This chapter presents 16 practical cases from 11 countries, including China, Australia, Egypt, Morocco, Peru, Serbia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. These cases aim to present the implementation background, core problems, solutions, effects and impacts of the cases, to help teachers and administrators understand the educational and teaching concepts reflected in the cases, to learn the teaching design and practice methods and teaching management strategies in the cases, to reflect on the experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of the cases, and also to provide researchers with research materials with their own characteristics.

6.1 Introduction to Blended Learning Exemplars

6.1.1 Function and Value of Exemplars in Blended Learning

The three exemplary cases presented in this chapter have been summarized and refined based on real world application practice, especially the core characteristics of blended learning. These cases serve as practical guidance to assist teachers better understand and implement blended learning by comparing and contrasting similarities and differences of the cases. It is our hope that by examining the cases, teachers can apply the theories and model presented in this Handbook to their own contexts and practice related professional knowledge, theory, and skills in blended learning, and ultimately, carry out blended learning independently.

6.1.2 How to Use the Blended Learning Exemplars

Blended learning exemplars aim to guide teachers to analyze blended learning in specific situations, reflect blended learning practice (e.g., knowledge management, instructional design, and implementation), and generate practical knowledge. Blended learning exemplars can be used in three ways as followingFootnote 1:

Internalize the practical knowledge of blended learning

Blended learning exemplars contain internalized practical knowledge that can help teachers to integrate uncertain knowledge into practice to a large extent. Practical knowledge is obtained from “learning by doing”. In other words, practical knowledge is acquired from experience and activities and then integrated it into teachers’ own cognitive structure. In this way, teachers can, on the one hand, “re-construct” educational problems. On the other hand, teachers can transform their teaching practice as a special type of research activities. Additionally, teachers can obtain deep understanding of blending learning by discussing these exemplars with others.

Understand blended learning theory

Blended learning theory contains concepts, propositions, and principles, which are interrelated. Blended learning practice not only represents the application of blended learning theory but also reflects educational practice in specific contexts. Exemplars presented in this chapter demonstrate teachers the real-world educational problems and show them how to respond to those problems as the role models included in the exemplars. These exemplars can help teachers fully understand blended learning theory.

Analyze and reflect on practical problems of blended learning

Explicating practical problems could promote wider adoption of blended learning. Blended learning exemplars not only can help teachers understand how to implement blended learning but also assist teachers reflect blended learning practice as these exemplars demonstrated the “dilemma” situations in blended learning practice. Teachers will gradually learn how to analyze and reflect on practical problems of blended learning by analyzing the issues involved in the exemplars.

6.1.3 Content Structure of the Exemplars

There are two types of exemplars collected in this chapter: institutional cases and class cases. Institutional cases are educational reforms of blended learning in higher education institutions. Class cases are the blended learning practice in courses. Content of the cases is structured as background and problem statement, design and implementation, effectiveness and reflection, and features and innovation according to the standards of exemplars as shown in Tables 6.1 and 6.2.

Table 6.1 Blended learning cases at the institutional level
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Table 6.2 Blended learning cases at the class level
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6.2 Case 1: Blended Learning in a Public Elective Course: Innovative Thinking Training

Edited by Zhuli Wang, Sun Yat-sen University, China.

Background and problem statement

The Innovative Thinking Training course was an elective course and first offered in 2010 for students in educational technology masters’ program at Sun Yat-sen University. Starting in 2013, partial content of this course was included in undergraduate curriculum. In 2015, the instructor re-designed this course as a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and related course materials were published as a textbook. In 2016, this course was offered in blended learning mode that combines online and offline teaching. This course lasted for 18 weeks, a total of 36 h. Each week there was one offline session, lasting about two hours. The course was limited to 120 students. All students on campus can take this course. Most of students were freshmen and sophomores, with the former being represented more. Two problems revealed in the teaching process:

  • Students reluctant to spend too much time in this course since it’s a public elective course. It’s difficult to ensure the quality of online learning in this course?

  • It’s difficult to conduct specific in-class exercises and interactions in offline session because of the large class size.

Design and implementation

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    Design

Five learning objective were designed for this course: raising the consciousness of innovative thinking, developing the habit of innovative thinking, understanding the principles of innovative thinking, mastering the method of innovative thinking, and practicing innovative thinking. Five objectives should be progressively achieved from low to high.

The classroom was a multimedia classroom that was equipped with basic equipment such as computers and projection screens. The teacher sometimes may switch to classrooms where desks and chairs can be moved to assist group activities. Most students have laptops and all students have smartphones.

Since this course was already available in MOOCs, blended learning was adopted in this course. Flipped classroom was also used in this course since it focused on thinking training rather than information delivery. In this class, students familiarized themselves with factual knowledge online via MOOCs and participated in learning activities related to thinking training during offline session. Online session in MOOCs was 12 h, accounting for 1/3 of the total hours. Offline session was 24 h, accounting for 2/3 of the total hours. Online session and offline session were often completed alternately to coordinate the course content. In the last few weeks of the course, students would work on final project independently and present and evaluate the project publicly such as class presentation.

The learning assessment consisted of three parts: class participation, final exam, and final project. Class participation accounted for 60% of the total score, which was mainly composed of online learning performance and offline learning performance. Final exam accounted for 20% of the total score, including subjective and objective questions that tested whether students mastered and used course knowledge. Final project accounted for 20% of the total score.

Calculation of class participation score relied on an application, Superstar Chinese Study, which is an instructional software that can be accessed via cloud, computer, and mobile devices. The teacher can upload MOOCs, E-textbooks, and other digital resources to the cloud where students can access through computers and mobile phones and complete related learning activities. This application can also assist online teaching and offline teaching, such as sign in, conduct class discussion, assign homework, conduct peer evaluation, choose students to answer questions, initiate quick answers, project mobile interfaces onto a screen, live streaming, PowerPoint slides page turns, group students, and collect and analyze learning statistics. Students’ learning activities can be recorded through the Superstar Chinese Study and converted into numbers that be used to calculate students’ class participation score.

  1. (2)

    Implementation process

This course was divided into 15 sections altogether. Each semester started from the first week of the semester and proceeded week by week according to the schedule. The schedule did not follow the sequence of textbooks and made appropriate adjustments according to actual teaching needs. The offline classroom exercises were adjusted to match the online learning progress. Generally, students would complete three online sessions before one offline classroom session.

The online session was scheduled as follows. Study guide was provided one week in advance to assist students get familiar with the course content. When meeting online, students would first sign in via Superstar Chinese Study, then complete assigned learning activities and assignments independently in MOOCs for about one hour. After that, the instructor would initiate discussion and assign in-class exercises via Superstar Chinese Study by using the functions of selecting students for quick answers. When the class was over, students would sign out and the teacher would summarize the online session and answer questions through live streaming, which is a function of Superstar Chinese Study.

The offline session was scheduled as follows. Students would sign in 5 min before class, and the teacher asked the students to some warm-up activities. Then the teacher would assign the thinking training activities. Students could complete these activities in groups or individually. After that, the teacher would post questions and evaluate students’ activities in Superstar Chinese Study. Finally, the teacher would assign the learning tasks for next week. At the end of the class, students would sign out the offline session.

Effectiveness and reflection

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    Effectiveness

At the end of each semester, the teacher gave out questionnaires to students and conducted anonymous surveys. The scores were above 90, with an average of 95. For the open-ended questions at the end of the questionnaire, most students evaluated the course highly and were impressed by some games and training activities. Some of our teachers and those from other universities also spoke highly of the course after listening to it. When applying for the national quality course, an expert committee headed by the former vice president of teaching highly rated this course. In 2017 and 2020, the course was recognized as national high-quality MOOC, the national first-class undergraduate online course, and first-class blended learning course.

  1. (2)

    Reflection

① How to ensure the quality of online learning?

This course used to provide 1/3 of the total class hours for students to study online. However, it was found that students did not actively participate in online learning activities as expected although they were given enough time. There were two reasons. One was the passive learning habit formed under the influence of long-term exam-oriented education. Second, online learning lacked a collective learning environment and required high independence from the students. Therefore, the teacher made some adjustments, such as releasing study guide in advance, creating online virtual classrooms, asking students questions in class, and increasing the grade proportion of class participation. The online virtual classroom, delivered via Superstar Chinese Study, assisted with online course sign-in and online discussion and created a collective online learning environment. All online and offline learning activities were included in class participation, and the grade proportion increased from 20 to 60%. This adjustment has effectively promoted class participation that students who completed online learning tasks increased from 40–50% to 90–100%.

② How to conduct specific in-class exercises and interactions in offline session due to the large class size?

In the case of large class size (more than 50 students), the teacher used to divide students into several groups, assign a teaching assistant to each group, and provide them with necessary guidance and help. The questions discussed in the group were varied according to the specific situation, and the teacher gave his/her guidance on these questions. The problem, however, was that the learning requirement could not be too high and the teacher could not expect too much from the students because students could drop the course or even not to select this course after two weeks according to the university policy. If teachers expect too much of students and the learning pressure is too high, students may not choose this course or give up and change to other courses after choosing them. Therefore, teachers need to balance the teaching quality and students’ needs.

Features and Innovation

  1. (1)

    This course provided practical experience in carrying out blended learning in the elective course, in particular several effective practices in ensuring the quality of students’ online learning.

  2. (2)

    This course made full use of smartphones and educational applications, such as Superstar Chinese Study, which features learning management and mobile learning. This course also played an important role in connecting online and offline learning, motivating students to participate in learning and interaction and recording students’ daily learning activities. It provided a successful experience for using smartphones in the classroom.

  3. (3)

    This course explored several innovative ways of training innovative thinking at university. In addition, a number of teaching cases were accumulated. Three textbooks and reference books, and many research papers were published.

6.3 Case 2: Promote the Reconstruction and Practice of an Undergraduate Training System with the Help of Information Technology

Edited by Qingtang Liu, Central China Normal University.

Background and problem statement

Located in Wuhan, China, the Central China Normal University has over 31,000 full-time students, including over 18,500 undergraduates, 12,000 graduate students, and 1,100 international students. Based on the national education informatization designated by the Ministry of Education, the university has newly built an appropriate student-centered talent training system that features connection, sharing, independence, and transparency under the extensive integration of information technology after five years of continuous exploration and practice.

Central China Normal University fully integrated information technology into talent training, effectively solving three problems. Firstly, how to develop a student-centered talent training system in the era of information by making full use of information technology to re-design learning environment, contents, methods, and evaluation? Secondly, how to share high-quality educational resources and improve teaching methods by using big data and other technologies to ensure quality of teaching activities in large class size and individual learning needs? Thirdly, how to create the university’s culture that not only emphasizes educational quality but also encourages innovative?

Design and implementation

The university has reshaped teaching philosophy by establishing the student-centered talent training system that pays attention to quality, knowledge, and competencies and building an open educational support system that prioritizes learning and competencies. The “four changes” has been used as the guiding principle of the talent training program. That is, the teaching method has changed from the teaching-oriented to the learning-oriented, learning content has changed from professional content to the combination of general and professional content, learning environment has changed from the offline classroom to the combination of online and offline classrooms, and learning assessment has changed from summative assessments to the combination of formative and summative assessments. The extensive integration of information technology and teaching not only effectively improved students’ participation in learning and their abilities of critical thinking, cooperation, communication, and creativity (4C), but also promoted students’ self-management, self-learning, and self-service (3S) qualities in digital age.

The university also formulated standards for digital course resources so that all required courses could be offered online. Besides, the university further expanded the educational resources supply by encouraging developing and introducing high-quality digital course resources independently. The university optimized the course structure, including general courses, professional courses, and personalized courses to provide diversified learning content. Teachers and students were provided with cyberspace on a self-developed cloud teaching platform so that they can share high-quality educational resources. Students’ socialist core values were cultivated through the innovation of online ideological and political courses.

Additionally, the university proposed and implemented a three-dimensional integration teaching theory, namely “physical space, resource, and social interaction”, to develop and deploy the cloud teaching platform and smart classroom. The university implemented blended learning that combined online and offline learning, cut down in-class hours, and strengthened guidance and in-class discussion to achieve the goal of returning time to students and teaching students the methods. By using big data, the university tracked and analyzed students’ learning process to timely find weaknesses in the teaching process, accurately find students with learning difficulties, provide appropriate guidance, and promote individualized teaching according to the students’ learning situation.

The university has established a comprehensive evaluation system based on data to form diversified, procedural, and developmental evaluations for teachers, students, courses, and classes. Lastly, the university organized activities, such as Teaching Festivals, to create a culture of valuing teaching and advocating innovation. The university made full use of the advantages of the two national educational informatization research labs—the National Engineering Research Center for E-Learning and the National Engineering Laboratory for Education Big Data, to promote the combination of science and education and collaborative education.

Effectiveness and reflection

In 2017, the number of students choosing blended learning classes reached 30,000, and students who took online courses reached 100,000. Students’ learning motivation and satisfaction have been increasingly improved for five years. 85% of students often studied online, and 75% of students perceived that blended learning is beneficial for them to analyze and solve problems. In the past five years, students have won a total of 1,026 prizes in discipline competitions at all levels, including 349 prizes in national competitions.

More than 1,500 teachers have been trained and 80 seeded teachers were selected to study in the United States. Teachers have produced a total of 6.58TB of digital teaching resources and have developed 746 blended classes in 2017. 88% of the teachers were able to conduct self-evaluation and reflection on teaching activities by analyzing the students’ online learning, activities, and learning achievements.

Central China Normal University has invested more than 200 million yuan in information construction and teaching and learning reform since the university carried out a unified and centralized use of its funds in information technologies since 2012. Through the establishment of the hall of students’ affairs, a one-stop service, one-table monitoring, one-network management, the allocation of various resources such as teaching resources and office space in the university has been significantly optimized. Besides, the utilization rate of public spaces, like classrooms, dramatically increased. In addition, teachers have gradually gotten rid of tedious form-filling work, and their workload has been significantly reduced.

Features and Innovation

Features and innovations of this case are presented in eight aspects.

  1. (1)

    Revised the current training curriculum and built a student-centered talent training model. The student-centered education concept was implemented, which pays attention to quality, knowledge, and ability. A three dimensions of theoretical research, an interdisciplinary approach, and innovation and entrepreneurship were designed, and the talent training program was revised systematically. The course structure and proportion of general courses, major courses, and personalized courses was adjusted. In terms of the distribution of class hours, 20–30% of in-class hours were reduced, and the remaining time was returned to students. In terms of teaching methods, research-based teaching that combines online and offline learning was fully executed. The organization form of teaching and discussion “2:1” was advocated. In terms of evaluation, data-driven formative assessment was implemented.

  2. (2)

    Reconstructed instructional environment to realize the integration of the three dimensions. The university emphasized the three-dimensional integration theory, physical space, resource, and social interaction, and transformed the education and instructional environment. In terms of physical space, unified standards and norms were set up. More than 60 smart classrooms with high-quality display equipment, various interaction equipment, and intelligence analysis equipment were built. In terms of resource space, the university developed and introduced high-quality digital to share on campus. In terms of cyberspace, teachers and students can occupy the same cyberspace using the self-developed cloud platform. Teaching was carried out in cyberspace and a ubiquitous intelligent instructional environment that integrates online and offline learning, curricular and extra-curricular activities, and physical and virtual spaces was constructed.

  3. (3)

    Carried out advanced training to improve teachers’ digital teaching competencies. The university has established a training program for the development of teachers’ digital teaching competencies to facilitate the change of teachers’ role (Fig. 6.1). The university customized training for different types of teachers. Firstly, for new teachers, well-known national and international scholars were invited to conduct training for digital teaching competencies and application of media technology and cloud integration platforms. Secondly, for lead teachers, a training for in-depth integration of information technology and teaching and learning was carried out, in order to address the difficulties and problems in improving learning effectiveness, and design and development of resources. Thirdly, overseas training in digital teaching competencies for seeded teachers was carried out. 20 seeded teachers were sent to study TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) at the State University of New York every year to cultivate a group of excellent teachers for digital teaching and educational reform.

    Fig. 6.1
    figure 1

    Redefinition of teachers’ roles

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    Enriched teaching resources and provided open education

    The university has set up standards of digital course resources, gathered high-quality resources through self-construction, sharing, and purchase, completed the digital construction of more than 800 required courses, and introduced more than 220 major courses and online courses of general education from colleges and universities at home and abroad. All courses were open and shared by the university on a unified cloud platform, which broke the physical barriers between colleges. The main position of ideological and political education was consolidated, and the visualization of online ideological and political education was realized by using new media technology. The “1 + X” mode of ideological and political courses hosted by university leaders was carried out through the cloud platform in 2017 and generated good results. The university took the lead in establishing the Hubei Teacher Education Network Alliance and provided high-quality courses that contributed to the development of local colleges and universities. The channel for normal university students to study online for their master’s degree of Education two years after graduation was opened to provide a more continuous and open education.

  5. (5)

    Reformed teaching methods and promoted blended classroom learning

    Blended classrooms were implemented into daily teaching, accounting for 20% of all courses. Over 30,000 students chose blended courses, and a large number of information-based teaching innovation cases emerged. Besides, high-quality teacher resources were shared. The new flipping teaching mode that combined the traditional teaching method and blended learning was implemented. An effective way to solve personalized teaching problems for large class size was formulated. For example, Dai Jinjun from the School of Mathematics and Statistics, who taught Linear Algebra, won the first prize in the Teaching Competition in Hubei Province. Mr. Dai used to teach only one session of this course and other sessions were taught by junior teachers, which affected the teaching quality. After adopting the “1 + N” blended learning, Mr. Dai could teach eight sessions simultaneously with junior teachers as teaching assistants and utilized the cloud platform to conduct learning analysis and provide guidance for each student in a timely manner. In this way, the high-quality teacher resource was shared and the average scores of eight sessions were improved. The personalized teaching and learning for a large number of students was realized.

  6. (6)

    Reformed the evaluation method and executed a comprehensive data-based evaluation. A basic teaching and learning database were established to collect data from students’ learning behavior in the smart classrooms, online homework, discussions on the cloud teaching and learning platform, exams, and daily life, which supported student analysis, comprehensive evaluation, and academic planning. With the support of the cloud platform with big data, formative assessment was adopted. The proportion of class participation was increased from 20–40% to 50–80%.

  7. (7)

    Optimized management services and constructed a new education ecosystem

    Through the one-stop service based on the information portal, a network management mode based on campus grids and students’ track records, the whole learning process from students’ enrollment to their graduation was tracked, reflecting the 3S educational concept (self-management, self-learning, and self-service). A “five-in-one” education ecosystem that integrates ideological and political, general, major, practical education and management services based on information technology was created (Fig. 6.2).

    Fig. 6.2
    figure 2

    The education ecosystem based on information technology in Central China Normal University

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    Created Teaching and Learning Festivals and blended learning culture. Since 2015, the Teaching and Learning Festival was first created and held every year for one month. Each festival consists of a variety of activities, such as demonstration lessons, teaching and learning workshops, forums of teaching and learning reform, the International Symposium on Teacher Education in East Asia, Competition of students’ information technology competencies, and “excellent digital teacher” ─a teaching skill competition for pre-service teachers. A cultural atmosphere of teaching and learning was created, and innovation was advocated in university. Since 2013, the university has awarded teaching innovation prizes to teachers every year that focus on innovative teaching strategies and students’ learning effectiveness. Award-winning teachers were provided with customized reward policies and gives preferential treatment to them in their appraisal and promotion.

6.4 Case 3: Systematically Promote Educational Reform via Blended Learning in Vocational Education Institutions

Edited by Zongbao Zhang, Shandong Vocational College of Science and Technology, China.

Background and problem statement

Located in Weifang, Shandong Province, China, Shandong Vocational College of Science and Technology is a full-time public vocational college. With 20,490 students, the college offers 51 majors, including textile and garment, mechanical and electrical engineering, machinery manufacturing, and information engineering. The college began to build an information-based campus in 1997. In 2008, the Tsinghua Education Online (THEOL) platform was used to implement education and teaching management reform. In 2013, the project of students’ learning behavior analysis was launched. In 2014, under the principle of “integrated design, structured organization, and granular construction”, the college updated the evaluation model of blended learning and created “modern vocational education courses” which feature “online and offline learning and workplace training”, and comprehensively implemented blended learning. In 2015, virtual simulation platforms were built to support the reforms of classroom teaching, such as flipped classrooms and collaborative learning.

Design and implementation

  1. (1)

    Established an online teaching platform that served the talent training process. THEOL is a comprehensive teaching platform that integrates teaching, learning, management, evaluation, and testing. “Teaching” and “learning” support the development, implementation, and online learning management of blended courses. “Testing” optimizes real-time analysis and feedback on learning progress and results. “Evaluation” executes a systematic evaluation and guarantees teaching quality. “Management” represents teaching management and provides data sources for data empowerment.

  2. (2)

    Built a smart instructional environment to help achieve the Four Changes. The college has built 49 professional-smart classrooms, like smart classrooms for Fashion Design major and the Internet of Things according to the needs of different majors. There were also 168 classrooms for theory learning and skill practice and 32 BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) classrooms built for students to complete work in the workplace. Specifically, according to the needs of different majors, the college built several smart classrooms with their major characteristics, such as Fashion Design and Production, Internet of Things Technology, and Business Management, to assist with teaching demonstration, group discussion, group teaching and difficulties in collaboration. Focusing on the concept of integrating “teaching, learning and doing” and major needs, the college created an information-based environment for teaching, discussion, guidance, and training in the training room to solve the problems of being “watched by a large number of students”, and of guiding offline training and testing. The college improved the information-based and “workplace” environment and achieved the change from the traditional classroom teaching mode to the “student-centered” classroom teaching mode.

  3. (3)

    Created a large number of teaching resources and promoted individualized training for students. The college has offered more than 1,000 online courses and 813 courses based on the excellent MOOC teaching platform and more than 200 courses on other platforms. The college has constructed 81 sets of virtual simulation teaching systems partnered with Siemens, East Simulation Software Technology, and Shanghai JingGe, which has solved the problem of high investments, high challenges, high risks, and difficulties in implementing, empathic learning and re-demonstrating, in practical teaching. The college also built two national resource libraries for Fashion Design and Automotive Electronics majors and took charge of 19 sub-projects related to resource library.

