worldwide are evaluating the adaptations in the education sector during the pandemic and determining their course of action for the future. In this work, drawing on the lessons from four courses across two different universities, a survey of over 300 st...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/9/557 |
| _version_ | 1797519584365903872 |
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| author | Seshasai Srinivasan Juan Antonio Lopez Ramos Nasim Muhammad |
| author_facet | Seshasai Srinivasan Juan Antonio Lopez Ramos Nasim Muhammad |
| author_sort | Seshasai Srinivasan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As they emerge from the pandemic, universities worldwide are evaluating the adaptations in the education sector during the pandemic and determining their course of action for the future. In this work, drawing on the lessons from four courses across two different universities, a survey of over 300 students, and the literature, we present strategies for successfully implementing a flexible blended education format. The survey revealed that the performance of the cohort taking the course during the pandemic performed nearly the same as the cohorts that took the courses before the pandemic. However, the students did not prefer an entirely virtual format, felt that their social wellbeing was impacted, and preferred a hybrid education model with a lot of supplementary learning material. As a key contribution of this work, we have identified and elaborate on four key pillars for a flexible blended education format, namely, course design, pedagogical strategies incorporating active learning and providing a sense of online community, infrastructure for delivery and training, and incorporating activities that support student wellbeing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:44:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cd9be9a2045e4204856dcf790fc9382f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:44:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-cd9be9a2045e4204856dcf790fc9382f2023-11-22T12:46:01ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022021-09-0111955710.3390/educsci11090557A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 PandemicSeshasai Srinivasan0Juan Antonio Lopez Ramos1Nasim Muhammad2W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S4L8, CanadaDepartment of Mathematics, Universidad de Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, School of Engineering Technology, Mohawk College, Hamilton, ON L9C0E5, CanadaAs they emerge from the pandemic, universities worldwide are evaluating the adaptations in the education sector during the pandemic and determining their course of action for the future. In this work, drawing on the lessons from four courses across two different universities, a survey of over 300 students, and the literature, we present strategies for successfully implementing a flexible blended education format. The survey revealed that the performance of the cohort taking the course during the pandemic performed nearly the same as the cohorts that took the courses before the pandemic. However, the students did not prefer an entirely virtual format, felt that their social wellbeing was impacted, and preferred a hybrid education model with a lot of supplementary learning material. As a key contribution of this work, we have identified and elaborate on four key pillars for a flexible blended education format, namely, course design, pedagogical strategies incorporating active learning and providing a sense of online community, infrastructure for delivery and training, and incorporating activities that support student wellbeing.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/9/557future learningCOVID-19 lessonsblended learningonline learningstrategies |
| spellingShingle | Seshasai Srinivasan Juan Antonio Lopez Ramos Nasim Muhammad A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic Education Sciences future learning COVID-19 lessons blended learning online learning strategies |
| title | A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | flexible future education model strategies drawn from teaching during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | future learning COVID-19 lessons blended learning online learning strategies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/9/557 |
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