  4. (4)

    Constructed a big data center that empowered teaching and learning. The college constructed a teaching database using data from the big data center and the teaching platforms. This teaching database supported an intelligent instructional environment that empowered teachers to understand the students’ learning needs before class more accurately, better engage students using the “data thermometer” in the database, and provide more accurate guidance that supported personalized teaching after class. At present, the big data center updates more than 5 million pieces of data every day.

  5. (5)

    Improved information literacy and enhanced the vitality of teaching and learning reform. The college focused on improving teachers’ teaching competencies, scientific research, and social-service ability and thus, established training program that improved teachers’ information literacy. Teachers’ information literacy has been developed in two formats in the training system (online and offline) and at three levels (off-campus, on-campus, and departmental). A development center was also developed to integrate resources inside and outside the campus. The college also established a training program for improving students’ information literacy. The students’ training program focused on reforming basic information technology curriculum and created a students’ information technology support team to develop information literacy. In addition, various forms of information technology competitions were held to promote information literacy development.

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    Carried out formative assessment to improve the quality of education. The college has established standards for formative assessment, made full use of the big data in the course platform and the system for diagnosis and improvement, tracked students’ development process, visualized students learning trajectories, monitored the instructional process, and conducted self-diagnosis. A formative assessment mechanism of “early-warning, improvement, and development” has been gradually developed.

Effectiveness and reflection

Effectiveness and reflection are represented by the following two aspects.

  1. (1)

    Four Changes have been achieved in classroom teaching. The classroom teaching mode has changed from the traditional classroom featuring theory teaching to the task-oriented, student-centered, and flipped classroom. Evaluation for students’ learning in classrooms has changed from traditional questioning to an online testing system. Classroom management has changed from traditional experience-oriented management to scientific data-driven management. Learning assessment has changed from summative only assessment to the combination of multiple assessments.

  2. (2)

    The quality of education has improved significantly. The learning habits of more than 35,000 students in the college have been changed after six years of exploration and practice in blended learning. The overall graduates’ job placement rate has been over 97% for consecutive years, and the promotion rate of positions in three years after graduation has reached 69.27%. In addition, the satisfaction with their Alma mater is 99.43%, and the employers’ satisfaction with graduates is relatively high and stable, approaching 100%.

Features and innovation

Features and innovation are represented by the following four aspects.

  1. (1)

    Constructed a “two-line and three-level” teacher development system to improve teachers’ digital teaching competencies. The college systematically promoted teaching overall ability to develop and implement information-based courses through the blended training that combined “online learning” and “face-to-face hands-on training”, such as teacher workshops and teaching salons. The college also invited experts in education informatization from the Ministry of Education, Shandong Province, Tsinghua University, and other universities to train their teachers, such as innovating the blended learning mode, developing informatization courses, and reviewing course design. The college trained full-time teachers and lead teachers to learn online training courses such as the Flipped Classroom Teaching Method and take a MOOC course as students. The college also created some online video portfolios for teachers to document and analyze their learning process. Last, the college created an online communication platform for interaction and communications among teachers. The college innovated the working mechanism of teachers’ professional development by using information technology.

  2. (2)

    Innovated informatization environment. The college has built a THEOL platform that comprehensively covered teaching, learning, management, and evaluation. The college implemented reform through blended learning, featuring “online learning, offline learning, and workplace training”. Regarding online learning, more than 1000 courses were offered online and the implementation of blended learning was supported by virtual simulation teaching software, curriculum resource databases, and other online resources. Regarding offline learning, a professional workplace environment was created so that information technology support is everywhere, every time, for everyone. According to “one plan for one major”, the college designed professional-smart classrooms for Fashion Design, Internet of things, and Business Management majors that solved the problems of group teaching, collaborative learning, collaborative development, and other teaching activities that reflected a more dominant role for students.

  3. (3)

    Innovated data application. The online classroom and smart classroom systems were used to accurately track the data of students’ blended learning process and form data portraits to describe students’ learning status and behavior in a timely manner. The data empowered teachers to design courses more accurately before class that meet different learning needs. The “thermometer” data promoted students to participate in classes actively. Teachers provided accurate guidance and implemented personalized teaching after class.

  4. (4)

    Innovated quality assurance mechanism. The college formulated a set of quality assurance systems and mechanisms, such as the Diagnosis and Improvement Implementation Plan for Internal Quality Assurance System of Shandong Vocational College of Science and Technology, Implementation Plan for Modern Vocational Education Curriculum Improvement, Management and Evaluation Measures for Modern Vocational Education Curriculum. It also connected the learning objectives and teaching standards and created a closed-loop mechanism to ensure teaching quality. Besides, the college rewarded teachers who were excellent in curriculum construction or achieved remarkable results in course implementation. In this way, teachers and students could be fully motivated to actively participate in the reform through blended learning.

In summary, three exemplary cases that reflect typical practices of blended learning at class and institutional levels were presented in this chapter. Case one presented how to implement blended learning at class level and case two and three showed the implementation of blended learning at institutional level. Findings of case one demonstrated that implement blended learning in class needs the support of other technological tools, such as smartphone applications and teachers need to actively participate in the teaching activities to facilitate and engage students. Case two and three demonstrated the effectiveness of blended learning in supporting educational reforms in higher education institutions. Case two showed that blended learning is an efficient tool to develop teachers’ digital teaching competencies, which are the core component of educational reform in four-year university. Case three revealed that blended learning also can benefits students in vocational colleges, such as combining virtual simulation training and workplace hands-on training to develop professional skills. Although challenges still exit to implement blended learning, researchers and practitioners will continue exploring and advancing the field of blended learning as we understand its challenges but nevertheless promising future.

6.5 Case 4: Fiji: A University’s Immediate Response Strategies for Learning and Teaching Amidst COVID-19 Crisis

Authored by Dr. Wahab Ali, Associate Professor and Head of the Education Department, School of Humanities & Arts, The University of Fiji.

Executive Summary

Indisputably, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented global impact on the higher education system. After a horrendous second wave of COVID-19 in Fiji, all education institutes immediately closed their doors on 19th April, 2021. Subsequently, the majority of the higher institution swiftly adopted online modalities using platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet, later switching to the Top Hat learning platform as a more practical and measurable tool.

Interview findings reveal that, besides resources, staff readiness, confidence, student accessibility, and motivation play essential roles in building equitable and quality online and blended teaching and learning (OBTL). This paper proposes that staff members use technology and digital gadgets to enhance learning, especially during these exceptional times. Findings also suggest online and remote learning as necessary in times of lockdowns and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The University employs Top Hat as the learning platform assisted in addressing the quality assurance aspect of OBTL because the staff performance could be well-monitored in terms of their preparation, content knowledge, delivery style and attendance. Similarly, students’ progress could be monitored through assessment, participation and attendance. Appropriate feedback could be provided to the students, and a positive learning experience could be observed as students could learn at their own pace and time.

The lockdown situation also led to the strengthening of internal and external partnerships. Online student support services were created within the Student Affairs Section to provide online mentoring and counselling services to the students. Likewise, the IT Department revamped its online service delivery, and the University launched its first-ever radio station known as VOX to keep the University community socially connected. The finance team advised students to use their scholarship money to buy technological gadgets and data. Partnership with external stakeholders like Vodafone led to students getting smartphones at reduced prices with special data packages. It was not all plain sailing for the tertiary education provider, but a concerted effort from all departments and sections paved the way forward for uninterpreted learning to take place.

Introduction and Context

Against the backdrop of this pandemic, various policy initiatives have been launched by governments and educational institutions worldwide to cater to students’ learning. There has been a widespread and rapid move to online learning and the re-organization of the learning process (UNESCO 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed emerging vulnerabilities in education systems around the world. It is now apparent that society needs more flexible and resilient education systems as we face unpredictable futures (Zhang et al. 2020). After a horrendous second wave of COVID-19 in Fiji, all education institutes immediately closed their doors on 19th April, 2021. The university is physically closed to students, but the learning and teaching have been least affected through the concerted effort of the staff through OBTL. Staff have been diligently working online and attending to all university academic and administrative matters from the safe vicinity of their homes.

This case study was based at a University located on the main island known as Viti Levu in The Republic of Fiji. Fiji’s two large major islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, and the archipelago consists of some 300 smaller islands scattered over 3,000,000 square kilometers. Out of Fiji’s population of 884,887 people, 54% are I-Taukei, and 38% are Fijians of Indian descent (Indo-Fijians)–descendants of Indian labourers (girmityas) brought to the region by the British in the 1800s. The remaining 8% are the people of other races who have made Fiji their home (Fiji Bureau of Statistics 2017) (Fig. 6.3).

Fig. 6.3
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Source https://www.mapsnworld.com/fiji/fiji-map.html

Fiji’s location.

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The University was established in December 2004 by a religious organization and opened its doors to students in March 2005. The University is on a journey to provide the university community with its dream of providing excellence in learning and teaching; excellence in research; student experience; partnerships; environment; leadership, and governance. The journey is an exciting one. It provides a defined route for far-reaching progress, expansion, and most importantly, the envisioned future of the University as a leading tertiary institution in Fiji and the region and beyond.

The study is significant in the sense that it aims not only to ascertain the challenges and opportunities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and swift transition to OBTL but also discusses a few projects, programmes and policies instituted by the University to aid the rapid shift to online learning and minimize the disruptions to learning. In essence, this study addresses the following research questions:

  1. 1.

    What are some of the challenges and opportunities brought about by the swift transition to OBTL?

  2. 2.

    How did university-initiated projects, programmes and policies combat the challenges caused by the pandemic and reinforce the influences towards quality OBTL?

  3. 3.

    To what extent have the projects, programmes and policies concerning OBTL achieved the goals and expective outcomes?

The findings of this paper aim to provide tangible results, solutions and amicable way forward during a crisis of such magnitude delivering quality OBTL. This paper is crucial to higher education providers in consolidating learning and teaching, considering that their decisions are sustainable and that learning is ongoing, and parity is maintained across all education providers.

Design and Implementation

This study examines the university’s coping mechanisms in response to ‘the new normal’ state. This research was conducted within the interpretivist paradigm as the key concern was understanding the phenomenon under study from the participants’ perspectives. The interpretivist paradigm is characterized by a concern for the individual and focuses on the importance of understanding, interpretation and meaning (Lincoln and Guba 1985).

Hence, a case study research design was implemented to probe the measures undertaken by the University to ensure their core business of serving the learners was least uninterrupted. A research design is an overall structure that enables researchers to map out strategies to collect relevant data. Subsequently, qualitative research methodology was adopted using telephone interviews with certain university community members due to the lockdown situation. It was not easy to have unfettered access to all the target population as mobile contacts were unavailable or their calls diverted. Ultimately, only purposive sampling could be implemented in such a situation. A few of the staff willingly agreed to participate and share their candid views, including Senior Managers, Heads of Departments, and Teaching Staff. Purposive sampling is widely used in qualitative research to identify and select information-rich cases related to the phenomenon of interest (Boddy 2016).

Prior approvals were sought, appointments were made with the respondents and interviews were held using mobile phones. A few respondents preferred to send in written comments to elaborate their views further. Bazeley’s (2009) work informed this analysis–a thematic approach was executed for analytical purposes. This study reveals the challenges and opportunities created by the rapid switch to OBTL and presents some of the achievements and expected outcomes of the reforms and initiatives undertaken by the University.

Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

The most promising education systems combine equity with quality and efficiency in service delivery. They provide all learners opportunities for good quality education. This report presents policy recommendations for education systems to help learners succeed in online and blended education. It discusses some university-level initiatives, policies and programmes that were implemented with the aim of promoting equity and quality in OBTL. The University was fully aware of the challenges and opportunities associated with OBTL. Table 6.3 shows some of the challenges and opportunities mentioned by the institution’s staff.

Table 6.3 Challenges and opportunities of OBTL
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Undoubtedly, the emergency transition to OBTL in light of COVID-19 brought along with its share of challenges and complications. The University tried to address the challenges by making policies and plans to minimize the disturbances and make the most of the opportunities.

Reforms in ways of new Projects, Programmes and Policies

Work from Home

The first policy change was the work-from-home arrangement for staff due to the physical closure of the University since the lockdown. Though forced by the abrupt COVID-19 outbreak, this arrangement protects staff from contracting the coronavirus to a certain extent (Susilo 2020) while facilitating them to adapt to remote working mode using the video conference platforms.

Pedagogy and Practice

As the COVID-19 has abated, the institution intends to keep the OBTL mode running parallel to face-to-face ones, with an intention to create a robust educational ecosystem to provide perpetual access to OBTL by crafting strategies through the lens of a quality assurance framework (Cheng 2003; Pond 2002). Quality assurance strategies, including internal and external review, collecting students’ feedback, and evaluation of recorded lectures, will potentially contribute to reviewing and upgrading pedagogy and practice; and it will further motivate and incentivize the inputs of relevant stakeholders for continuous improvement.

Setting up of IT Labs

To ensure equitable access to IT gadgets, IT labs were set up throughout Viti-Levu and Vanua-Levu for students. Concerning the digital divide among students, these IT labs promote greater equity in education and allow students to have hands-on experience of using high-tech equipment and gaining a necessary edge to survive in this competitive world (Ali 2020).

Digital Learning Platforms

With virtual training and the help from online mentors, students can conduct experiments, record observations, collect data and submit results virtually. These functions enable students to conduct lab experiments even while studying from home, and teachers can follow students’ progress constantly. This modus operandi ensures access to resources from anywhere in the world as well. Thus, resource sharing, information dissemination, and connection became the focal point of the University’s overall operation.

Webinars and Symposiums

Various webinars and educational symposiums, thus, were held as the University catered to the dire needs of keeping the staff and the students connected. This increased connectivity reduced isolation and increased collaboration and provided a strong platform for bonding and socialization among students and academic staffs.

Enhanced Student Support

University-sponsored financial and mental support from counselling services or internet providers has facilitated students to complete their studies. As revealed by the data recorded in the Top Hat, improvements have been made in both attendance and participation rate in lectures and tutorials. This progress has translated into students’ better pass rates across the University.

Vox Populi-Online Radio

Communication efficiency has been improved with the launch of the project Vox. The Vox Populi is seen as the bridge between the University and the community and has gained a steady growth in listenership from Fiji and abroad.

Flexibility in Assessment

Taking account of the equity issue, the University allowed for flexibility in the assessment system as all students may not have access to computers and laptops with high-speed internet service. As such, the majority of the schools opted for 100% course work, while some chose online examination and take-home examination or “open-book examinations” systems. An adapted approach to assessment also allows students to use higher-order thinking rather than regurgitation.

Effectiveness of the Reforms in the way of new projects, programmes and policies

In essence, the programmes and policies have been beneficial in maintaining a conducive learning environment despite the lockdown and staff working from their homes. While it is too early to discuss the achievements in detail but holistically, they all have contributed towards creating a great online teaching environment. It is too early to evaluate each of the initiatives either. Still, the Quality Assurance team at the University has already analyzed Top Hat and has found that most staff members can deliver online lectures and provide a collaborative learning experience to all students. Since the semester is still in progress, the actual effects can be established at a later time.

The figure below captures the essence of the study in the way of a stairway pyramid for inclusive and quality education, ensuring building institutional capacity to manage equity, quality, and efficiency in OBTL (See Fig. 6.4).

Fig. 6.4
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Stairway pyramid for OBTL

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Conclusion and Implications

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating fear and pandemonium worldwide. This unprecedented situation has revealed emerging vulnerabilities in education systems around the world. It is now clear that society needs flexible and resilient education systems as we face unpredictable futures. The global higher education landscape is shifting rapidly towards the digital transformation of learning and teaching. However, providing inclusive and quality OBTL, ensuring the relevance of existing curriculum and assessment, and building institutional capacity to manage equity, quality, and efficiency are brimming with challenges and opportunities.

Summary of key findings

Findings reveal several challenges associated with inclusive and quality OBTL. Some of the challenges as mentioned in the study were as follows:

  • The absence of high-quality, consistent and fast internet service due to the demographical location of the staff and students has been a fundamental challenge of OBTL implementations;

  • There is a need for more institutional capacity building to build staff readiness through professional development to craft and implement effective OBTL strategies;

  • Administrators have not yet provided staff with sufficient access to equivalent hardware and software to what they use in their on-campus office to ease the transition and support all aspects of academic productivity;

  • Higher education institutions (HEIs) lack a holistic approach to craft strategies through the lens of a quality assurance framework ensuring the relevance of existing curriculum and assessment to manage the challenges of equity, quality, and efficiency;

  • There is a need to leverage key stakeholders and partners to work towards the shared vision of equitable and quality OBTL to build future-ready HEIs; and

  • Resistance to reforms of new projects, programmes and policies could hinder universities in maintaining the rigor and quality of their programs and at the same time assist in managing the challenges of equity, quality, and efficiency.

Implications for practice and scholarship

From the study, it is evident the following measures need to be implemented in order to create a robust online university in the new norm:

  1. a.

    Multilateral collaborative partnerships will facilitate OBTL—There is a need to cultivate concerted partnerships across all sections/faculties when approaching and addressing educational needs for effective OBTL;

  2. b.

    Institutionalized dialogues should be implemented—Ensuring learner and facilitator voices feature as a major aspect of the solution will be helpful for the OBTL implementation;

  3. c.

    Flexibility is key when planning for OBTL—the learner is as important as the facilitator and both their needs in terms of resources, skills, support and conditions to learn and teach, infrastructure and support to learn should be given due consideration;

  4. d.

    A detailed review of the Top Hat learning and teaching platform will be helpful for OBTL evaluation—It is suggested to gauge its acceptance, user demand, and the need to enhance online learning should there be apposite gaps;

  5. e.

    Quality Assurance mechanisms are feasible and rewarding at all times—A quality assurance view will closely monitor curriculum and analyze staff recordings in order to ensure the learning experiences for students are differentiated and pedagogically focused.

The way forward for future practices and research

While this study has focused on the key insight of “Lead, innovate, and support online and blended teaching and learning” mentioned in the introduction chapter, it has also touched on Building capacity of the higher education workforce: Competency framework and professional learning pathways. This is because a future-oriented competency framework can specify the knowledge and skills that the higher education workforce needs to possess, so that equitable and quality OBTL is implemented effectively. This study lays down a solid platform for further research for HEI leaders and policymakers in regards to strengthening the institutional capacity to provide a system-level guideline on implementing equitable and quality OBTL

The COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden move to online modality has presented undue challenges for all stakeholders in higher education to work in a time-constraint and resource-restraint situation. It must be established that adopting an online learning environment isn’t just a technical issue but is also a pedagogical and instructional challenge. Closing universities and taking students and lecturers out of the classroom is a pedagogical transformation that requires rapid mobilization across university staff and resources. The University in Fiji is of the view that it will continue with the online option by strengthening the reforms and policies even after the lockdowns are removed. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for virtual learning; as such, the online and face-to-face modalities will continue simultaneously in the post-COVID-19 era. In essence, COVID-19 has provided us with the opportunity to adopt online learning as education systems need to be abreast with the rapid emergence of new technologies, thus making online, blended and remote learning a necessity in universities not only in Fiji but the world over.

6.6 Case 5: Indonesia: Online Learning Development in Higher Education

Authored by Paulina Pannen, Chairman, Indonesia Cyber Education Institute, Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia, ppanen@gmail.com, paulina@ecampus.ut.ac.id.

Executive Summary

While online learning has been embraced by Indonesian higher education since the 2010s, its development has been strongly pushed forward by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Within a month of the Pandemic, higher education institutions transformed into online learning without proper preparation. Indonesia Cyber Education Institute (ICE-I) is a government initiative launched in 2021 as Indonesia’s digital marketplace for online learning courses. It aims to assist the higher education community in Indonesia in implementing online learning, especially during the Pandemic, and increasing the higher education participation rate through access, equity, and quality of online courses from leading universities in Indonesia and abroad.

Designed to be a marketplace of quality online courses, ICE-I’s main functions are to curate, verify, and register online courses; to manage online courses gallery; to conduct research and innovation in online learning; to manage partnership and certification of online courses, and to use blockchain technology to link the relevance of online courses and participants’ competencies to the job market. With 275 courses from the ICE-I Consortium and 1420 EdX courses and subsidies from the Government, ICE-I serves 3800 students from 69 higher education institutions in Indonesia involved in the MBKM (Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka, Freedom Learning Freedom Campus) activities, i.e., independent education institutions study, students exchange, or micro-credential. In the future, ICE-I will need to strengthen its network, collaboration, coverage, and services.

Introduction and Context

Realizing the role of higher education in nation-building, Indonesia’s higher education is expected to be transformative and agile to adapt to global changes. In July 2021, the Indonesian Government through Universitas Terbuka launched the Indonesia Cyber Education Institute (https://icei.ac.id/) as a strategy to improve access, quality, and relevance of tertiary education.

ICE-I has been initiated to answer the emerging challenges as follow:

  1. a.

    4th Industrial Revolution

The 4th Industrial Revolution (IR) has imposed a new mindset, new way of thinking, and new way of doing things. 4th IR introduces the digital revolution in which a fusion of technologies blurs the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. The high-speed transformation that 4th IR brings has been a global disruption in every aspect of human life. In such a situation, Indonesia puts higher education at the forefront to prepare the country for the transformation caused by the 4th IR. The Government is determined to improve Indonesian competitiveness in the world market, prioritizing the development of science, technology, and innovation while infusing humanist and inclusive goals into its higher education program. Furthermore, the Government is endorsing the emergence of online learning in higher education to provide accessible quality education for all.

  1. b.

    Goals of Indonesia’s higher education program

Indonesia’s higher education program aims to increase the gross tertiary enrolment from 31,34% (9,034,972) to around 38% by 2024, according to a policy document. Currently, the country has 4,516 higher education institutions (HEIs) with over 37,553 study programs and 298,347 lecturers. The Government expects higher education to play a significant role in developing competent, skilled, and professional higher education resources to meet the needs of industry and the community in the twenty-first century. These goals will be measured by (a) the proportion of graduates who are immediately employable and or able to create employment through entrepreneurship, (b) an increase in the number of graduates able to compete in both regional and international markets with skills and professional certificates; (c) the increase in human resource productivity contributing to the competitiveness of the nation, and (d) innovations produced by HEIs and streamlined to industry needs. The country needs to overcome the current challenges to achieve these goals: only around 62% of HEIs and 68% of the study programs are accredited. There is a shortage of quality lecturers to teach specialized subjects, particularly those needed for the 4th industrial revolution.

In early 2020, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MOECRT) has launched the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM, Freedom Learning Freedom Campus) Policy that offers flexibility for the undergraduate students to study outside of their study programs for three semesters starting the 5th semester. This policy is supported by eight categories of activities: students exchange, independent study, field service, teaching in rural schools, developing a village, entrepreneurship project, internship, and research. This MBKM policy is expected to answer the challenge of graduates’ quality and productivity of the HEIs in Indonesia.

  1. c.

    COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 Pandemic has brought immense ramifications to global human life, including the education sector in Indonesia. Suddenly, 90% of higher education institutions in Indonesia turned into implementing “online learning” (Belawati and Nizam 2020) with minimal preparation. At that time, Universitas Terbuka has been the only distance learning university serving more than 500 thousand Indonesian students. In 2020, the MOECRT established three other distance learning universities: Universitas Siber Asia, Universitas Insan Cita Indonesia, and Muhammadiyah Online University. On top of that, the MOECRT also launched Indonesia Cyber Education Institute (ICE-I) as the marketplace for online courses in Indonesia to make online education in Indonesia a vehicle for quality learning that is widely accessible in Indonesia.

ICE-I is expected to significantly increase participation in higher education, improve the quality and productivity of higher education institutions and their graduates, and facilitate the implementation of MBKM policy.

Design and Implementation

The ICE-I was designed to be a marketplace of online courses in Indonesia. It collects and provides a collection of quality online courses both from top national universities and international higher education institutes to the higher education community in Indonesia. It was officially launched by the Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology on July 28, 2021.

The establishment of ICE-I became increasingly strategic in higher education practice in Indonesia. It was reinforced by the fewer contact principles of the COVID-19 Pandemic that calls for “online emergency remote learning” that was supported by an inadequate ecosystem. The World Bank (2021) found that the extent of learning and learning loss is determined more by the effectiveness of online learning than by the duration of school closure or any other factors. Quality online learning is predicted to result in good learning.

Based on such consideration, ICE-I has been designed as follows (Picture 6.1):

Picture 6.1
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Design of ICE institute

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The functions of ICE-I are as follows:

  1. 1.

    To curate, verify, and register online courses or online study programs in Indonesia, specifically the e-learning courses from Indonesian universities and online courses from international universities and global MOOC platforms. ICE-I carries out the curation process and supervises compliance based on ICE-I standards. In this process, curation is not merely verifying the validity of the content and reviewing the design of the online learning experience, but also verifying the interoperability of each course within the ICE-I marketplace system. Afterwards, a registration number will be assigned as the unique identifier for the course in the ICE-I marketplace.

  2. 2.

    To manage the marketplace of online courses in the ICE-I gallery. Online courses in the gallery have been well-curated and are accessible by the users. Expectedly, the quality assurance of online courses in the ICE-I marketplace will facilitate transfers and recognition of courses across institutions or countries.

  3. 3.

    To improve its system and services continuously through collaborative research. The research is intended to extend collaboration to partner universities, improve the ICE-I system, and disseminate research results applicable to the online learning context in Indonesia or elsewhere.

  4. 4.

    To network and partner with various institutions to ensure the availability of online courses. Thus far, ICE-I has partnered and networked with 14 institutions in Indonesia and EdX as online courses providers.

  5. 5.

    The completion of courses, certification, and other student transactions through ICE-I will be recorded using blockchain technology as digital credentials which will later be linked to the job market.

Meanwhile, the operation of the ICE-I is evolving as illustrated in the following business (Picture 6.2).

Picture 6.2
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ICE institute and digital education in Indonesia (Gullapalli and Ren 2019)

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There are 275 courses available from the ICE-I Consortium members and 1420 EdX courses. Some other partner institutions are also coming in to provide services through ICE-I. For the first three years of its establishment, ICE-I service offers free unbundled courses that can be recognized toward independent study, students exchange, or micro-credential under the Policy of MBKM.

ICE-I services have been free for all parties involved based on the Government’s and partner universities’ subsidies until 2023. Afterwards, it is expected that a new business model will be implemented to cater to the contribution of the Consortium, pricing for the users, listing all possible fee-paying services from ICE-I, while still carrying out the Government’s mandate for ICE-I to assist the unreachable and those needing to upgrade its quality.

Impact on Equity, Quality, and Efficiency

Equity

ICE-I has been perceived as a strategic means for access to quality knowledge to Indonesians and beyond. Employing cloud-based technology, ICE-I becomes a platform to disseminate quality online courses to all Indonesians across countries, and even across the globe. The platform features online courses from leading universities in Indonesia. This has increased students’ access to quality education and transformed the learning process of Indonesian higher education institutions.

ICE-I operates based on the contribution and collaboration of the partner universities. It promotes the strengthening of working relationships among Indonesian HEIs involved, both public and private institutions. The 14 partner universities are the top leading universities in Indonesia, with a history of offering the highest quality education in the country. This collaboration has also provided strong support for implementing the MBKM Policy. Through ICE-I, a university is expected to sign an only one-time agreement with ICE-I to access the online courses market from various institutions, including EdX collection. Taking online courses through ICE-I has been recognized for independent study and students exchange or micro-credentials activity.

Thus far, 3800 students are enrolling through ICE-I. Each student can take up to 20 credit hours or more than one course. As such, 8857 students enrolled in various courses from ICE-I Consortium and EdX. This number is expectedly increasing in the following academic semester.

The availability of quality online courses accessible through ICE-I minimizes the constraint of shortage of experienced faculty and lecturers, and it can be addressed cost-effectively. Furthermore, many quality courses that are not offered in many HEIs due to the absence of qualified faculty will become available much faster than the traditional delivery methods. Topics on the 4th IR technologies are new developments that change the global landscape of human life. In ICE-I, online courses on those topics are instantly accessible sourced from international partners, thus allowing the transmission of new knowledge to be accelerated in Indonesian higher education institutions.

According to official statistics (Lembaga Layanan Dikti III 2020), it is targeted that ICE-I participates in providing access to online courses to more than 4 million students in Indonesia out of the 9,061,977 students population in higher education, to 1605 higher education institutions, and to 12,671 study programs that need quality learning experience.

In short, ICE-I facilitates the distribution of quality online courses from various higher education institutions to the Indonesian higher education community, especially those in remote areas, across time and space. Considering the wide geographic distribution of the population in the archipelago, ICE-I has the potential to provide access to quality education to all Indonesians.

Quality

ICE-I has been strategic in offering quality online courses across the country. Nevertheless, one major issue in online learning has been its quality. There is always some degree of comparison with conventional education. Online learning is not simply an electronic copy of traditional face-to-face education. The ultimate test of online learning—in any form—will be learning effectiveness (Garcia et al. 2021). Theoretically, there are minimum standards to be fulfilled to guarantee that the online learning process will be well-implemented.

At the start, contributed online courses have been curated based on the six domains, i.e., (1) instructional design, (2) content, (3) interaction and delivery process, (4) assessment and evaluation, (5) system and technology, and (6) human resources (Pannen 2019). The review was conducted on each course to be uploaded in ICE-I. The indicators have been provided in a self-evaluation form. This provides a space for the lecturer to reflect and revise their online course accordingly. Then, the lecturer can resubmit the online course for the verification process by the ICE-I team. When the course is regarded as lower than expected, training will be provided by ICE-I on strategies to improve the quality level of the online course.

Recently, the indicators have been modified into seven domains to include Course information, Instructor Information, Technology and Learning Tool, Learning Material and Activity, Interaction and Engagement, Assessment, and Evaluation. The measure on system and technology has been omitted due to the rapid development of technology in higher education institutions, especially during the Pandemic.

The increasing number of new online courses needs quality assurance mechanisms and tools. ICE-I facilitates higher education institutions and lecturers to ensure its online courses’ quality through quality assurance service in ICE-I, including the indicators, measurement instrument, mechanism, and guidance and training.

Efficiency

The provision of online courses for the higher education community by ICE-I is perceived to be efficient. Students may enrol in the online courses available in ICE-I for free, including the opportunity to take the exams and obtain a certificate once they pass the exams.

The increasing number of contributed online courses by various institutions accessible through ICE-I provides a straightforward way for the students and institutions to access the marketplace of online courses.

A study done by several universities in Indonesia indicates that 76% of students and 91% of lecturers preferred to start their semester using the online or blended delivery mode (Kesiapan UI dalam Kegiatan Belajar Mengajar 2021; Lembaga Layanan Dikti III 2020). The resource sharing of online courses to higher education institutions within the ICE-I Consortium and beyond has decreased the financial burden of higher education institutions to carry out the traditional face-to-face courses and provide quality lecturers. As such, ICE-I introduces efficient measures to conduct higher education while maintaining quality.

In addition, while the capital investment for the provision of an online courses marketplace is relatively high to be managed by a single university, the emergence of ICE-I as a marketplace for various universities and institutions assists them in overcoming the constraint of high capital investment. Thus, ICE-I offers a marketplace system that all partners can use and share.

Conclusion and Implications

The rapid growth of information and communications technology has provided ways to the impressive growth of online higher education worldwide, including Indonesia. ICE-I has been established based on its aims to provide equity and access to quality education, increase access to learning opportunities and learning flexibilities for students, develop the skills and competencies needed in the twenty-first century, and improve the efficiency of higher operation education.

At present, ICE-I has gained popularity as a marketplace for online courses in Indonesia, mainly due to strong collaboration between ICE-I and its partners based on good intentions to improve the quality and equity of higher education in Indonesia. The number of partners and the number of contributed online courses collection are increasing significantly. Nevertheless, as a new effort, ICE-I still needs to be promoted widely and intensively as a marketplace for online courses in Indonesia to gain a wider market share in the Indonesian higher education community.

Furthermore, while ICE-I has been able to participate in facilitating the MBKM Policy, its operation needs to be improved continuously through concerted efforts in quality assurance, research, and innovation. According to Agarwal (2021), online learning will not subside during the post-COVID-19 Pandemic; thus, ICE-I provision of online courses will continue to flourish. Concerted efforts from the Government, the ICE-I Consortium as online course providers and also governing board, and the users are expected to maintain the operation and its quality. High-quality curated online course collections need to be increased to open a wider market, dissemination needs to be conducted to gain market share, participation needs to be pushed forward, and policy on recognition by academic institutions needs to be devised.

Thus far, ICE-I has had 22 partner institutions out of the 100 top-ranked Indonesian universities. Therefore, those universities have strong potential for becoming partners to provide quality online courses that can further lead to micro-credentials in various competencies, aligned with the industry demand from Indonesian and regional or global markets. Furthermore, collaboration with international institutions is highly potential in increasing ICE-I’s collection of quality international online courses. With growing collections, ICE-I coverage can also be enlarged to serve Indonesian and other countries needing such a service.

In the future, ICE-I also opens to the workforce and the public. With the changing nature of jobs due to the industrial revolution, the workforce can access up-to-date and relevant knowledge to keep them abreast with new types of jobs, new skills, and competencies through ICE-I. ICE-I collections of quality online courses facilitate the reskilling and upskilling of the workforce and the public as lifelong learners, thus enabling them to fill in new jobs and professions. Furthermore, ICE-I services will also need to be diversified to cover the provision of online courses for flexible learning and micro-credentialing and a provision of online courses quality assurance system in Indonesia, provision of systems and technology for online courses offerings for use by higher education institutions.

The increased capacity of ICE-I needs to be combined with other essential factors that contribute to success: (a) policy and regulation, (b) empowerment, (c) public and private sector partnership and also empowered users in the higher education community in Indonesia. While there have been supporting policies from the government regarding online learning, freedom learning, and distance education that were issued before the pandemic, in the new normal, it is expected that those policies will be revised and renewed to facilitate more rapid digital transformation in higher education. For example, there is certainly a need for policy and regulation regarding the strategy for recognizing online course certificates and micro-credential certificates in the formal curriculum of a degree-granting program, and by the job market.

Furthermore, the digital transformation, especially in the education sector, has brought about new mindsets, new attitudes, and new ways of thinking digitally. Thus, empowerment of users to be active players in this digital transformation process needs to be done massively by the Government via MOECRT, ICE-I, individual HEIs, and collaboration with private sectors. The timing of massive users’ empowerment could not be more strategic as at present in the time of the community entering the new normal where digital transformation is taking place at speed and at scale.

Private sectors involvement in the digital transformation has been immensely important, as technology providers, infrastructure providers, training providers, etc. ICE-I collaboration with private sectors in the future will also need to be upscaled to enable ICE-I’s growth as an online course marketplace in Indonesia.

The landscape of education in Indonesia has been changed dramatically in the last couple of years. Concerted efforts are important to shape that landscape to achieve the nation’s human development goals. ICE-I is taking its step to carry its mission as one of the drivers in digital transformation in higher education in Indonesia.

6.7 Case 6: Malaysia: The Alignment of Digitalisation and Management Strategies to Enhance the Use of ICT-Driven Teaching and Learning Innovations in the Higher Education Ecosystem

Authored by Dr. Habibah Ab Jalil, Associate Professor, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

Executive Summary

The alignment of Malaysian higher education institutions’ (HEIs) digitalisation and management strategies involves the efforts to promote and enhance the use of ICT in higher education. The alignment poses critical questions for policy-makers responsible for implementing ICT-driven innovations in higher education according to five core areas of the higher education ecosystem. These five areas include: (1) policy measures, (2) enablers and platforms for collaboration, (3) institutional training providers, (4) youth and adult learners, and (5) strategic partnerships. The alignment will focus on the need to create future-ready ICT-driven policies to enhance the teaching and learning activities in HEIs. Stakeholders need to determine how the current policies are systematic enough to meet the need of diverse counterparts. Stakeholders also need to determine the necessary ICT-driven tools and technologies most suited to their educational contexts. The alignment is also important to help stakeholders to identify the most appropriate and effective training programs and providers for creating more systematic and sustainable training delivery mechanisms. In addition, the alignment helps stakeholders to connect ICT-driven innovation with the need to enhance educational opportunities for marginalized groups espoused in the SDGs and to leverage the strategic partnerships across sectors. The education system requires ingenuity, wisdom and kindness in planning, coordinating and managing resources. This Malaysian case illustrates how the alignment of Malaysian higher education institutions digitalisation and management strategies act as a catalyst for the sustainability of a learning and teaching ecosystem that meets the need of diverse stakeholders.

Introduction and Context

The rapid growth of digital transformation throughout Asia and the Pacific continues to challenge the role of Malaysian higher education systems. Although efforts to promote and enhance ICT use in higher education in Malaysia have increased rapidly in recent years, there is a need for appropriate alignment from all areas in the ecosystem. At the outset of 2020, the year Malaysia was set to welcome a fully developed nation status (The Eleventh Malaysia Plan 2016–2020), the world was struck with the first major global pandemic in a century. By February, the COVID-19 crisis had worsened dramatically, affecting the health and well-being of not only individuals but also the entire Malaysian higher education ecosystem. Almost overnight, new approaches to teaching and learning for students staying both on- and off-campus became a pressing need, one in which higher education institutions (HEIs) were ill-prepared for.

To meet this challenge, more rigorous and methodical efforts are needed to establish an ICT-enabled higher education ecosystem through digitalisation that supports efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and ensure equitable access to quality higher education and lifelong learning opportunities for all (i.e., SDG 4), especially to cater to the post-pandemic era. This case study puts forward potential strategies to align and strengthen institutional governance and partnerships to provide equal access to quality education through their digitalisation and management strategies which mainly involves the efforts to promote and enhance ICT-driven teaching and learning innovations in higher education.

This case study poses critical elements for policy-makers responsible for implementing ICT-driven innovations in higher education according to five core areas of the higher education ecosystem. These five areas include: (1) policy measures, (2) enablers and platforms for collaboration, (3) institutional training providers, (4) youth and adult learners, and (5) strategic partnerships.

This case study explores the alignment of digitalisation and management strategies in a top rank university in Malaysia by observing the university’s efforts to promote and enhance the use of ICT in its ecosystem. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has recently launched ‘UPM Strategic Plan 2021–2025’ to drive the research university striving to become a smart campus. UPM will pay special attention to strengthening the crucial aspects of smart campus digitisation that involve teaching and learning, services, infrastructure and sustainability. Even though the plan is very new, it is important for UPM to evaluate the whole system to make sure that upcoming initiatives from the plan can be implemented successfully.

The implementation is spearheaded by the Centre for Academic Development (CADe) through the Innovative Teaching and Learning Delivery Transformation initiatives as follows:

Design and Implementation

Theoretical Framework Underpinning and Design

HEIs should determine assessment targets based on their missions, goals, and culture. Current literature, models, theories and research have suggested such relevant assessment targets (Lim and Wang 2016). Albeit untested for such purposes, we believe that the Performance Improvement (PI) Theory—a theory that can be applied to improve the performance of organisations, processes, and individuals (Rummler and Brache 1995)—could plausibly be applied to align current practices to specific targets. Concerned with determination and alignment of performance, the model (see Fig. 6.5) includes five interrelated components or characteristics: performance analysis; cause analysis; intervention selection design; implementation and change management; and evaluation (Fig. 6.6).

Fig. 6.5
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The 10 innovative teaching and learning delivery transformation initiatives

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Fig. 6.6
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A comprehensive model of performance improvement

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The five components were used to evaluate the current practices of ICT driven teaching and learning innovations among HEIs in Malaysia. These components also are used by policy-makers to determine the most appropriate policies or strategies and, more importantly, to align the formulation of ICT-driven with actual practices.

To interpret the level of ICT implementation taken place, there is a need to set along a spectrum of stages that can reflect institutional strategies supporting technology integration practices. Therefore, the current study references the progression stages broadly defined by UNESCO (2005) as they are highly recognised in the Asia-Pacific region and proved useful to track where an institution is in supporting technology integration. To reflect different levels of ICT implementations in specifically higher education contexts, this case study further readapts UNESCO’s (2005) work and sets the stages in its interpretation of the analysis. The UNESCO study identified four broad stages of ICT adoption and use in education. These stages, termed Emerging, Applying, Infusing and Transforming, are shown in Table 6.4.

Table 6.4 Stages of ICT adoption and use
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UNESCO suggests a comprehensive approach to ICT in education policy implementation based on experiences in Asian nations. This approach considers crucial aspects such as ICT resources, curriculum, assessment, teacher professional development, and fund-raising for institutions' digitalisation and management strategies (UNESCO 2004).

University’s tactical managers who possess the criteria below were invited to validate the evaluation outcomes by giving scoring to ten aspects provided with discussion input in several workshops, which contributed to the findings for this case study report (Fig. 6.7). The criteria set for expert evaluation are:

Fig. 6.7
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Consolidated benchmarking scores from tactical managers

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  1. (a)

    Active involvement in university strategic planning more than five years

  2. (b)

    An academic who is also an expert in e-learning

  3. (c)

    Active involvement in formulating and assessing national e-learning policy implementation.

Both inputs from the scoring and discussions held in the one-day workshop were evaluated and mapped as presented in the following section.

Malaysian higher education institutions’ alignment of digitalisation and management strategies through the use of ICT

The following matrix was used to evaluate the alignment of digitalisation and management strategies through investigation of technology use from the aspects of policy, enablers, continuous development (training), learners’ inclusion and partnerships. The outcomes of the components are mapped as follow. University Putra Malaysia (UPM), a public university, chose to use the matrix in order to align the holistic evaluation of technology in the running of teaching and learning of the university (Table 6.5).

Table 6.5 The evaluation matrix adapting from the model of performance improvement
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Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

The model of performance improvement and the alignment of digitalisation and management strategies have made an impact on the equity, quality and efficiency of UPM. As the education sector is gearing towards complementing Industry Revolution 4.0, Society 5.0 and SDGs 2030, aspects of equity in education as well as quality and efficiency in the higher education delivery system are enhanced through the use of an appropriate model of performance improvement. Digitalisation and management strategies have synergised with the Malaysian Higher Education Framework 4.0 and the Malaysian Education Blueprint (Higher Education) by using the performance improvement model.

The Blueprint and the Framework are two shreds of evidence of how the performance improvement model of digitalisation and management strategies enhances the quality and efficiency of UPM. The implementation process of the Blueprint has been consistently assessed based on the institutional performance in the ten initiatives, which nurture digital literacy, critical thinking and problem solving to all learners to thrive in Industrial Revolution 4.0. A new learning ecosystem that makes use of future-driven curriculum, new technologies, new learning space and infrastructure are evident in the formulation of the Experiential Learning and Competency-Based Education Landscape (EXCEL) framework launched by the Higher Education Ministry in 2021 aiming at produce holistic and highly skilled graduates. The four new learning paradigms, namely Industry Driven Experiential Learning (IDEAL), Community Resilience Experiential Learning (CARE), Research Infused Experiential Learning (REAL), and Personalised Experiential Learning (POISE), will transform the curriculum and instruction in Malaysian HEIs to nurture forward-thinking lifelong learners, innovative entrepreneurs, creative practitioners and change-makers.

The new model of performance improvement also seemingly contributed to widening the networks of stakeholders involved in the HEI ecosystem and strengthening the quality assurance mechanism needed to facilitate and sustain the quality and efficiency in higher education delivery systems. Learners from different walks of life can now access quality education, enjoy lifelong learning opportunities, and experience flexible modes of learning methods. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Micro-Credentials are now widely used to complement the blended learning initiatives adopted by HEIs, especially in the post-COVID-19 norm of work, live and study.

Last but not least, the model of performance improvement and the alignment of digitalisation and management strategies have also shaped the new curriculum that is both industry- and community-driven. Thus, greater collaboration between higher education, community and industry partners to support this new curriculum has gradually become a common practice in Malaysia. The smart campus initiatives in HEIs, which blend physical infrastructure and digital technologies in supporting the HEI management operation and delivery system, has transformed the way quality education is delivered to learners in Malaysia now and in the future.

Conclusion and Implications

This case study hopes to provide a guiding matrix to direct research and policy discussion around what ICT-driven innovations, curricula delivery, and learning ecosystems are necessary and relevant. This case study focuses on the alignment of digitalisation and management strategies through investigation of technology use from the aspects of policy, enablers, continuous development (training), learners’ inclusion and partnerships. There is a need to create future-ready ICT-driven policies to enhance educators' and learners’ participation in HEIs. The matrix aims to help stakeholders determine whether current policies are systematic and meet the diverse needs of stakeholders and contingencies. On the ground level, stakeholders might need to determine necessary ICT-driven tools and technologies most suited to their educational contexts.

Additionally, stakeholders are suggested to identify the most appropriate and effective training programs and providers for creating systematic and sustainable training delivery mechanisms. It would be helpful to consider the needs of youth and adults outside of the formal education system and how ICT-driven innovation can be used to enhance educational opportunities for marginalised or the ‘lost generation’ groups due to the pandemic. Stakeholders might need to consider the best ways of digitalising teaching and learning via leveraging strategic partnerships across sectors in the region to achieve the related SDGs.

Building on these core areas and the impacts of COVID-19, the findings of this case study report expand perspectives of digitalisation through ICT-driven innovation in light of emerging, disruptive technologies, which continue to impact educational systems. Given the technology affordances in all HEIs in Malaysia, evaluating the impact of digitalisation strategies on curriculum development, delivery and assessment could be crucial. The alignment may help stakeholders to connect ICT-driven innovation with the need to enhance educational opportunities for marginalised groups espoused in the SDGs and to leverage the strategic partnerships across sectors.

According to lessons learnt from UPM’s practice, HEI administrators are suggested to ensure that the ICT governance structure enables them to effectively provide support to internal and external clients efficiently, with a high degree of accountability and transparency. HEI administrators can also maintain close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that adequate resources related to ICT driven teaching and learning innovations are allocated, and that institutions have the appropriate cost model and capital efficiency to address the financial needs of the ICT-driven initiatives. Through the help of the industries, HEIs can enhance faculty’s pedagogical knowledge and skills through offering online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training and support programs for faculty on how to carry out remote and online teaching. Faculty may also use social media and online forums to share best practices of remote and online teaching with their colleagues. As cyber-attacks might dampen the continuity of ICT-driven teaching and learning innovations implementation in some HEIs, administrators can invest in cybersecurity defence systems at the HEI with the help from industries and develop resilient faculty and student to ensure efficient continuity of teaching and learning is in place. Ultimately, the education system may require ingenuity, wisdom and kindness in planning, coordinating and managing resources. This Malaysian case has illustrated how the alignment of Malaysian higher education institutions’ digitalisation and management strategies act as a catalyst for the sustainability of an ICT driven learning and teaching innovation ecosystem that meets the need of diverse stakeholders in Malaysia.

Data-driven national monitoring and evaluation systems are crucial to enhance the management of education systems, ensure accountability, and help implementers understand the key roles that ICT-driven innovations play in the transmission of knowledge, the acquisition of new skills and competencies, and in the development of values and attitudes that are relevant to the building of sustainable and peaceful societies. Monitoring and evaluation of systems thus serve the needs of three different user communities—policy-makers, researchers and teachers. Effective policies should consider the level of centralisation and decentralisation of respective countries’ education systems to ensure flexible policy translation and implementation. Zagami et al. (2018) propose four key areas that need to be addressed in order to measure the level and quality assurance of agencies and HEIs’ ICT-driven innovation policies available in each country. The key drivers for a comprehensive ICT-driven innovation policy suggested in the paper include: (i) future-ready higher education visions, (ii) a systemic perspective, (iii) promotion of commitment to policy learning, and (iv) effective development and implementation of policy processes.

In this Malaysian case of UPM, the university found it crucial to cope and adapt to new technologies and practices; otherwise, they will be left behind. ICT-driven innovation in the university should not be limited to only MOOCs and blended learning, but also other ICT-driven innovations. Means and enablers of ICT-driven innovations should also consider integrations of Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, mixed realities, learning analytics and Internet of Things, as well as openness to emerging technologies in the future.

ICT-driven innovations can enable vulnerable and underserved populations to improve and adapt their skills, with particular attention to the elimination of gender-based barriers, and to vulnerable groups such as those with disabilities and less privileged countries. Therefore, there is a need to provide UPM educators with adequate technical skills to address the challenges of special education. Instructors involved in curriculum design, the development of teaching materials and ICT-based education must undergo continuous professional development.

Finally, multi-sectorial engagement, including with educational technology providers, appears to be significant in terms of sustainability and innovation. Cross-sector partnerships between universities, universities and industry, universities and government, as well as universities with the community, create mutual benefit and goodwill that cut across formal, non-formal and informal education sectors at regional and national levels. More efforts are suggested to be made to link universities, government entities, communities and industries in supporting learning across formal, non-formal and informal sectors. Given different learning modes and the rapid expansion of digital credentials, fair recognition of qualifications will require close collaboration across sectors.

6.8 Case 7: Morocco: The Role of Smart Digital Platforms in Supporting Remote Practical Works in the Light of the Spread of the COVID-19 Crisis

Authored by Abdelali El Gourari, Ph.D. student in the laboratory of physics the high energy and astrophysics at Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco; Professor Mustapha Raoufi and Professor Mohammed Skouri, Physics Department Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University Marrakech, Morocco.

Executive Summary

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its rapid and unannounced spread in the world have had a significant impact on educational bodies and departments. All countries of the world have been forced to close down educational institutions; they have considered alternative education in parallel with the new phase. In this paper, we will highlight the role of the e-labs platform in supporting remote practical works and its activation under the COVID-19 spread to sustain education and reduce the spread of the pandemic. To test this platform, the analytical description curriculum was used to provide results with a questionnaire conducted on a group of professors and students who had used this platform designed at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University Marrakech, Morocco. The results of the study showed that the e-labs platform could play a significant role in supporting university education, contributing to maintaining the health of professors and students, and reducing the spread of the epidemic.

Introduction and Context

Regular education often suffers from finding appropriate solutions to many of the problems during the educational process, most recently the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic has led to the closure of universities and educational institutions throughout the world in general and the Kingdom of Morocco in particular. All this has quarantined learners in their homes, leading to serious thinking about new types of learning based on modern technologies (El Gourari et al. 2020), primarily the internet. Internet transcends the limits of time and can stand up to many educational problems, for example, reducing overcrowding in universities, as well as benefiting from asynchronous lessons that are developed by some professors. Thanks to the development of internet, e-learning and distance learning through digital educational platforms have become imperative. Educators, particularly those in higher education, are suggested to accelerate the adoption and application of e-learning. Considering the emergencies that we now live in, the digital transformation in higher education will enhance the competence of its students and teachers to prevent the disruption of the course of education and its activities. The e-learning platform to be introduced in this article is available at the expense of the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, The platform’s role in supporting distance learning under current global health conditions and how it is designed and managed to support and sustain education will be analysed and evaluated. The focus of this paper is the impact on education brought by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (Tria 2020) in general and higher education in particular. Under these difficult and urgent circumstances, Moroccan education officials had to seek for urgent alternatives to facilitate further higher education and finally decided to activate the role of distance learning and e-learning through digital platforms available, thereby ensuring the viability of learning (Addi et al. 2020)

This paper attempts to highlight a range of objectives, the most important of which are:

  • Demonstrate how the COVID-19 pandemic affects university-based education;

  • Clarify what digital educational platforms are and how they help support e-learning in higher education.

Highlight the role of the e-labs platform available at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, in the activation and application of distance learning based on the interaction between its teachers and their students through remote practical works under current global health conditions that have forced them to move away from the university and adapt to lockdown.

The aforementioned challenges also invite Cadi Ayyad University and the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia to think about whether the e-labs platform can play a role in supporting and sustaining distance learning and reducing the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the above, the research reviews the following question:

How does the e-labs platform contribute to the support and continuation of distance learning at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University for its students and professors, even amid the pandemic?

Design and Implementation

Our goal is to show how the e-labs platform contributes to the support and continuation of distance learning at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University by quickly and flexibly allowing students to conduct practical works remotely and in a passionate and eager-to-learn atmosphere. Figure 6.8 illustrates the fundamental mechanism of the e-labs platform (El Gourari et al. 2021)

Fig. 6.8
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The virtual architecture of the proposed work

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Part One

In this phase, the professor shall be the manager of all completed and presented to students, whose work shall be as follows:

  • To have an account on the e-labs platform in advance;

  • Divide students into groups, after which a period of time is assigned to each group;

  • Delete or add new students;

The process to be carried out by students is prepared by the LabVIEW environment as illustrated in Fig. 6.9 and coordinated with the NI ELVIS II+ card. This card enables us to complete and control operations through the LabVIEW program; in other words, any action done is simulated with the LabVIEW program and this card.

Fig. 6.9
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NI ELVIS II+ board with LabVIEW environment

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Recording all that the professor has done by clicking on the valid button in a particular file for use in other tasks such as changing the method of placement of experiments or the type of questions to the subject.

Part Two

The students who are required to perform the practical work submitted to them by the professor before the start of the remote practical work must go through the following stages:

  • Register an account on the e-labs platform in advance;

  • Be aware of the period in which the experiment was pre-developed by the professor and the group in which it was placed;

  • Reserve the appropriate time from the professors’ time limit;

  • Wait until the reserved time and then check the operation submitted to them;

  • Start work by answering theoretical questions, then moving to applied work and comparing it with hypothetical answers before concluding.

Upon completion, students press the right button, thus completing the process. All they have done during that period is stored in a particular location via the MySQL program to be processed after being used for student evaluation.

Part three

The laboratory is where most professor-designed operations are completed. It has NI ELVIS II+ , a high-quality process design computer that adapts to a virtual learning environment such as LabVIEW. NI ELVIS II+ (Figs. 6.9 and 6.10) can realistically perform professor-designed operations, link what has been done in reality to LabVIEW to implement operations virtually, and upload relevant data to the server to communicate externally through the Internet. The relay switches of NI ELVIS II+ play an essential role in controlling the passage of electricity between the elements of the circuit to be studied.

Fig. 6.10
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NI ELVIS II+ board with relay switches

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Digital educational platforms

The idea of an interactive educational platform was suggested by Feoktistov et al. (2020). These platforms employ web technology and combine features of electronic content management systems with social media platforms and communication networks. An interactive educational platform’s main objectives include:

  • Facilitate posting lessons on the web and developing online educational tasks and activities for students;

  • Allow students to contact the professor directly through multiple techniques;

  • Teamwork by splitting students into work regiments;

  • Discussion of ideas and views and sharing of scientific content among professors and students will help to achieve high-quality educational output.

E-labs platform

The e-labs platform was first designed in 2017 (Ouatik et al. 2019) with software languages such as PHP, HTML, CSS, Python, JavaScript, LabVIEW, and MYSQL. Its main role was to perform remote practical works at any time and place. In 2019 (El Gourari et al. 2021), the platform became more versatile by adding some features and integrating artificial intelligence technologies. For example, theoretical lessons could be added to the platform to assess students before practical works start or after each course ends. What makes this platform significant is that it is open-source and can be used by any person or educational institution.

Faculty of Sciences Semlalia at Cadi Ayyad University is among the institutes in Morocco whose platform is designed to be a dynamic learning environment geared towards all categories of students enrolled in this platform and all levels. The e-labs platform is also designed on scientific rather than engineering or technical grounds to help learners provide e-learning tools capable of managing remote practical works delivery and tests based on artificial intelligence techniques (El Gourari et al. 2022). It is currently available at the faculty, as shown in Fig. 6.11, allowing the exchange of information between students and professors, by simultaneous communication mechanisms, icons, and asynchronous ones. The platform is one of the most accessible open-source online learning platforms that allow for the creation of many real-life lab experiments, and its content is accessible only to enrolled students. The e-labs platform can be classified as one of the systems:

Fig. 6.11
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The real architecture of the proposed work

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  • Educational content.

  • Learning management system.

  • Management of the education contents.

E-labs and E-learning

It is evident that e-labs can support e-learning through the positive impact of its use in learning outcomes and retention rates. For example, some e-labs features, including mentoring students and quickly providing them with feedback, are powerful to understand student orientation and effectively transmit information. It is, therefore, natural that e-learning produces better results at different levels of mindfulness in students. Also, quick knowledge entry and dissemination are key elements in the e-labs platform, improving the learning effectiveness and outcome. Also, given that an important purpose of higher education is to prepare job-ready talents, the e-labs platform was designed as an open and unfettered participatory learning environment that supports self-learning and helps to share and store experiences and ideas among learners in a way that makes them accessible to all.

Impact on Equity, Quality, and Efficiency

Evaluation Instrument

To evaluate the effectiveness of the e-labs platform, a questionnaire containing 14 closed questions was designed. The design process of this questionnaire consists of multiple phases as follows:

  • Phase one: This phase consists of choosing the quality of the questionnaire either in a closed (unlimited), open (specific), or varied (non-specific) form. The choice was depended on the kind of information to gather, which was about group behavior. Also, simple information was identified regarding the questions in Tables 6.6 and 6.7, so the research team used both types (specific and non-specific questionnaires).

    Table 6.6 Contribution of digital platforms to the promotion of distance learning in COVID-19
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    Table 6.7 Contribution of the e-labs platform at Faculty of Sciences Semlalia to reducing the spread of the COVID-19
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  • Phase two: This phase concerned the design of the questionnaire form, through the formulation of questions on the subject matter. It was clear, smooth, understood by the study sample, with the importance of using a polite method of asking questions. These high-end construction methods have motivated respondents to answer the questions asked honestly.

  • Phase three: Then, the team decided on sampling methods.

  • Phase four: This is a very important stage, a pilot of the questionnaire. The aim was to identify the extent to which there were deviations in the questions in the questionnaire, and modify or replace current questions. The questionnaire was presented to a group of experts to evaluate its internal validity.

  • Phase five: It is the application of the questionnaire form to the student respondents. Since the pandemic prevented us from directly meeting the study sample, we emailed the questionnaire. Currently, with the technological development and expansion of the use of computers, the questionnaire has also been launched through the website. In addition, social media sites such as Facebook and WhatsApp have also been used to spread it widely and access data quickly.

Participants

The questionnaire was distributed to 100 professors and 400 students from the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia and the Faculty of Science and Techniques through purposive sampling, and the response rate was 100%. The respondents were invited to share their perspective on the role of the e-labs platform at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, in supporting distance university education and its contribution to reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Data preparation

The data were collected and further analysed through the following steps:

  • Determining the objective of data analysis:

At this point, the research team sets the target for which we are going to analyse the data—The role of the e-labs platform in supporting remote practical works and its activation under the COVID-19 spread to sustain education and reduce the spread of the epidemic. The team also used descriptive and deductive analysis and adopted data visualisation tools and techniques.

  • Data collection:

As described in the Evaluation Instrument section, during this phase, the research team collected data from the questionnaire and available data in the e-labs platform in advance for analysis. A record was also made to keep all the data and its sources.

  • Data cleaning:

After collecting data, the research team also cleaned the data to mitigate potential errors during the data analysis process.

  • Data analysis:

Having collected, refined, and processed the data, data analysis tools and programs were used to understand, interpret and draw conclusions based on pre-established objectives.

  • Data interpretation:

At this important stage, results from the data analysis process through a detailed report are displayed in Tables 6.6 and 6.7.

  • Data visualisation:

At this stage, the research team visualises data through the diagrams shown in Figs. 6.12, 6.13, 6.14, and 6.15 to monitor relationships and compare data sets, enabling us to discover new information that contributed to the success of the research.

Fig. 6.12
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Contribution of digital platforms to supporting university education according to each question

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Fig. 6.13
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Contribution of the platform to supporting university education by an average rate

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Fig. 6.14
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Contribution of the E-labs platform at university to reducing the spread of the COVID-19 according to each question

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Fig. 6.15
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Contribution of the e-labs platform at university to reducing the spread of the COVID-19 by an average rate

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Results and discussion

Table 6.6 shows the discussion of the first focus on the contribution of digital platforms to the promotion and continuation of distance learning in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Table 6.7 shows the presentation and discussion of the other focus on the contribution of the e-labs platform at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia to reducing the spread of the COVID-19.

The questionnaire results confirmed the essential role that digital learning platforms play in the success of the educational process during all public times and this crisis. The results of the design and implementation of the e-labs also confirmed that e-learning and distance learning had resolved one of the biggest crises in education.

There are many benefits from the e-labs platform that reinforces quality education:

  • Encouraging engagement in the educational process, to upgrade the competence of teachers, students, and anyone involved in the educational process;

  • Improving the administrative system to be able to clarify the tasks and responsibilities of each party;

  • Addressing complaints from parents and trying to satisfy them in such a way as to reduce the volume of such complaints. An atmosphere of cooperation and understanding among all parties;

  • Solving problems in the right ways and methods away from those that might be more harmful than good.

  • Raising the value of the university among other universities and making it competitive at both internal and external levels.

Conclusion and Implications

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed severe restrictions and challenges on education, and the closure of universities required urgent action to address the problem. One of the consequences of this pandemic is that the lockdown must be forced to curb the spread of this deadly epidemic and that educators should have recourse to distance learning. They chose open education platforms, primarily the e-labs platform.

Based on observations of this research, the browser at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University notes that efforts have been made in the field of distance learning in the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform needs more support to alleviate its difficulties for development and improvement. Hence, the investment of the smart e-labs platform at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University in distance learning still requires several modifications. Given the speed with which the e-labs platform is employed in this sensitive situation and their low composition in exploiting it, it is advised to start thinking about a post-COVID-19 strategy to further develop the platform. To achieve the desired effect of the e-labs platform or other similar smart digital platform, stakeholders or interested parties may consult the following notes:

  • The lack of technology requirements and capabilities should be recognised and rapidly eliminated and improved, taking quality into account. The e-labs platform, which has enabled students and professors to continue their communication and to complete remote practical works, will be able to raise the technological capabilities of relevant stakeholders.

  • A mechanism should be in place in the short, medium, and long term for the continuous training of professors in how to design real practical works and to raise them on a platform–for presentation to students. Despite the positive impact of the e-labs, efforts must be intensified to train these professors to keep up with each update of the platform.

  • A short, medium and long-term mechanism for the continuous training of students should be in place to facilitate both remote and onsite usage of the e-labs (remote and presence practical work). Questionnaire responses also imply that the formation and training of students are necessary.

  • Educational, digital, and applicable programs and content that are genuinely relevant to students’ needs and facilitate the roles of professors are needed. The programs will help students and professors become more connected and motivated to use platform tools.

  • Providing digital curricula capable of improving and enriching the educational level of students is also a necessity, along with developing their intellectual abilities, training them in research skills, and offering access to information. Students’ development can also be tracked from the reports of the professor and students stored in the e-labs platform analysed by their supervisors.

  • It is proposed to establish a commission on digital education at the institutional level with all educational institutions participating. The commission shall be responsible for the formation and training of professors and students in online higher education through a platform designed specifically for this purpose.

6.9 Case 8: Mongolia: Development of the Open Education Center Towards Accelerated Digital Transformation in Mongolian Higher Education Sector

Authored by Badarch Dendev, Director of Higher Education Research Development laboratory of OEC at MUST, badarch88@yahoo.com; Ganbat Danaa, Director of OEC at MUST, ganbatda@must.edu.mn; Tserenchimed Purevsuren, Senior specialist and researcher of Higher Education Research Development laboratory of OEC at MUST, tserenchimed.p@must.edu.mn.

Executive Summary

Mongolia is a landlocked country with a vast territory (18th in the world) and a sparse population (about two people per square kilometer). The main challenge for the Mongolian higher education system is providing services in remote and rural areas. Within the context of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education, e-learning has established itself as a promising and cost-effective education delivery method for Mongolia. Although Mongolia has made significant commitments to the design and deployment of ICT throughout the education sector, researchers have concluded that e-learning in higher education in Mongolia is in its early stages of development. Therefore, there is a need for trailblazing institutions that can act as a national benchmark for accelerating digital transformation in the higher education sector in line with global trends. The purpose of the current case study is to share our experiences of developing the Open Education Center established in 2019 that can act as a “leading light” in the digital transformation of Mongolian higher education. The study will provide information related to institutional policy and planning; provide a summary of nationwide activities within the context of online learning and blended learning, massive open online course development, professional development training organized before and after Covid-19 outbreak; demonstrate OEC’s infrastructure capacity for online and blended learning; OEC international outreach and networking while also sharing the future development perspective and challenges. The lessons and knowledge learned from the Open Education Center development process, which is unique due to pandemic overlap, summarized in the current study is valuable information for higher education professionals and policymakers, especially in developing countries.

Introduction and Context

To ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education in Mongolia with its vast territory and sparse population, online learning is considered a promising and cost-effective education delivery method. Although the majority of Mongolian universities are located in the Ulaanbaatar city (the capital), a survey study revealed that Mongolian students in the higher education (HE) sector struggle most with their working and learning schedule and the distance between school and university, and the internet connectivity (Steinbeck et al. 2019). This indicated that appropriate development of e-learning and digital education by considering these constraints could be the solution.

Mongolia has a well-developed infrastructure for e-learning, which was developed based on the distance education national program 2002–2010 (Government of Mongolia 2002) and E-Mongolia National Program 2005–2012 (Government of Mongolia 2005). However, researchers concluded that e-learning in HE in Mongolia is in its early stages of development (Tuul et al. 2016). A recent policy review report outlined two main issues related to ICT infrastructure that further need to consider for ensuring the access to ICT devices and the sustainability of ICT Infrastructure (UNESCO 2021). For Mongolian higher education, the students are aware of the advantage of online learning and the chances provided by the digital transformation (Steinbeck et al. 2019). Students are confident about their ICT skills (Steinbeck et al. 2019). However, the main problems for online learning were the lack of teachers’ ICT competency and limited opportunity for teachers to involve in advanced training (UNESCO 2021).

Digital contents or e-contents play a crucial role in developing online learning. “Vision-2050” long-term development policy of Mongolia (“Vision-2050” Long-term Development Policy of Mongolia n.d) and “Digital Nation” government initiative (Soyolmaa 2021) emphasized the importance of developing digital educational content to transfer all levels of education into e-learning program fully. At the policy level, it was also essential to develop and prepare e-learning content to overcome the economic and social difficulties caused by COVID-19 (Government Palace, Ulaanbaatar 2020). The global trend for developing e-content more accessible was the Open Educational Resource (OER) movement (Richter and McPherson 2012). For Mongolia, the OER concept was introduced in 2010 with a series of seminars and workshops on OER implementation in the K-12 sector. However, no such initiatives have been launched for the HE system, and OER awareness remains modest amongst HE educators and administrators (Hodgkinson-Williams and Arinto 2017). Recent policy change promoting the creation of digital content will benefit the education sector. However, there is a need for policy to establish quality assurance for digital content and resources (UNESCO 2021).

The use of ICT has been highlighted as an opportunity to innovate and increase the quality of the educational systems. It also promotes open education that can be defined as a learning experience that provides a great degree of flexibility in the choice of topic, place, speed, and method to the learner. The development and use of OERs and MOOCs proved useful in many ways, such as removing entry barriers to education, increasing access to knowledge, promoting personalized and self-directed learning, and supporting lifelong learning. Therefore, the promotion of open education is crucial to enhancing the quality of Mongolian HE, and it is an important strategy to achieve SDG4 (Beijing Declaration on MOOC Development 2020). The concept of MOOC is relatively new in the Mongolian HE system. Recently, there were several attempts to develop a limited number of MOOC courses at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, National University of Mongolia and Erdenet Institute of Technology (Erdenet Institute of Technology n.d; Mongolian Open Online Course n.d). However, the majority of developed courses, which are basically video-lectures, are not open access MOOCs for all stakeholders and are only available for respective university students. Classical open MOOC developed in Mongolian HE is very limited and counted as less than ten (Erdenet Institute of Technology, n.d; MУИC-ийн цaxим xичээл n.d). Therefore, there are lots of steps we need to consider to accelerate MOOC development in Mongolia.

While the Mongolian HE sector is struggling to implement traditional e-learning or ICT-enabled learning along with the above-mentioned problems, the global trends in online learning are rapidly changing due to the advancement of Artificial intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML), Big Data, Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies in education (Keser and Semerci 2019). Moreover, the overall vision of HE is shifted towards a more open, inclusive, equitable and sustainable manner. Therefore, there is a need for trailblazing institutions that can act as a national benchmark for accelerating digital transformation in the higher education sector in line with global trends.

Design and Implementation of OEC

Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST), one of the leading universities in online learning in Mongolia, established the Open Education Center (OEC) in 2019 that can act as a “leading light” in the digital transformation of Mongolian higher education. OEC is a premier research and academic institute devoted to the academic study of education policy, educational technology, learning, open education through dialogue and exchange ideas, research and innovation, and engagement with national and international scholars, opinion makers, teachers, instructional designers and practitioners (Badarch 2019). Guided by the principles of academic excellence, forward-looking vision, the OEC mission covers five main goals:

  • To provide a forum of scholars and researchers on education strategy and policy;

  • To encourage an in-depth exchange of ideas on online education and digital transformation;

  • To foster thoughtful dialogue among scholars, students and practitioners on innovative ideas on learning and teaching;

  • To develop and promote OER, MOOC, open textbook and open education;

  • To engage in outreach activities with a wide range of local, regional and international partners.

The structure of OEC consisted of several sub-divisions (Fig. 6.16). The education development department, which includes a teaching and learning laboratory, was established to develop and strengthen existing educational programs and curriculums; to provide methodological and pedagogical guidelines for face-to-face, online and blended learning; and to conduct formal and non-formal professional development training for HE teachers. The innovation and education technology laboratory was organized to support MOOC, OER, and Open Textbook development. Its duty is to create digital educational content using advanced technologies such as 3D video, computer graphics, AR and VR. It was purposed the provided digital contents must be a benchmark for all Mongolian HE institutions. The system dynamics laboratory was established to conduct systematic research and model comprehensive systems, such as the Mongolian educational system, based on a system thinking approach. Such a dynamic model can be used as a tool for decision-makers, including the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES). Higher education research and development laboratory is also established under the umbrella of OEC. The primary function of the laboratory is to advance in research for the field of HE policy, governance, and management. All these laboratories of OEC had one vision that is to accelerate and promote teaching to learning paradigm shift, and the HE digital transformation in Mongolia. Therefore, all activities, including training, seminars, workshops, MOOCs, OERs, best practices of professional development programs, were open for all levels of stakeholders in the Mongolian HE sector. The OEC works closely and collaboratively with external institutions such as MoES, Institution of Teacher Professional Development (ITPD) of Mongolia, Mongolian Institute for Educational Research (MIER), Asian Development Bank (ADB), UNESCO, Mongolian national chamber of commerce and industry, and other higher educational institutions. Internally, OEC is a methodological center of MUST for online and blended learning, professional development, curriculum development, and HE leadership.

Fig. 6.16
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Structure of the open education center at Mongolian University of Science and Technology

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In the beginning, OEC was working on producing a series of policy briefs and its workshops (Fig. 6.17) covering important topics that can strengthen the foundation to enhance quality and increase the accessibility of Mongolian HE. The topics were research university, lifelong learning, corruption in education, outcome-based education, system thinking, HE & innovation, quality of HE, national qualification framework, Academic freedom, HE governance, and university & SDG etc.… It was also assumed such work could introduce OEC to the Mongolian HE sector. Furthermore, five distinct training, namely Open education, Open educational resource, Instructional design, Heutagogy, and MOOC, were conducted to increase awareness of the open education concept towards the Mongolian HE sector (Fig. 6.17). The OEC is the first institution in Mongolia that raises the concept of “Education 4.0”.

Fig. 6.17
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MOOC development at OEC

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Although OEC had few years of experience, the OEC could demonstrate several benchmark MOOCs (Fig. 6.17) for all stakeholders in the HE sector [14] thanks to the funding from ADB and MoES. For instance, “Higher Education Governance and Management” MOOC together with motivational webinar training could have delivered state-of-art knowledge to the decision-makers at MoES, management-level people at every HE institution in Mongolia.

The establishing process of OEC is unique because the process was overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was either a challenge or an opportunity for OEC. To overcome the pandemic successfully and to accelerate the rapid shift from face-to-face to online learning brought by the pandemic, OEC challenged itself to strengthen existing professional development by rapidly organizing and conducting online training for HE teachers. Specifically, in collaboration with ITPD at Mongolia, OEC had developed an “Online Professional Development Program” during the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented nationwide training for university teachers (Ganbat and Purevsuren 2021). The program was designed as a 2-week online webinar series accompanied by a professional development MOOC (Fig. 6.18).

Fig. 6.18
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Design and implementation of the online professional development program

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Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

OEC has raised the awareness of Open Education and the need to enhance higher education quality in Mongolia. First of all, OEC organized five main training ranging from OER to Instructional design. About 300 representatives from MoES, ITPD, MIER, and more than 15 universities located in Ulaanbaatar participated in all five series of training in a face-to-face format. The open education training series were then further organized in an online format for staff members from several local universities that have teacher education programs, including the distance learning center at Mongolian National University of Education, one of the biggest universities for teacher preparation in Mongolia. All trained individuals would organize cascading training at their institution and thus create a sustainable teaching-learning cycle within each higher education institution. To increase the awareness of Open Education, a MOOC was developed based on the previous face-to-face and online training materials and received positive feedback (Fig. 6.19).

Fig. 6.19
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Training materials and magazines to increase awareness of OEC as well as Open Education concept to Mongolian higher education

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The implementation of such an online professional development program played a crucial role in adapting to the pandemic effectively and accelerating higher education digital transformation in Mongolia through re-educating teachers toward rapid shift. In collaboration with ITPD at Mongolia, the “Online Professional Development Program” implemented by OEC saw a nationwide influence in the higher education sector. At the end of 2021, more than 1500 higher education teachers have been directly trained by the program, taking up 20% population of HE educators in Mongolia, according to MoES statistics. Since its establishment in 2019, OEC has also developed and implemented a full online certified training program for pre-service teachers. A total number of 437 pre-service teachers had been trained by this certified program, which contributes to the enhancement of online and blended learning methodology and pedagogy in Mongolia.

At the policy level, OEC has also been a major player in the ground of national policymaking for higher education. OEC pushed forward the generation of the objective 2.1 of “Vision 2050”, the long-term development policy of Mongolia, which states, “Provide equal opportunity to receive a quality education for all, establish education as a basis for personal development, family security, and the country’s development and strengthen the life-long education system.” In particular, OEC contributed to the interpretation of this object: “to develop an open education system and create an integrated online learning platform to be accessible to everyone for lifelong education in the field of their choice regardless of time and space” (“Vision-2050” Long-term Development Policy of Mongolia n.d). OEC also provided policy guidelines in developing the “Education sector mid-term development plan 2021–2030” of Mongolia (Ministry of Education and Science 2020). The concept of Open Education is now integrated into almost every sector of education to increase accessibility, quality, and equity in the future education system of Mongolia. There are also upcoming activities nationwide that are strongly linked to OEC’s mission and perspectives, namely:

  • Upgrade and establish university-based open education centers in urban and rural areas.

  • Deliver capacity building training to education and industry leaders, experts, teachers, entrepreneurs and trainers focusing on the development of open, online and distance learning resources such as Massive, Online Open Courses (MOOC).

  • Establish recognition, validation and accreditation of prior learning (RPL) system at the open education centers.

  • Establish a credit transfer system among high schools, universities and technical colleges.

  • Such a planned program is purposed to scale OEC all over Mongolia, especially in the HE sector.

Another important work that has been initiated and implemented by OEC is the Quality assurance framework (QAF) for HE (Дээд бoлoвcpoлын чaнapын бaтaлгaaжyyлaлтын xөтөлбөpт Cингaпypтaй xaмтpaн aжиллaж бaйнa, 2021), laying critical foundations for the sustainable development of higher education in Mongolia. In 2020, MUST-OEC brought up the QAF project funded by the TEMASEK foundation that purposed to create a QAF in the Mongolian HE system based on Singapore Polytechnic’s (SP) experience. Initially, a QAF introductory module was introduced to 130 selected HE teachers and quality managers from six top-ranking public universities. After strict review and selections, a group of master teachers received training from SP experts to outline the QAF and generated a guidebook. These teachers would also be responsible for organizing domestic cascading training to further develop QAF in Mongolia. Such a project has been highly appreciated and supported by MoES, and a unit of QA was established at MoES in 2021, with the idea of “QAF” to be included in the upcoming education law.

Conclusion and Implications

The current case study shares valuable experiences of the Open Education Center (OEC) at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST). The story of OEC can act as a “leading light” in the digital transformation of Mongolian higher education in line with international trends. Although OEC was only established in 2019, it has successfully provided key insights for policymakers and contributed to the future education of Mongolia based on the concept of Open Education. The center has also delivered a number of professional development training programs for HE teachers that leverages digital transformation, teaching to learning paradigm shift and help to alleviate the impact caused by COVID-19. A notable achievement could be that OEC increased nationwide awareness of the OER initiative and the idea of Open Education for the first time in the Mongolian HE system. MOOCs developed by OEC are now a benchmark for other HE institutions and support lifelong learning.

The establishment of OEC was challenging due to limited funding resources, lack of professional human resources and infrastructure, insufficient existing policy on online and blended learning, incomplete stakeholder’s understanding of OER and MOOC, and the COVID-19 pandemic, among others. However, we could say that COVID-19 may act as an accelerator for OEC development by reinforcing HE stakeholders to fully utilize OEC and the Open Education concept with ambition and forward-looking vision. There are lots of things that we need to strengthen in the future, and establishing the foundation of QAF in the Mongolian HE system is one of them. Although OEC has spared some effort developing sample OER based on advanced technology such as AR, VR, and 360-degree video, the methodology and guidelines are not yet disseminated to the HE institutions in Mongolia. Furthermore, OEC strategically planned to adopt more advanced technology, including Big Data, AI, ML, and Block-Chain, though limited financial and human resources are being main obstacles.

At the early stage of development, OEC puts more attention on local engagement. Recently, the Center focused on international outreach and networking. The center could extend international collaboration with MIT J-WEL (Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab), International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI), Tsinghua University, Singapore polytechnic to enhance online and blended learning, OER and MOOC development, and professional development in HE. As a result, MUST-OEC is now one of the founding members of the International Institute of online Education (IIOE) and Global MOOC alliance. Our future vision is that the Center will be a hub for international networks in online and blended teaching and learning.

6.10 Case 9: Nepal: Enhancing Capacity of the Faculty Members for Online Teaching During the Pandemic in Tribhuvan University

Authored by Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam, Associate Professor of English Education and Director of Open and Distance Education center (ODEC), Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Executive Summary

As the government declared the nationwide lockdown in March 2020, things became a stand-still, and all the university classes had to be suspended. Tribhuvan University (TU) preponed its summer vacation to prevent the learning loss during the lockdown, hoping the pandemic would end in a short period so that classes could resume. As the situation worsened, TU followed the global practice and moved towards online education. However, many challenges needed to be addressed to ensure a smooth transition. Technology infrastructure was very limited, and faculty members had hardly used any technology in their teaching. Despite such a difficult situation, TU succeeded in managing online classes during the pandemic thanks to the committed leadership and faculty members’ positive support. This success built a strong foundation for blended learning beyond the pandemic. This case study presents the highlights on how TU, as one of the largest universities in the world, was able to prepare faculty members for online teaching and learning during the pandemic. The case study also reports the key challenges and issues that emerged during the faculty development process. Strategies adopted to address these challenges and issues are discussed. By drawing upon key lessons learned from this experience, how they can be used as a foundation for blended learning in TU beyond the pandemic are illustrated.

Introduction and Context

Tribhuvan University (TU) is the oldest and largest university of Nepal that serves nearly 400,000 students annually through its 300 plus programs in 1100 campuses across the country. Due to the mega-structure of the university, TU faced many challenges in responding to COVID-19. One of the biggest challenges is how to develop the capacity of about 8,000 teachers with a wide range of digital literacy so that they can facilitate continued education online. There were also other system-level obstacles such as a lack of policy documents for the online learning activities, limited ICT infrastructure, technological anxiety among the faculty members, poor internet connectivity, and high costs for the mobile data. Establishing communication with teachers and students and connecting them to the online education network was also challenging. This is because TU had not issued official email IDs for its teachers, students and staff before the pandemic, making communication difficult to stay connected during the lockdown.

In responding to these challenges, TU leadership came with their three-phase plan and immediately disseminated it to the TU stakeholders; (a) immediate switch into the online teaching to respond to COVID-19; (b) creating a groundwork for blended learning to ensure quality learning in the online classes; and (c) online classes beyond COVID-19 to provide access to those who cannot attend the face-to-face mode of education (Gautam 2021). To implement this three-phase plan, TU immediately deployed Microsoft Office 365 as the online class portal (Fig. 6.20), provided email IDs for all the students, teachers and staff, and provided orientation to the faculty members to run online classes using Microsoft Teams. TU simultaneously worked for an extended plan to develop the ICT capacity of teachers and so that they could start a blended mode of education beyond the pandemic.

Fig. 6.20
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Structure of microsoft office 365

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TU has about 8000 teachers in its 124 constituent units. Teachers’ digital literacy varies, and most of them had not used technology for pedagogical purposes. Preparing them for online teaching was significantly challenging for TU. Training teachers on how to use technology was not easy. This situation is most severe among senior professors–many of them had not even used emails regularly. We had to work on a cautious approach to train them to use technology while respecting their academic profile and professional hierarchy in our cultural context. There was a great deal of reluctance to use technology, and there was a feeling among many of them that online teaching and learning was something they could not handle. To address such a diverse ICT competence of teachers, we decided to adopt a humble approach. We asked them to share their existing knowledge and skills of ICT in the first few sessions to create an accommodating environment and alleviate their disinclination. Then we gradually integrated necessary training in subsequent sessions. To facilitate this, TU trained a group of trainers by organizing a three-day training of trainers (ToT) program. This ToT group was instrumental in taking the faculty development program forward. There were two specific outcomes in mind when this ToT program was designed: (a) training the teachers of TU for virtual classes to respond to COVID-19, and (b) sensitizing the teachers to go for a blended mode of educational delivery in certain subjects as TU’s regular program beyond the pandemic. The results have been positive; the initiative has created a good foundation for TU to move towards blended and online learning and teaching (OBLT) as the next level.

Design and Implementation

Open and Distance Education Center (ODEC) of TU took the lead in implementing the Faculty Development Program and adopted the ToT model to train teachers of its units. This model brought momentum among the faculty members to organize virtual classes during the pandemic. The faculty development training of TU had several elements that have positively reinforced the TU’s move towards online classes in the short term and created a foundation for OBLT mode in the long term.

Firstly, TU efficiently mobilized and leveraged its human resources for faculty development on a large scale through the ToT program. A loose and informal network of a few hundred self-motivated teachers at TU collaborated with some alumni members who have been taught abroad to offer professional development activities at TU since 2016. They had been organizing webinars on various aspects of pedagogical reforms that include formative evaluation, student-centered pedagogy, use of ICT in teaching, academic writing for publication and research methods. Due to the previous exposure to the webinars series, they were digitally literate, and could swiftly understand the dynamics of online teaching and learning. TU leadership was well-aware of this voluntary initiative, and members of the network were also very keen to share their experience with the other teachers. TU invited the members of this network to join the ToT and included some faculty members from the ICT-related departments (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, ICT Education and Information Science) as well.

To attract competent candidates in the ToT program, a call for application was sent to the Deans’ office and the Heads of the units; the leaders were requested to circulate the call to their faculty members and encourage the potential candidates to apply. The response was encouraging. Out of nearly 200 applications, we selected 120 participants based on several factors, namely the participants’ interest in helping TU during the COVID-19 crisis, commitment to do a round of teacher training after the ToT, ICT literacy and their willingness to provide ongoing virtual support to the teachers as indicated in their application. The participants included teachers from all over Nepal, and about 20% were female. The contents of this training were the basics of Microsoft Office 365 with a focused discussion on the use of Microsoft Teams for virtual classes. At the end of the training, the cascading plan was developed through group discussion, and 30 groups were from with four members each.

With this group, a three-day ToT program was organized. Participants were taught to teach teachers how to make an immediate switch to online education so that students could attend their classes during the pandemic. The first day was spent on the basics of Office 365, its applications and how to log in to the portal. The second day covered topics that included creating channels, meeting links, uploading files, organizing groups, enrolling students, to name a few. Pedagogical features of the Teams were covered on the third day.

The second element that reinforces TU’s adaptation to online classes turns out to be the official email ID, which was given to TU faculties for the first time to associate their job with TU; the TU email became a motivational tool for teachers to switch into the ToT and online classes. TU did not have a centralized system to provide email IDs to its teachers, students and staff. Some of the units did it in their own way, but most of the teachers, students, and staff used their personal emails run by commercial companies for e-communication. The creation of their official email IDs and the decision of TU for its mandatory use in their online classes contributed to strengthening their professional identity and attachment to their job, and this motivated teachers to continue online classes during the pandemic.

The third element worth mentioning is the accountability mechanism, as the unit chiefs were made responsible for training teachers of all teaching units of TU from different parts of Nepal. The Rector, head of the academic affairs of TU, organized a series of online meetings with the Chiefs of each teaching unit and shared the TU’s plan to run the online classes. From these meetings, TU obtained the data of all the classes that were on hold, the availability of the teachers and their digital literacy situation. Once the data was obtained, a series of teacher training events were organized. Teachers who participated in the ToT were paired up, and each pair was assigned designated units to train their teachers for online classes. This strategy was helpful to train all teachers of TU as we were able to train nearly 6,000 teachers within three weeks, and disrupted classes that went online on the fourth week. In the TU system, such a quick move from face-to-face class to online class was possible due to the ToT model.

Fourthly, to motivate each unit to begin online classes, TU allocated an additional budget for each unit to support them for the online teaching and learning activities through the negotiation with the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the World Bank (Gautam 2021). The budget was pulled from the ongoing Higher Education Reform Project (HERP) funded by the World Bank. This additional budget was used to manage basic ICT infrastructure and create online resources at the unit level. Setting up the ICT systems and their use for online classes was also a part of the ToT program.

Fifthly, there was and still is a robust monitoring and follow-up mechanism on the progress of the online classes during the pandemic. Each week, every Friday evening, there is a virtual meeting of all the Deans, Directors and Heads of Divisions chaired by the Rector of TU in the presence of the Registrar and the Vice-Chancellor. All the Deans report the progress of their academic activities and share the difficulties faced by the units. Decisions are then made immediately to address the issues and any bottlenecks that affect the operations of the academic programs. There is also a technical team to address any technical issues in the program. If any capacity building events are required, ODEC is there to address them.

Finally, since the respective Dean’s office manages all the academic programs in TU, Deans were made responsible throughout the process. Deans have been organizing virtual meetings with the unit chiefs and teachers to get regular updates on the academic activities. They then compile the information and report it in the weekly meeting. So, engaging the leadership meaningfully to monitor the progress of the faculty members and providing the required level of support for their professional development contribute to the enhanced results.

Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

The ToT model of TU has already demonstrated some visible impacts. Firstly, a core group of trainers representing a diverse population has been identified, trained and developed. While selecting the participants for the ToT, efforts were made to make the group as inclusive as possible considering the gender, geographical location, teaching experience, ethnicity and age groups. Now, they are in the pool of resources for continuous professional development training of teachers at TU. Recently, TU recruited about 300 Lecturers, and ODEC organized 48-h job induction training for them. Six of the ToT participants were invited to facilitate some of the sessions in this training, and others have also shown their willingness to do similar training in the future.

Secondly, the ToT program successfully empowered many TU teachers with quality content and trainers. According to an internal survey, a ToT participant teaching in a campus outside the Kathmandu valley said she did not have her email address before the COVID-19. When TU provided her email ID and invited her to the teacher training program, she was inspired by a female facilitator. She conducted a teacher training event at the local level on her own initiative. Similarly, a ToT participant in a campus in Kathmandu is now coordinating a blended mode master’s program and heavily engaged in developing the capacity of the teachers in his campus for online learning.

Thirdly, the ToT project and subsequent teacher training events integrated ICT into pedagogical activities and contributed to TU’s sustainable development in online and blended teaching and learning. In a series of discussions with stakeholders, including trainers, teachers and students, a majority indicated that online classes could connect students and teachers in teaching and learning. This experience has been helpful to create an appetite for technology-based teaching and learning. Teachers also said that the COVID-19 crisis made them realize their agency as the instructor because they had to make most pedagogical decisions by themselves and navigate through the issues during the entire teaching, learning, and assessment process. One of the participants of ToT said that she learned the art of online pedagogy, and she has been trying to communicate this to her colleagues through teacher training events at the local level.

However, the most crucial element of teaching and learning, i.e., pedagogy, was still missing in the online classes. According to observations, current classes were mostly one-way traffic and lecture-based. There was not much interaction and discussion in the online classes. Students’ engagement in learning and student-to-student sharing was minimum. Also, we have noticed that many of our teachers need to be oriented in using digital tools to create a learning environment in the online classes. Based on the feedback of the live class experience during the pandemic, TU has now adopted a two-pronged strategy to address the issue of digital pedagogical competence among the teachers. Led by the strategy, TU is working on ensuring the minimum ICT infrastructure in each unit to support the online classes and simultaneously developing the capacity of the teachers for blended and online learning with the help of the ToT participants using the same ToT model.

TU has already conducted a ToT on the Learning Management System (LMS), i.e. MOODLE training, that involved 69 participants of the previous ToT program. Since this was a more advanced program on the LMS, the participants who had demonstrated proficient ICT competence in the earlier training were included in this ToT. For LMS training TU has designed a modular teacher training package (6 Modules) to use LMS in TU’s blended and online classes and trained 120 trainers (ToT) to cascade the training to the other teachers. The MOODLE training was a six-day training focused on digital pedagogy and e-assessment. Each module of the training/workshop was of three hours. Here is the list of the themes covered in those six modules of the MOODLE training.

Module 1: Introduction to Moodle

Module 2: Management of Course

Module 3: Management of Learning Resources

Module 4: Management of Learning Activities

Module 5: Monitoring, Feedback and Encouragement

Module 6: Learning Analytics.

To give hands-on experience to the teachers on the MOODLE, TU has deployed an online portal ‘tuelearn.edu.np’ and configured the MOODLE LMS on it. Five units of TU have started a blended mode of education in 15 different programs using this portal since the current semester. Respective subject teachers of those units have been trained on the MOODLE, and classes have started. Thus, the COVID-19 experience has also created a foundation for blended learning in TU. The ToT model has been adopted as the viable strategy to operationalize the program on the ground.

Conclusion and Implications

The proactive and swift initiation of the leadership, the collective efforts of the individuals in the different constituents of TU, and the teachers’ motivation to switch to online learning made it possible to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic even in challenging circumstances. The learning loss of the pandemic has been estimated between 3 to 5 months only. During the first national lockdown in March 2020, some classes were resumed online in about three weeks first by using free online tools such as zoom, google meet, messenger. Once the Microsoft Office Suite was deployed, Microsoft Teams was used. All master-level classes were gradually resumed to full operation within two months. Teachers during the interaction mentioned that their desire to integrate technology has immensely increased, and they have been exploring ways of developing their ICT skills. Many of them have joined online classes on blended teaching and learning. They have requested the author to organize more capacity building training on ICT use in higher education. Also, social media such as live stream platforms have been used extensively for professional development purposes (Dam 2022) and pedagogical purposes. Fifteen units have organized additional teacher training events for online classes at the local level, and those who attended the ToT were invited to facilitate the sessions.

To offer quality education in the blended/online mode, faculty preparation is the key, given that TU has already decided to go for a dual-mode: face-to-face mode and blended/online mode. The more teachers are engaged in the instructional design, the more students are involved in the learning process. The motivation of the teachers in this context is very crucial. TU’s experience of virtual teaching and learning during the pandemic has shown that it is not impossible to develop faculty capacity even on a large scale through the ToT model. But this requires serious planning, and it needs to be executed well right from the beginning. The role that ODEC played in the ToT model indicates that a designated center for faculty development is critical to implementing blended and online teaching and learning. Identifying the available human resources within the organization and making them responsible for the tasks that match their expertise is crucial to motivate them to the organization’s goals and have them on board with their meaningful participation. This indicates that universities are not reluctant to change but ready to rapidly adapt during the crisis (Chan et al. 2022). However, a robust monitoring and follow-up mechanism with the involvement of the academic leaders, i.e. the Deans, is also crucial to ensure the successful implementation of the online and blended mode of education. Such a regular follow-up provides information on the status of the ongoing reform and contributes to identifying the areas to be addressed for the smooth implementation of the programs.

Though TU as a large organization has been able to make a quick transition to online learning during the pandemic, it is early to justify the effectiveness of the switch without generating evidence from the ground regarding the students’ satisfaction, learning achievement and performance of the students. This indicates the need for continued research in the program to understand the intervention process and integrate the lessons learned. Also, due to the COVID-19 experience, there might be more demand for blended/online education and universities need to be prepared to assure quality in the blended/online education (Borasi et al. 2022). TU leadership has already outlined a research plan to study the effectiveness of the online education program implemented in TU during the COVID—19, and ODEC is taking the lead in that research. This study is expected to document the status and experience of online learning during COVID and identify the areas to be addressed for an effective online and blended mode of higher education in Nepal. Online and blended learning is a new initiative in Nepal, and it has been established as an alternative mode of higher education during the pandemic. Considering the growing demand for blended and online learning, TU needs to move on for OBLT through evidence-based planning.

6.11 Case 10 NIGERIA: Public–Private Partnership in ICT Capacity Building-The ABU Zaria-Huawei Academy Experience

Authored by Muhammed Bashir Mu’azu, Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Executive Summary

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria is Nigeria’s largest University with 80,000 postgraduate, undergraduate, diploma and distance learning students, 3,038 academic and research staff (2,451 males and 587 females), and 8,838 support staff (7,065 males and 1,773 females). One of the critical challenges of the University has been the issue of enhancing information and communications technology (ICT) skills amongst staff and students to bridge the digital divide and improve the teaching and learning experiences. The efforts at addressing some of these issues led to the University becoming an African Centre of Excellence in New Pedagogies in Engineering Education (ACENPEE), setting up the Institute of ICT to develop an online and blended teaching and learning (OBTL) policy and enhance ICT capacity building among staff and students. However, the most promising effort with outstanding results is the university’s public-private partnership to set up the Huawei Academy. The Huawei Academy is focused on accelerating skills transfer and creating a robust IT ecosystem via the development of IT industry certified talents which is in tandem with the University’s vision. Since 2018, the University has enrolled over 1200 students in the Academy, many of which obtained HCIA, HCIP and HCIE certifications as a result. The talent pool out of the Academy has demonstrated the program’s success—this is evidenced by the students’ outstanding performances and instructors in the Huawei ICT Skills Competition. It has also justified the need to further hasten the integration of certifications into the University’s existing curriculum to enhance the digital competencies and employability of the students.

Introduction

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, founded on October 4, 1962, is a federal government (public) University located in Zaria, Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria and is the largest and most cosmopolitan University in Nigeria. The student enrollment of the University’s degree (undergraduate and postgraduate) and sub-degree programs is about 80,000. There are 3,038 academic and research staff and 8,838 support staff. The University has 106 Departments in 17 Faculties, 16 Research Institutes, and three Schools operating on its three campuses (Main campus (Samaru), Kongo campus and the Medical Complex). Three Colleges of Agriculture spread across Nigeria ABU also hosts three African Centres of Excellence (ACE): ACE for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology (ACENTDFB), ACE on New Pedagogies in Engineering Education (ACENPEE), and ACE on Sustainable Procurement, Environment and Social Standards (ACESPESS).

The Directorate of Academic Planning and Monitoring is responsible for developing and monitoring the implementation of academic policies and quality assurance. It has four sub-units: Planning and Statistics, Quality Assurance, Affiliations, and Research and Innovation.

Improving the teaching and learning experiences via digital transformation is one of the critical challenges faced by the University. These challenges are largely related to capacity and finances. Many staff do not have the requisite skills to adopt technology in teaching and learning. Some staff are either unwilling to learn or do not have the right attitude or capacity to learn (especially among older professors) (OECD 2016). Others are hampered by the institution’s inability to provide the requisite infrastructure to learn or actualize what they have learnt. This is due to the paucity of funds in public Universities in Nigeria, especially given the inadequate funding from the federal government (Faboyede et al. 2017).

Some of the initiatives adopted by the University include becoming an African Centre of Excellence on New Pedagogies in Engineering Education (ACENPEE), organizing ICT capacity building training and workshops, becoming a pioneer International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) partner higher education institution (HEI) (and as such benefitting from all the training and support for staff, students, and the Institution). However, the most promising effort with outstanding results is the public–private partnership for ICT capacity building between the University and Huawei to set up the Huawei ICT Academy, i.e., the ABU-HIA. Public–Private Partnership (PPP) is recognized as an innovative means for HEIs to effectively address constraints of financing and management of education (especially teaching and learning) (Helmy et al. 2020). The ABU-HIA is focused on accelerating skills transfer. It contributes to creating a robust IT ecosystem by nurturing more certified talents for the IT industry. This is in tandem with the University’s vision of ensuring the employability of its students.

Design and Implementation

The philosophy of ABU is predicated upon the “cardinal principles of imparting knowledge and learning to men and women of all races without any distinction on the grounds of race, religious or political beliefs”. The knowledge acquired and the learning process must be such that it produces people with the necessary skills and intellect to either be employable or employers themselves and contribute to national development. ICT is believed to be an important vehicle of teaching and learning in the twenty-first century (OECD 2016; van Laar et al. 2020). Therefore, ABU, desirous of such digital transformation, agreed to partner with Huawei Ltd. to establish a Huawei ICT Academy–the ABU-HIA. This is a PPP that is aimed at accelerating skills transfer through (1) the promotion of industry-standard IT certifications and enhancement of industry-level skills, exposure and experiences; and (2) bridging the digital skills gap (the gap between graduates’ professional skills and industry standards) by the creation of a robust IT ecosystem and the development of IT industry talents (required for the digital development of the country). The attraction of the HIA program is because it focuses on ensuring students are exposed to the latest ICT technologies via the certifications, offering internship opportunities, and being able to integrate the certifications into the curriculum of existing programs (e.g., Computer Engineering). It is recognized that industry certifications like Huawei certificates can upgrade candidates’ knowledge and technical skillsets to have a competitive edge in the employment market (Hitchcock 2007; Huawei TEDD 2022). The ABU-HIA model is structured as shown in Fig. 6.21.

Fig. 6.21
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ABU-HIA model

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The ABU-HIA agreement was signed between Huawei and the University in August 2018. This was quickly followed by the certification of the trainers under a train-the-trainer (TTT) model by Huawei. In this TTT model, a group of trainees are taught skills and knowledge required to become trainers themselves. They subsequently pass on what they have learnt to other staff and students. This model has proved to be an efficient and cost-effective way of upskilling the workforce (Mormina and Pinder 2018). In ABU’s TTT, the training of interested students commenced with the Huawei Certified IT Associate (HCIA) certification in Routing and Switching, which, over time, has evolved to include others, as shown in Fig. 6.21. The HCIA certification was attractive for many students since Huawei was a dominant player in the Nigerian and global IT ecosystem. Upon the maturity of the HCIA certification program, ABU-HIA was granted the right to start training students on the Huawei Certified IT Professional (HCIP) level certifications; the instructors underwent another round of TTT. The ABU-HIA was supported by Huawei with the provision of lab equipment such as the Huawei AR6280 integrated chassis routers, Huawei S5731-H24T4XC switches, cables and other accessories, and access to the Huawei cloud services, virtual simulators. Vouchers were also provided to enable students to undertake the certification exams (waiver of $200).

Huawei has also made it possible for the students of the ABU-HIA to undertake internships with them or their partners where they attain the requisite industry environment exposure and experience and eventually employment opportunities via the Huawei job fair. The 2019 and 2021 job fairs took place at the University.

Integrating some certification courses into existing programs is another ABU-HIA focusing area. This has gradually been taking place in the Computer Engineering program, as seen in Fig. 6.22. The integration will become even more critical, especially now that the undergraduate program has been modularized into options such as AI, Computer Systems & Networks and Control & Intelligent Systems (starting from the 2021/2022 session). The current level of the integration is where the students are encouraged to take any of the certification courses available at the Academy and time allocated for such so that it does not conflict with their regular lecture times.

Fig. 6.22
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Integration of HCIA/HCIP training for computer engineering students

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The next level of integration is targeted at incorporating the related contents of the certifications into those courses, such as Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, AI Fundamentals & AI Systems Development, Network Technology I & II, Network Security & Cryptography and Data & Digital Communication in Computer Engineering (as in Fig. 6.23), and in some instances, Telecommunications Engineering. This process involves discussions and deliberations between the ABU-HIA, related Departments, the Directorate of Academic Planning and the University Senate.

Fig. 6.23
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Sample course outline for computer engineering for integration

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The ICT Skills Competition, one of Huawei’s ways of ensuring the development of competitive IT industry talents, is another key success of the ABU-HIA. The ICT Skills competition has three stages: National, Regional and Global, normally open for all in the Network and Cloud tracks. This implies that the students need a broad spectrum of certifications to compete in any tracks. The competition enables them to benchmark their capabilities and abilities with their peers on the latest IT technologies worldwide.

Selecting the students to represent the University starts with organizing a boot camp for the most promising students (usually about 20) from the ABU-HIA and preparing them for the National finals. Based on the outcome of the National finals, the teams (typically, teams of three representing an HIA) to represent Nigeria at the Regional finals are selected. Subsequently, those to represent the region at the Global finals in both tracks are selected. During the boot camps (organized by both the ABU-HIA and Huawei for the different stages of preparation), the University ensures that the students’ daily academic work is not affected (as time lost is made up). The students are mentored during these processes by their instructors.

Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

The PPP between ABU Zaria and Huawei that resulted in the ABU-HIA has been the most productive and result-oriented intervention in the effort at the digital transformation and capacity building. Before this partnership, IT capacity building and talent development have been seriously hampered by inadequate funding and investments, a lack of facilities, infrastructure, and clear path(s) into the IT industry for students. These challenges put the private–public partnership in IT capacity building, and certifications in an untenable position (Verger and Moschetti 2016) as the University was unable to purchase all required equipment by itself and the fact that the staff and students found it difficult to fund their certification exams.

The impact of this partnership in terms of opportunities it has provided for the students, staff and the University itself has been great with tremendous results. Since 2018, the University has enrolled over 1200 (staff and students) in the Academy, resulting in several of them acquiring HCIA, HCIP and HCIE certifications. Indeed, the ABU-HIA, in only its second appearance at the Huawei ICT Skills Competition, won both Cloud and Network tracks’ Grand Prizes at the 2021/21 global finals. It has also proved effective; Huawei has granted the ABU-HIA an Academy Support Centre (ASC) status (the first of its kind in Nigeria), implying that it will be managing the HIA program in Nigeria on behalf of Huawei.

The ASC mandate includes, amongst others, such responsibilities as being the primary focus for the new and existing HIAs (as the partnership is scaled up to other institutions), developing strategies to encourage the integration of the certification programs into the conventional academic courses and adoption of the TTT model for staff and student capacity building. The TTT model (despite some of its challenges of sustainability, trainers’ commitment, and cost (Brion and Cordeiro 2018)) has, however, proven successful to a large extent in the HIA program. It is evident from our experience at the ABU-HIA how this model has facilitated the scaling-up in IT capacity building and talent development within a short period of time and also how some of the staff (especially from the Computer Engineering Department) trained on the TTT model have found it easier to integrate some of the certification programs into the conventional curricula. Students from Computer Engineering represented the University in various competitions (two in Seeds for the future, two in the 2018/19 ICT Skills competition, two grand prize winners in the cloud track in 2019/20, and four out of the six to represent Nigeria in both Network and Cloud tracks in the 2021/22 competition). Their performance exemplifies its capacity in cultivating students’ digital competencies. In addition, it enables conditions in achieving education equality in terms of digital access and the improved quality of learning experience, which is also indicated by Laurillard et al. (2018).

With the setting up of the Huawei lab and upgrading of the ABU-HIA to an ASC status, it makes it imperative for the University to sustain the partnership and ensure that the integration practice extends to other relevant programs. This will ensure that ABU students have better employability chances with their knowledge, skills and experience. This claim is evidenced by the latest recruitment by Huawei and partners, where 13 students of the ABU-HIA who did their internship with them were recruited as IT Engineers in October 2021.

Some departments also desire to bridge the gap between degree programs and industry expectations by integrating the contents of some of the certification courses like AI, Big Data, Security, Cloud Computing, and Datacom into some of their courses. This is expected to enable the students to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and experience based on contemporary twenty-first century IT technologies, which will allow them to graduate with industry-standard certification and, as such, enhance their employability.

Conclusion and Implications

ICT capacity building is critical to the digital transformation across all sectors to bridge the digital skills gap, enhance the acquisition of skills and experiences, and improve our schools’ teaching and learning process. ABU Zaria has several initiatives targeted at improving its ICT capacity building, such as hosting the African Centre of Excellence in New Pedagogies in Engineering Education (ACENPEE), setting up the Institute of ICT develop an OBTL policy and enhancing ICT capacity building among staff and students via training courses and workshops, etc. However, the most evident and impactful has been the ABU-HIA (resulting from the public–private partnership with Huawei). This partnership has worked so far due to the commitment of both Huawei and ABU management, which is a critical element in the success of such engagements.

Before the PPP with Huawei, the staff were limited in practical exposure to cutting edge IT technologies and expert knowledge from an industry perspective. This situation was further exacerbated by the declining funding to the public universities from the federal government as various educational needs were competing for limited resources. This resulted in declining learning standards for the students coupled with teacher migration. The public–private partnership with the TTT model adopted has proven to be a quick-fix solution, evidenced by the success stories in certifications, internships, employment, and the ICT Skills competition. However, it is pertinent that measures be put in place to ensure the sustainability of the partnership's gains, even if the partnership ceases at some point in time.

One such way is the scaling up of the TTT model to ensure that more staff are trained on these contemporary technologies (with the aid of the Huawei course kits and laboratory equipment). This will ease the integration of the certification programs into the formal academic curricula. This is the model currently adopted in the Computer Engineering Department.

Way Forward

It will be helpful for the University to institutionalize all experiences gained from the partnership into a formal independent unit at the University. This Unit would be expected to manage such or similar partnerships and undertake regular assessments with a view to maximizing the benefits and mitigating the challenges both now and in the future. This is key as sustainability has been the bane of such arrangements.

6.12 Case 11: Pakistan: Measuring the Effectiveness of National OBTL Guidelines and Their Impact on Female Faculty During Covid-19 Lock Down

Authored by Asma Khalid, Assistant Professor, Department of Product and Industrial Design University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan; Dr. Waqar Mahmood, Professor, Director, Al-Khwarizmi Institute of Computer Science (KICS) University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan.

Executive Summary

Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG 2030) have been the top priority of many countries. Pakistan is also a signatory of the SDG 2030 agenda, aiming to progress in most sectors of human development and higher education is no exception. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 and associated lockdown left educational institutes in a state of disarray due to the lack of a framework and policy that can support Online and Blended Teaching and Learning (OBTL). Therefore, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Pakistan issued particular guidelines for all higher education institutes (HEIs) to provide them with a unified framework for readiness and preparedness in the state of COVID-19 emergency. Though catching up quickly with the male enrollment, the female enrollment in HEIs in Pakistan has been traditionally low as the country ranks low on the gender equality scale. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated OBTL development under HEC guidelines posed unique challenges to female faculty and students in Pakistan. The purpose of this case study is to review and assess the experience of female faculty and students of this new paradigm. The study examines the female faculty’s awareness and understanding of the HEC guidelines, their competency with respect to various technologies available for OBTL and assessment, any inequality they faced, support from family while working from home and other aspects. The female faculty have fared well in the majority of the aspects. However, improvements are needed in including female representatives in the policy and decision-making administrative bodies.

Introduction and Context

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a collective call for action is opted by almost all countries of the world. Pakistan has also unanimously adopted SDGs after the approval from its National Assembly in 2016 and devised a strategy for planning, monitoring, and reporting the effort made to meet the agenda (United Nations n.d). Since then, the financial allocation of resources (2.3% of GDP) (Nations, 2018) and the best use of available technologies has been the prime focus to envisage a national vision in the higher education sector. As part of the effort, the three goals of “Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Decent Work and Economic Growth” are the priority areas to be addressed through Online and Blended Teaching and Learning (OBTL). The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to adopt a more resilient way of thinking, readiness, and preparedness for emergency situations. As part of global goals and efforts made by UNESCO, a large number of countries, including Pakistan, are thinking about recovery plans, best practices, and lessons learnt. There is a shift in the global paradigm from the traditional way of teaching and learning to the more digitalized way of communication, knowledge transferring and sharing. Developing nations worldwide faced more critical challenges at higher education institutions (HEIs). Pakistan faced challenges in Online Distance Learning (ODL) model due to lack of infrastructure, financial constraints and different social structures that initially led to a delay in transforming to online education (Ashraf et al. 2021; Bughio et al. 2014; Noreen and Hafeez 2016; Qureshi et al. 2012). The ODL model was not new, but implementation at a national scale with uniformity and smooth running of the education system in the state of global emergency was a challenge. The ODL framework also requires quality assurance as a key element in the implementation to disseminate knowledge in its true spirit, as a quality assurance mechanism helps to identify local institutions’ needs and creates a sustainable feedback loop among stakeholders in a systemic and less-interruptive way (UNESCO-ICHEI 2021). In this regard, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), a regulatory body that streamlines higher education initiatives for all institutes in Pakistan, played a significant role by issuing guidelines to save the weakening education sector. The effort was to bring all academicians and institutes on one page to manage the new challenge of the distant learning model. The students and, in some cases, teachers were remotely participating in the classroom. Therefore, they faced several problems such as lack of internet and other facilities, copyrighted issues of lectures and class contents, learning of digital platforms as the medium of teaching and communication. According to HEC, there is a significant increase in the number of graduates having 16 years of education and above from universities campuses and affiliated colleges, including both on-campus and distant learning ways (HEC n.d-b). This requires a more rational approach for the future of higher education at national and global levels and developing a margin for continuous improvement to bridge the knowledge gap in OBTL.

Another issue in the OBTL also coming into forth is equitable education for all layers of society where women also take equal part in continuing the education. There was a need for a more inclusive approach for all female students and teachers to contribute to the best of their abilities and represent women in particular. In Pakistan, the ratio of female teachers is at par compared to the number of female students opting for higher education (Mehmood et al. 2018; Shah et al. 2018). Besides a rationalized approach for the online system and OBTL implementation, there was no single female representation in the Covid Response Oversight Committee formation of the HEC, Pakistan (HEC 2021). Although there are elements not as female-friendly as it is supposed to be, HEC has facilitated female students and teachers in general for their particular situation. One such example is the facilitation of expecting and lactating female faculty members (HEC 2020). This action was further in support of SDG target 3.2 at the global level to facilitate working females (Heymann et al. 2017; Robila 2016). Considering this, the case will look into the guidelines issued by HEC, Pakistan and will assess the policy implementation at the university level across Pakistan. This paper attempts to address the social constraints, gender equality, the role of women and their contribution in the education sector in the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis.

Design and Implementation

HEC issued a set of eight guidelines at various times and allocated Rs.10 million for each public sector university (HEC 2020) for the adoption, implementation, and smooth running of OBTL. The guidelines started from raising faculty and students’ awareness of COVID-19 to an action plan in the form of a working paper set forth for HEIs. The guidelines tried to address various key concerns of academicians regarding teachers’ online readiness and preparedness, government directives, admissions policies, online classes, assessment policy, and reopening of universities campus life. The HEC, Pakistan facilitated the internet facility for students across Pakistan to attend online classes. The faculty and staff were trained for various digital platforms to make the best use of technologies. The guidelines also include information regarding audiovisual recordings, lab demonstrations and effective and efficient class interaction between teachers and students. Teachers were asked to submit the course information, reading materials, library resources, audiovisual material, PowerPoint presentations, and recorded lectures in advance for approval by the quality assurance before the start of the semester (HEC n.d-a). The courses were offered subject to the issue of ODL readiness certificate from the higher authorities of HEIs. Table 6.8 below is an identification of HEC guidelines in parallel with SDGs in achieving quality, equity and efficiency during the health crisis.

Table 6.8 Sustainable development goals versus HEC targets
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Research Design

A survey was designed and conducted with the female faculty to measure the effectiveness of ODL policy guidelines on female faculty during COVID-19. The questionnaire was designed based on the analysis of eight guideline documents issued by HEC. In contrast, the HEC guidelines were based on the best practices of OBTL to ensure HEI achieve targets in line with worldwide practices. Given that the policy response for COVID-19 introduced by HEC was of prime importance to measure, the questionnaire questions tried to contextualize and specify the understanding and implementation of these guidelines. Therefore, all items with measurable variables were derived from the content analysis of HEC policy guidelines. The set of guidelines helped generate items relevant to the issue under investigation, “impact of national OBTL guidelines on female faculty”, with a particular focus on the issues and challenges faced by female faculty and success in adoption. The content analysis helped make a reliable instrument and its phase-wise testing with a small pilot test to ensure questionnaire validity. This step was important because the findings will be assessing the national HEI policy of Pakistan introduced by HEC, which was being universally followed in all educational institutes of Pakistan. Therefore, very careful consideration was given to the design of the questionnaire so that variables make a sequence of information from guidelines, methodology and findings from Pakistan’s scenario. The questionnaire was developed using the Likert scale to facilitate quick insight from the female faculty members. The questions were edged through the policy guidelines of HEC, Pakistan but focused on the female faculty members to value their perspective. A set of 20 questions using Google form was distributed to the participants for recording their responses for various key variables of the study. The female faculty members, both from the public and private sectors, were encouraged to participate. Initially, it was aimed to get representation from all universities of Pakistan, but due to the lack of time duration and constraints in approaching the target audience, the research team used convenient sampling. Overall, it was a good response collection of about 90% that ensured accurate representation of the target audience for response analysis and concluding results for the said case. The faculty members were asked about their demographics and university affiliation employee status, marital status, and their satisfaction with policies of HEC and Higher Education Department (HED), Government of Pakistan.

Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

To measure the impact of equity, quality education and efficiency in the time of COVID-19 with regards to females in the education sector, the survey responses were analyzed and reported quantitatively and qualitatively. To test the measuring variables identified from the literature, the questionnaire was based on the demographic analysis. It measured the variables of equity, quality education and efficiency through a series of close- and open-ended questions. The mixed methodology helped identify quantitatively measuring the impact of various initiatives taken by HEC and qualitatively describing the reasoning of the occurrences. As mentioned earlier, due to time constraints and other limitations, a large sample size could not be collected. However, a sample size of more than 90 respondents was collected for the questionnaire.

Demographic of the survey population

A total of 16 universities participated in the survey and shared their opinion. Public sector universities have a stronger infrastructure, and it was easy for them to equip their teacher with training assessment tools and start implementing online education. It was observed from the response rate of public versus private universities of Pakistan that teachers at public universities have a higher engagement rate. To address the goals of equitable and quality education, there should be a good female representation, at least from the public sector universities in the policy development bodies that can help sensitize policy guide specific to females at the university platform. This will further ensure bridging the issues and communication gaps of female teachers at a higher level and to the HEC and HED (provincial Higher Education Department). We received responses from females representing various disciplines ranging from natural sciences social sciences to engineering and design fields. When participants were asked about their employment status, 77.6% of the individuals were regular employees of the university, and only a very few, 22.4%, were on a temporary contract. Most participants were married (66.9%), and only a few were single (28.2%) or had other status (5.9%).

Quality

In response to the question of familiarity with HEC-initiated guidelines and policy measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a good response from the female faculty member, and 98.8% were familiar with policy information (Fig. 6.24). The result shows that the policies might have been well disseminated to all faculty members by the management of each institute and department. HEC also helped to ensure the guidelines were easily accessible by making guidelines available on HEC’s website. However, there was a mixed response when female faculty members were asked about their satisfaction with these guidelines, probably because of the lack of involvement of female faculty members in developing HEC policy guidelines. But still, most participants found the guidelines satisfactory for carrying out their online teaching during COVID-19 (Fig. 6.25).

Fig. 6.24
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Familiarity with HEC COVID guidelines

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Fig. 6.25
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Satisfaction with HEC COVID guidelines

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In response to the question of experience in online teaching with their students, most female faculty members were either satisfied or neutral but not very satisfied (Fig. 6.26), probably due to the difficulty to keep students attentive during classes. Most students, especially female students, switch their cameras off during the class sessions creating ambiguity for teachers in engagement checking. Some faculty members arranged pop-up quizzes during regular class sessions that helped in attaining the participants’ attention and interaction. Some female teachers used Google forms for quick analysis of their short lectures, and that ensured that students took the session more seriously in some cases. The female faculty member also shared that sometimes they had to call out students' name to encourage active participation. Therefore, there is a need to develop more technology-based solutions that may help students attend their classes more attentively as they used to do in the on-campus classes.

Fig. 6.26
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Experience of online teaching

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In terms of family support of the female faculty members, 48.8% of the female teachers reported they had highly favorable support (Fig. 6.27). They could manage their daily house chores and manage classes through online sessions. A very few participants, around 7%, found it difficult to gain support from their families for their online classes. The reason could be that while at home, these female teachers were blamed for not managing classes and daily household tasks simultaneously. The situation might get worst as some family members becoming COVID-19 patients.

Fig. 6.27
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Family support during online teaching

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Similarly, a significant percentage (30.6%) of students who faced difficulties in attending online classes from home (Fig. 6.28). It requires more in-depth analysis to know why female students faced difficulties in attending classes from home. Some of the general reasons reported are internet facilities, announced and unannounced load shedding, lack of computer and smart mobile facility, medical reasons of their own, and sometimes other family members because of COVID-19.

Fig. 6.28
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Female students facing difficulties attending online classes

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HEC and universities announced in their policy that all lecture contents, lab manuals, the courseware would be submitted in advance to get the course readiness certificates. In this way, the policy might have helped female teachers and students to achieve their required course learning outcomes. Besides some difficulties in continuing their online studies, the female students managed to get recorded lectures, tutorials, lab and design manuals for their classes. In some cases, instructors allowed them to submit assignments beyond the deadline to ensure proper learning of the subject. The recorded lectures were shared with the whole class, and students could view the lecture if they missed any point during the live stream. Students were given a chance to post questions later in Microsoft Teams and other communication platforms to ensure quality learning. Therefore, the consequent impact on female students was not much different than on male students, and female students were able to manage their tasks in the given time slots by instructors. Teachers also used more updated and flexible modes of communication and assessment to achieve quality learning with a uniform policy for all students.

Equality

To measure equality, female faculty members were asked about the financial inequality they faced from their institute due to the COVID-19 crisis. The most financial inequality was faced where female teachers were on contract. In some private universities, female faculty teachers were not given an extension of their job contracts, creating financial burdens for them in times of crisis. But most of the female faculty members did not face financial difficulty. There were very few women in the education sector who did not receive any support during the pandemic. However, the other social inequality in assigning institutional tasks were observed and shared by the female faculty members. This is probably because female workers face social constraints and gender bias in general. However, with the passage of time, there could be more females participating in all sectors of the economy, including education, to help them to create a more conducive, comfortable and participatory environment for fellow female workers (Figs. 6.29 and 6.30).

Fig. 6.29
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Financial inequality for female teachers

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Fig. 6.30
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Social inequality for female teachers

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Despite the above inequalities, the learning opportunities were equally available to all teachers regardless of gender as most training were available free and accessible through online platforms. Various organizations helped the teachers generally and female teachers, in particular, to define and achieve the same learning outcomes as were implemented during on-campus sessions. Various international resources were made freely available to teachers to ensure quality learning that was once difficult to acquire in the in-person training. Online platforms also helped to achieve equity for all and especially for females to attend these training online, which otherwise were limited due to many factors such as travel, and related costs involved. Hence, it could be said that international, national and regional online training has positively impacted equity in the higher education sector thanks to equal opportunities for female teachers. Such initiatives and training will have a lifelong impact on teacher experience of handling classes virtually and in on-campus classrooms. One of such successful examples is the series of training offered by the International Institute of Online Education of UNESCO-ICHEI that equipped teachers with smart virtual learning and practiced it in their classrooms (UNESCO-ICHEI 2021). HEC motivated universities, institutes and colleges to train their staff for online and virtual classes and made online tools and software available to teachers together with their tutorials as resources in the public domain.

Efficiency

Female faculty members may have been more proficient in using a range of tools and platforms utilization for carrying out their smooth teaching during online sessions. They make the best use of the various available tools like Rubric (16.5%), Kahoot (7%), Google form (55.3%), open book (36.5%), mind maps (1.2%), one-to-one quiz sessions (41.2%), short assignments (69.4%) and oral presentations (62.4%) as shown in Fig. 6.31. The quizzes developed by online tools generate a list at the end of the quiz that helps classify the quick and accurate identification of answers. It prioritizes the names of students who go through lecture content and assimilates the class content, helping them solve quizzes more quickly. Since the female teachers have used a range of devices and instruments for carrying out assessments, it proves that they were familiar with the various assessment approaches, got proper training of their effective use in teaching and implemented them successfully in their classes for carrying out the assessment. But overall, they were not satisfied with available technologies because the commonly used tools were not effective in bringing the outcome as they required strenuous efforts on the part of the teachers (Fig. 6.32). The reason for teacher dissatisfaction is probably because students were not quickly adaptable to the new mode of examination, online study or completing quizzes through the digitally accessible platform. In addition, the predominant issues of the quality internet accessibility non-availability of electricity, especially in remote areas, were also major factors according to the survey.

Fig. 6.31
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Teachers’ response to the HEC assessment approaches

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Fig. 6.32
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Satisfaction with online assessment approaches

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The education sector provides skilled human resources to the industry, so it was important to measure the impact on female graduates specifically for this case. The teachers were asked to which extent female students could benefit from OBTL. About 50% of the teachers suggested it may work in providing education to female students who otherwise may not be able to attend a higher education institute (Fig. 6.33) because it is possible that female students would not be allowed to leave home due to family restrictions and other barriers of studying in co-education. Therefore, the online platform offers female students an opportunity to attend university education remotely and overcome societal barriers. For these students, some education is better than no education. Even if female students themselves choose to stay at home after graduation, they can still leave a big societal impact by educating future members of the society–their children–and creating a more educated and socially responsible world.

Fig. 6.33
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Benefits of online education for female students

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The female teachers were also asked to compare students graduating during COVID-19 with regular graduates in terms of securing jobs in industry or self-employment. The response was not very encouraging. A significant percentage (58.1%) classified them worst than regular graduates. This is probably because students lack quick adaptation to the online system of education (Fig. 6.34).

Fig. 6.34
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The success rate of graduates during COVID-19

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The students were not used to the online system, and it required more time for adaptation to a new mode of assessment compared to traditional ways of assessments. To alleviate the situation, these female teachers who responded often used quizzes with shuffled questions, one to one viva voce and oral presentation in online assessments, as well as open-book and numerical-based questions. However, tools like Kahoot were not freely accessible to all female teachers. The policy suggested by HEC for assessment emphasized the variety of methods in addition to quizzes and viva voce. Female teachers also reported on using open-book exams as suggested by HEC in its policy to achieve efficiency, but it was much different from the traditional mode of assessment. However, more recently, these assessment tools are being applied and used by female teachers in their regular on-campus classes, which shows the potential and their popularity in years to come.

Conclusion and Implications

Overall, OBTL has great potential to be successful in the education sector, but there is a need of making inexpensive technologies available and equitable to teachers, which will help them in exercising authority during assessments. It is also considered to mandate all students to keep their cameras on during lectures and assessment sessions to increase engagement level. There may be a stricter set of guidelines, a separate set of requirements approved by the HEC for achieving SDGs at national and global levels.

HEC has taken good initiatives in preparing and handling the state of emergency for all HEIs at the national level in Pakistan. It was a considerable achievement made on the part of faculty members students, especially females who continue to support their profession through active participation. The roadmap shared by HEC, Pakistan, in the form of its guidelines, helped carry the OBTL in many public and private universities.

However, there is room for further improvement by adopting international best practices in the context of OBTL. The framework can be extended to normal situations for supporting the online distance learning model. It will expand the education network of universities in remote areas and help universities generate additional income through larger online enrollment. However, this education network may require the implementation of a stronger quality framework for OBTL programs and ICT capacity building of teachers and students.

There was no representation of female faculty in all committees of HEC. It is problematic that the formulated guidelines lack the involvement of females in decision making at the national level since there was no female member in the technology support and COVID-19 response committees of HEC, Pakistan. It is suggested that at least one female member may be added to such committees to include a female perspective.

A few lessons have been learned from the implementation of national OBTL guidelines, especially from the perspectives of female faculty, to ensure that introduction and familiarity of a unanimous policy was a success in most public and private sector universities. The information is suggested to make publicly available on the HEC website to access students, parents and teachers equally to be aware of information and policy adoption in the education sector. HEC’s effort in publicizing information has resulted in the fair growth and adaption for opting for national OBTL in the state of global emergency.

However, a few difficulties and challenges emerged in the transformation to a new mode of digital communication compared to the on-site experience. The hands-on experience of lab experiments was not fully substituted with the digital experience of watching it from a camera’s eye. Also, female teachers responding to the survey found it difficult to engage their students in remote learning due to the limitation of internet accessibility and power load shedding. Nevertheless, it seemed helpful that current HEC policies include recording lectures and activities that were made available for students to view later based on their convenience.

National OBTL policy guidelines introduced by HEC stems from previous best practices and has been successfully implemented in the higher education sector. The survey results reported a good and encouraging response for all the variables of quality and efficiency as core values to SDGs. These OBTL guidelines initiated by HEC can be further enhanced and enlightened through international partnerships such as those HEC has with UNESCO-ICHEI. Future challenges might also be addressed by incorporating three core dimensions of “OBTL & Education transformation, Higher Education Administration and Management and Smart ICT & Education Innovation” and its phased implementation of knowledge acquisition, application, creation and sharing. Last but not least, it is suggested that some internationally validated frameworks and toolkits be used for the policy refinement of the online education system, which may need adaptation to the socioeconomic condition of Pakistan with case-specific consideration.

6.13 Case 12: Peru: Design and Implementation Process of Online Teaching and Learning to Ensure Continuity and University Education Quality at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Authored by Dr. Cristina Del Mastro Vecchione, Head Professor of the Department of Education and Academic Vice-president, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.

Executive Summary

In the area of quality assurance and the improvement of online and blended teaching and learning (OBTL), practices developed by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) comprise a set of actions responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping our community healthy, and at the same time, ensuring continuity of education and academic quality as a right to higher education. Likewise, actions allowing the progressive return to a blended modality have begun to be developed.

This research aims to describe the process of leading, innovating and supporting OBTL to ensure its quality and to discuss strategies adopted to alleviate the pandemic. These strategies mainly focus on selecting courses and content in the online and blended modality, training for professors to provide online education, support for students, and guidelines to ensure quality and equity in online and blended academic education.

Introduction

The global health crisis has made it clear, now more than ever, that educational institutions must navigate an uncertain future. Universities need to permanently adapt to change in an agile and flexible manner and, at the same time, maintain their mission and core principles with a commitment to comprehensive education, the generation of scientific knowledge, and sustainable human and environmental development. This requires the design of strategies allowing universities to manage the crisis and guarantee equitable access to quality education within a framework of equal opportunities (UNESCO-IESALC 2020) while taking care of the wellness of their students, professors, and employees (PUCP educational model).

We had to implement distance education shows the importance of incorporating information and communication technologies (ICT) in higher education. It also revealed the need to place students at the center and clarify the role of professors in the optimal and creative design of teaching and learning processes.

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, PUCP), founded in 1917, has taken measures to ensure the quality of online teaching and learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. This set of actions has sought to maintain the health of the community and ensure the continuity of quality training, a right in higher education. Likewise, since August 2021, PUCP has begun to plan actions that will allow the progressive return to a blended learning modality.

Before the pandemic, PUCP did not have undergraduate programs in the online modality but has offered graduate and continuing education programs through distance learning and more than 30 years of distance teacher training activities of the School of Education. With the support of the Department of Information Technology (DTI) and the experience in the field of Engineering, PUCP could respond in a collaborative and agile manner to the health emergency thanks to the experience of over 20 years of “PUCP virtual” (a unit in charge of adapting courses and programs to online learning modality).

In response to the social confinement measures enacted by the Peruvian Government in March 2020, Academic Vice-President’s Office at PUCP immediately prepared and disseminated a series of guidelines that allowed collaborative work with the authorities of the Academic Departments and professors, aiming to develop a process of adaptation and training that would enable the continuity of education in the distance modality.

Shortly thereafter, the National Superintendence of University Higher Education (SUNEDU) adapted the criteria for the supervision of university quality and, on an exceptional basis, specified that the design and implementation of the adaptation to distance education should consider the principles of students’ best interests and responsible authority. The design and implementation should not harm fundamental rights, particularly the right to education, and must ensure quality conditions in terms of accessibility, adaptability, quality availability, monitoring, relevance and coherence.

Universities in the country, as in the rest of the world (Torrecillas 2020), started to redesign, from one day to the next, their processes to provide all their students with online classes. This adaptation developed faster in private universities because they had greater access to technology and resources. To strengthen their capacities as well as technological and economic resources, a group of public universities received support from the Ministry of Education through a support program to ensure the quality of training, in which national and international entities participated (PMESUT). Likewise, the Ministry created scholarships for permanence and other mechanisms to reduce the impact of the pandemic on dropouts.

In this context, under the coordination of the Academic Vice-President’s Office together with the support of the areas involved (Department of Academic Affairs DAA, “PUCP Virtual”, University Teaching Institute, Department of Information Technology), PUCP planned its first online semester during the three weeks before the start of classes, trained professors (Pardo Kuklinski and Cobo 2000; García Aretio 2000), and carried out permanent monitoring of the process that enabled the incorporation of adjustments and improvements.

The objectives of this case study are as the following:

To describe institutional policies and strategies that were developed to ensure the continuity of academic education through online and blended teaching.

To explain mechanisms implemented for development and quality assurance of online and blended teaching and learning (OBTL).

To analyze impacts and lessons learned from the online and blended modality implementation process at PUCP.

Design and Implementation

In response to the imminence of the pandemic and the forthcoming confinement measures enacted by the Peruvian government in March 2020, PUCP had to face pedagogical, technological, and organizational challenges in a very short time to ensure continuity and quality of the teaching and learning processes, such as the right to receive higher education and health care in the community during the pandemic of Covid-19.

In the initial context for institutional adaptation to the OBTL, the main challenges that had to be met were: moving the education process to an institutional online environment; continuously offering most undergraduate and graduate courses through OBTL; training professors to prepare and develop their courses on the online platform and to use technological resources; ensuring connectivity and access to technology for students and professors.

Firstly, PUCP decided to postpone the start of the first semester (originally scheduled on March 16th) to organize and plan the first actions to ensure that students could continue their studies in the OBTL remotely.

Likewise, Presidency immediately took a series of measures communicated and coordinated periodically to the academic authorities, who had to lead the preparation and implementation of this adaptation process to the OBTL distance learning modality in their departments and curriculums.

It is important to point out that before the pandemic, PUCP only had 16 blended learning graduate programs and some continuing education activities. There was little experience in the undergraduate programs with OBTL, and only 7% of the courses use the institutional LMS (Moodle). However, the University had personnel who were specialists and had successful experiences in this modality. PUCP virtual, the department in charge of the online education process for over 20 years, performed an important task of developing programs inside and outside the university. Besides, the School of Education, which had worked for over 30 years together with teachers majoring in continual education in the online modality with the support of the Department of Information Technology (DTI), allowed the technological support and pedagogical training to prepare both students and professors for the online modality.

Design of the learning and teaching process, both online and blended

  • First measures and academic planning

During the plan identification process and organization in the online modality, in order to unify criteria and to direct the adaptation work of the academic departments and professors’ training, the Vice-President’s Office established and communicated the following institutional guidelines.

Selection of the institutional platform Paideia (Moodle), as an institutional online learning environment, was able to gather the learning environment and monitor its implementation used by professors and students. Based on this decision, the teacher training process was prepared to focus on the use of this environment and the follow-up actions of this implementation.

Initial and imperative assistance to the undergraduate programs. During the first week, the institutional resources focused on this level since it covers 78.61% of all students. Graduate programs were addressed during the second week, and later, it was continuing educational activities.

Schools had to analyze their curriculum map and select those courses that, due to their nature (mostly theoretical), could be taught in the online environment to prioritize its implementation in OBTL.

Courses that required physical resources, such as workshops and laboratories, and those practical ones had to ensure theoretical content and possible remote practical activities, leaving the essential face-to-face sessions pending for the following semesters.

Departments were requested to identify those professors who had used Paideia in order to let them cooperate with their peers in the training process.

For each school to be able to carry out the analysis process identifying the features of their academic offer, courses are categorized into three classifications: Courses that could be taught entirely online (100%); Courses that could NOT be taught online; and Blended Courses.

The implementation of these first measures was taken during weekly online meetings held among the President’s team, technical teams and the group of academic authorities. These meetings led to reaching agreements and having common institutional criteria to be applied by every department according to their contexts. Periodical meetings were held with the technical teams, as well as biweekly meetings of the Academic Vice-President’s office; the latter were to inform them about the progress and the development quality of teaching and learning activities of OTL, thus making changes and enhancing their implementation.

To draw lessons from the first semester and the needs to improve for planning and to organize the second semester 2020, the Academic Vice-President’s office created a committee integrated by Heads of academic support offices, two representatives of deans, two heads of departments and two study directors. This Committee systematized the prior experience and created a guiding document to prepare and organize the academic activities of the second semester.

As of 2021–2, thanks to the health situation and national regulations, face-to-face activities of blended learning courses (laboratories, workshops and fieldwork) started to take place. Currently, the university, which is getting ready to return to a blended learning modality, has already developed a guiding document for the departments to choose and organize their blended courses to be taught in 2022.

  • Professor Training

Training professors played a central role in the adaptation process to the online modality in terms of knowledge and use of the online learning environment Paideia PUCP (Moodle). In this regard, a self-instructional online course was offered with the following objectives:

To sensitize teachers to the distance learning modality.

To know and use the Paideia platform and its activities.

To prepare the design and implementation of learning activities for the distance learning modality in four progressive and complementary levels. These levels were organized to cover every essential aspect of the learning process and to optimize the very short time to get prepared for online courses.

To develop this online training course and ensure the preparation and quality of online courses, a total of 41 groups of professors were formed, accompanied by a tutor who performed the following duties throughout the semester:

To monitor the course adaptation progress made by professors.

To have constant communication with professors to identify problems or doubts.

To hold Zoom meetings in groups to address any concerns and model the use of the tool.

To elaborate a checklist for professors to verify the minimum elements needed to achieve qualified teaching.

This course was offered again to new teachers before the beginning of each semester (2020–2, 2021–1 and 2021–2).

Furthermore, the web called “Recursos para la virtualización” (Resources for online learning) was developed and made available for teachers to search and use.

Additionally, a help desk was made available for technological support in coordination with DTI (Department of Information Technology), which can address any potential needs or problems.

Finally, professors who had classes with over 40 students (without Professor assistants) could request a teaching assistant to be in charge of providing technical support and monitoring students during the development of the course.

  • Digital resources and technological access

The institutional platform Paideia provides tools and activities for content presentation development of individual and group activities and allows to get reports on access to activities and interactions. PUCP has bought videoconference software licenses, ZOOM, and integrated it with Paideia to develop synchronous teaching and learning activities. In addition to this, the use of other free online tools was promoted, and specialized software licenses were bought for specific programs to complement and ensure the quality of learning in specific disciplines.

Moreover, the library service offered several digital resources for professors and students to access essential academic sources of information for the teaching and learning processes. It offered access to databases, electronic journals and books, subject guides and online repositories; service of online document provision; videos, and subject guides promoting research. It also offered online training in database management, bibliographic management, etc.

The Administrative Vice-President’s Office offered the Connectivity Fund PUCP, which consisted of a 20 GB modem free of charge a month. This ensured that every student and professor had access to the platform and scheduled online activities. Likewise, a program to lend digital devices was offered to students in vulnerable situations.

Implementation of online learning and teaching activities

  • Professor training and support during the development of the semesters

During the development of the four semesters from 2020 to 2021, several needs arose since professors needed to reinforce pedagogical aspects, as well as teaching and learning activities in the online modality. Also, they had to create an environment of trust and better interaction with students and among themselves.

For this reason, the University Teaching Institute (IDU) held a series of open workshops and micro-workshops aiming to improve and reinforce the implementation of resources, communication and pedagogical strategies of the learning and assessment activities in the distance learning modality.

Likewise, “Guía del docente PUCP para la modalidad no presencial” (Teacher’s guide for the distance learning modality) was elaborated, offering information on guidelines and providing support to prepare and develop teaching, learning and assessment activities of OBTL.

Two Conferences of Teaching experiences were held to help identify and share good teaching practices. These conferences enabled PUCP to systematize experiences and create a space for reflection and dialogue among colleagues to enrich the teaching quality. As a complement, the Academic Office of Faculty offered a psychological support program to help those professors affected physically and emotionally due to the health crisis and its consequences.

At present, the university is preparing training activities and guiding documents to return, mainly guiding teachers in the design of blended-learning courses and the use of hybrid classes in 2022.

  • Assistance to students and their wellness:

The week before classes started, “induction activities” took place in specific courses of each school. Students could interact with the platform, the professor and their classmates. Likewise, informational videos and guidelines were offered for a better understanding of this modality.

Due to the economic crisis caused by the lockdown period, exceptional economic support was given to students who were going through difficult times, which enabled them to continue with their studies. Besides, immediate assistance was given to students infected with COVID 19 and orphan scholarships to those experiencing an unfortunate parental loss.

Regarding psychological wellness and mental health, the Academic Office of Student Affairs (DAES) offered various services such as online psychological support, psycho-pedagogical counselling, training and classes of 16 types of sports on Facebook.

  • Actions to ensure quality:

Three mechanisms were selected to monitor and ensure teaching quality:

PAIDEIA Reports

The Department of Academic Affairs (DAA), together with the support of DTI, organized and presented weekly reports about the access and types of activities developed in every online course to each academic department.

The indicators reported by the platform in 2020 and 2021 were the following ones:

% of course-schedule identified to be taught online according to the curriculum of each department.

% of course-schedule on Paideia having a timeline for the registered distance learning modality.

% of students who join in their course-schedule.

% of students who make use of resources, such as “file”; “questionnaires”; “forums”; and “tasks” on Paideia.

Number of meetings held on Zoom by course-schedule.

Number of students enrolled by course schedule on Paideia.

Number of withdrawn students by program.

Thanks to this information, each school could identify possible problems in courses. Professors or students can also make decisions as well as take actions to improve.

  1. (b)

    Minimum required Documents on PAIDEIA

To inform SUNEDU about the academic offer at an institutional level, minimum required documents of each course on Paideia were established: syllabus, weekly schedule of the synchronous activities within the course time (no less than 50% of regular face-to-face classes) and other asynchronous; recordings of the synchronous classes; basic materials of the course: digital bibliography, web links, videos, among others.

  1. (c)

    Satisfaction survey on the online modality

At the end of the first semester of each year (2020–1 and 2021–1), satisfaction surveys were conducted among students and professors of undergraduate and graduate programs. Surveys were divided into three dimensions:

General experience (access to online resources, user-friendliness).

Perception of online modality (interaction, course organization, personal organization and communication, support given by university services).

Open questions to gather comments and experiences regarding the main weaknesses and strengths of the online modality experience.

These survey results were presented to the school and department authorities in order to identify possibilities of improvement when organizing and implementing upcoming semesters.

Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

Academic offer, access to the platform and support for the continuity of studies.

Together with the participation of departments and professors, PUCP made a major institutional effort to ensure equity in students’ access to most courses and to guarantee the continuity of the academic education. As Table 6.9 shows, the percentage of the academic offer in the distance modality during the first semester almost surpassed 85% of the total and improved substantially, reaching 98.8% in the academic semester 2021–2. In the semester 2021–2, blended learning courses were firstly offered in undergraduate programs (4.19%). These involved laboratories, workshops and fieldwork to maintain the learning quality, demanding for face-to-face experiences, were allowed by the current regulations.

Table 6.9 Courses that could be taught entirely online, courses that could not be taught entirely online and blended courses by semester (undergraduate and graduate programs)
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The continuity of education and the enrollment rate during this phase show positive results regarding the access and satisfaction with the teaching quality (Table 6.10). During the semester 2020–1, in addition to the lack of confidence in the quality of distance education, a higher number of students withdrew due to the initial impact of the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic and its consequences on families. However, the institutional effort to provide conditions to have access, equity and quality in education witnessed a significant increase in the number of students who re-enrolled in the following semester. This reveals that the technological and economic support provided by PUCP was efficient and that reliability in the quality of the modality improved substantially.

Table 6.10 Students enrolled, re-enrolled and withdrawn by semester (undergraduate and graduate programs)
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Additionally, periodical reports on access to the Paideia platform enabled each school to monitor efficiently the percentage of students accessing different courses and resources (documents, forums, activities and questionnaires). This information helped people detect difficulties in some courses, groups and professors, investigate their causes and propose improvements, ensure access and quality of teaching and learning.

Thanks to the monitoring system, planning and development of training actions, student engagement level also achieved a satisfactory result. As shown in Table 6.11, there is a high percentage (98%) of access and participation of undergraduate and graduate students in their courses, activities and resources on PAIDEIA. It should be noted that in the case of activities of some thesis seminars, other synchronous and asynchronous alternatives were used in order to carry out personalized counselling, which could explain why such access did not reach 100%.

Table 6.11 Percentage of students accessing the PAIDEIA platform
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During these two years, a series of supportive measures were implemented to guarantee equity and continuity in online teaching and learning activities. The connectivity fund provided support for more than 8000 beneficiaries, including students and professors (Table 6.12). In addition, the number of orphan scholarships caused by parental loss from COVID-19 increased in the last two years, reaching a total of 940 (Table 6.13).

Table 6.12 Beneficiaries of the connectivity fund by semester
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Table 6.13 Number of orphan scholarships by semester
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As the health crisis continuously affects the socioemotional aspect of the university community, PUCP accordingly developed a series of Wellness and Mental Health activities through psychological care and other actions. During the year 2020, a total of 7653 students were assisted; and during the year 2021, 3799 students were assisted. These actions contributed to ensuring the permanence and the learning process of those affected students.

Professors trained for quality teaching and online learning

Thanks to the variety of training actions and pedagogical and technological support, professors are reported to have built their capacity for distance teaching on the institutional platform and their use of OBTL tools. These competencies have contributed to improving the quality of OBTL. A total of 71.5% of active professors successfully completed the self-instructional course “Organize your PAIDEIA” offered at the start of the Pandemic in the semester 2020–1 (Table 6.14). And during the following semesters, new professors and those who wanted to design new courses using the online modality also took part in it.

Table 6.14 Professors enrolled and certified in the self-instructional course “Organize your PAIDEIA” by semester
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While the initial focus of these training sessions was the use of online tools and the assurance of information transmission, training also started to incorporate elements to encourage professors’ greater interaction and communication with students to contribute to improving the comprehensive education of students.

Student Satisfaction

The student satisfaction was evaluated through an annual survey (2020 and 2021) and a qualitative study before the start of the second year of OBTL (March 2021). Assessing the satisfaction in several aspects was a measure to evaluate the quality of OBTL and identify achievements and difficulties which led to improving the teaching and learning experience.

The satisfaction survey on the distance modality addressed to students was responded to by 55% of the population in 2020 and by 24% in 2021 and had a scale from 0 to 5.

General experience (access to online resources, user-friendliness).

Perception of the online modality OBTL (interaction, course organization, personal organization and communication, support given by university services).

Open questions to gather comments and experiences regarding the main weaknesses and strengths of the online modality experience.

At the beginning of 2021, based on 20 focus groups with students from different careers, a qualitative study was developed by focusing on online modality and learning assessment.

Students have become more adapted to the online learning platforms as OBTL implementation continues. The survey results show a gradual increase in the students’ satisfaction regarding the access to resources on Paideia and its user-friendliness. The percentage of very high and high satisfaction (scale 4 and 5) increased to 75% in 2021 compared to 52.5% in 2020. This positive result may have been caused by the improvement in the adaptation and learning curve in the use of the online classroom, but also by measures taken by the institutions or families based on their possibilities to improve online access. The usefulness of learning tools/activities on Paideia showed positive results above 50% except for forums, which reached only 25%. Based on these results, workshops were carried out with foreign specialists to advise on the best use of those tools.

The OBTL approach at PUCP was of high quality, according to the survey. Students showed a very high and high level of satisfaction with the courses’ overall quality. Over 60% were satisfied with the quality of the contents developed in the courses, increasing from 62.8% (in 2020) in the satisfaction level to 78% (in 2021). Similarly, tools considered as the most useful (with a high and very high level of satisfaction of 70%) were those in which professors presented content such as videoconferences (synchronously) and videos (asynchronously). Also, reading resources containing learning materials and exercises related to more practical activities showed high satisfaction (60%) as well.

The OBTL approach adapted by PUCP also encourages communications and enhances professor-student relationships. With respect to the communication and willingness of professors to resolve doubts, 56% of students expressed a high level of satisfaction in the first year, and this percentage increased by 67% in the second semester.

These results are analyzed in more detail with the qualitative study, where students value positively various online elements such as class recordings and greater access to online material. Since they can be reviewed at any time as a study resource or as a way to catch up, they can certainly contribute to greater equity and quality in students’ learning. Besides, this equity has been reinforced since the OBTL has allowed shortening the distance for students who live far from the campus and working people who have made faster progress in their careers, for the latter became able to study and work at the same time.

There are also downsides of the current OBTL approach worth considering. While the valuation of the online learning quality focuses mainly on the acquisition of content and exercises, students show lower satisfaction levels regarding their participation and interaction with classmates and organization of study time. These aspects were improved in the second year but still did not exceed 43% of high or very high satisfaction. These results indicate that students are more satisfied with the course, contents, materials and professors than with their own level of participation, interaction and organization showing in the learning process.

The effectiveness of online teaching seems to be greater in theoretical learning than in practical one. Professors have been able to transmit quality content through videoconferences in synchronous sessions, recordings, and reading materials. But they had greater difficulty designing experiences that promote practical and on-hand learning, as well as the interaction with and among students.

Professor Satisfaction Surveys

The satisfaction survey on the distance modality addressed to professors was answered by 53% of the population during the first year and by 28% during the second year, with a scale from 0 to 5. Generally speaking, professors at PUCP who responded to the survey have realized the strengths of OBTL and gradually become accustomed to the OBTL approach.

Professors showed high and very high satisfaction (scale 4 and 5) regarding the institutional training for OBTL. 76% of professors expressed satisfaction with the support provided by the University through the self-instructional course “Organize your PAIDEIA”; 68% with the support provided by the University through the assigned tutor; and 75% were satisfied with the training and micro-workshops offered by IDU. These results show the effectiveness of the training provided to professors to plan and develop their online teaching and learning activities.

These levels of satisfaction with the PAIDEIA platform resources are very high in both years. Professors were also satisfied with their own process of preparation and organization of their courses, which included the adaptation of the contents and activities proposed in the syllabus to the distance modality and their organization of time to address students’ doubts and queries.

It also shows high levels of satisfaction with their level of interaction with students in synchronous activities and with their level of interaction in asynchronous activities even though rates dropped slightly in the second year with an average of 10 percentage points, which may take place due to the perception of lower student participation.

The evaluation team sees the need for more reflection spaces on their teaching practice when dealing with students’ communication needs to address their doubts and queries. This last element presents a difference from the qualitative students’ opinions in which they express difficulties in this interaction, despite having a positive result in the survey.

Conclusion and Implications

With participative work among the Academic Vice-President’s office, the academic authorities and professors, it becomes feasible for PUCP to initiate its institutional adaptation process to OBTL and to face the challenges of the pandemic. Thanks to constant communication and coordination, the authorities of each department have participated in the decision-making and implementation of institutional policies, which guide academic planning and management, and in turn, meet the particular needs of each discipline to ensure academic quality.

Significant efforts have been made to support professors in the development of technological and pedagogical competencies, as well as to offer them resources and tools for OBTL. This training, together with the LMS support and resources provided by the library, led us to redesign 100% of the courses in the OB modality with a high level of satisfaction from both professors and students.

There is recognition of quality in the contents provided in OBTL, especially those theoretical ones, as well as resources allowing the transmission/ acquisition of information such as videoconferences, recordings, and readings. These digital or digitalized contents reinforce the academic quality of the acquired knowledge. Meanwhile, it also shows a weakness regarding the development of knowledge and competencies, which need to be put into practice and demand greater pedagogical challenges in OBTL, and need to be developed in a face-to-face or blended modality considering the nature of each discipline.

Communication and interaction between professors and students are aspects that need to be analyzed in detail since they express contradictory valuations regarding the satisfaction level in the survey and in the focus group. Since the quality of face-to-face communication has been affected, professors and students require a higher level of synchronous interactivity that promotes immediate feedback on the progress in the learning and teaching process. The communication aspect in the online classroom has been developed during the training for professors, which can also be improved from the pedagogical point of view with the possibilities provided by OBTL.

The health crisis and the impact on families and people have shown the importance of considering the care and prevention of mental health as part of the quality of education. Besides, the wellness of the community is also suggested to become an aspect that universities must guarantee beyond the pandemic.

Greater qualitative follow-up might be necessary regarding teaching and assessment practices to identify difficulties and good practices in practical courses, communication and evaluation in OBTL in different disciplines. According to PUCP’s experience, it could also be meaningful to unify criteria with institutional standards to guide the didactic design and assessment systems of courses in different modalities, taking into account the diversity of disciplines and the nature of courses.

Improving the monitoring indicators of quality parameters that allow compliance with the necessary process of continuous improvement might help the OBTL development—providing necessary information to be accountable from an internal quality system of the online and blended modality.

Due to changes experienced since September 2020, a participatory process of revision and updating of the PUCP Educational Model has been carried out to incorporate the technological and pedagogical changes to develop programs in blended and online modalities. The generic competencies of students and teaching roles in these modalities have been reviewed and updated, together with teaching and learning models, online resources and media, and the support that needs to be available and operational.

Appendix

See Tables 6.15, 6.16, 6.17 and 6.18.

Table 6.15 Number of professors participating in micro-workshops and workshops offered by IDU per semester
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Table 6.16 Gathering of teaching experiences in 2020: 72 experiences from 13 departments
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Table 6.17 Gathering of teaching experiences in 2021: 67 experiences from 15 departments
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Table 6.18 Teachers attended for psychological support by year
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6.14 Case 13: Papua New Guinea: COVID-19 Pandemic and the Abrupt Pivot to Online and Blended Learning at Papua New Guinea University of Technology

Authored by Dr. Tindi Seje Nuru, Associate Professor and Director of the Teaching and Learning, Papua New Guinea University of Technology, Email: tindiseje@yahoo.com /tindi.nuru@pnguot.ac.pg.

Executive Summary

As part of the expanding effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the educational systems in most countries around the world have been adversely affected, with most universities cancelling physical classes and abruptly shifting to the online and blended mode of lesson delivery and assessment as they seek to reduce COVID-19 spread. Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) has not been left out in this pivot. With the intent of identifying gaps and formulating strategies through the lens of a Quality Assurance framework, this report delves into the large-scale transformation of online learning that occurred at PNGUoT in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reports on the interventions taken by the university to ensure a seamless transition into this mode of learning that was considered the second class for so long and now suddenly deemed worthy of interest in an unprecedented way. Specific measures taken to ensure the quality of online and blended teaching and learning at PNGUoT are highlighted in this report and further how related guidelines were operationalized at various levels. On the brighter side of the pandemic, this paper also reports on the agile creativity and nimble adaptability that is also a characteristic of life in ‘the land of the unexpected’. As institutions seek to lead, innovate, and support online and blended teaching and learning, the report concludes with the impact achieved from the interventions and lessons learned from the entire experience that would foster quality assurance and make this pivot less brutal but more sustainable.

Introduction and Context

COVID-19 has ripped apart the comfortable assumptions about the world and how we as communities and societies should operate within it. Practices have been disrupted, such as students attending school in face-to-face settings, or groups of people chatting together in comfortable physical proximity. United Nations (2020) notes that this pandemic has occasioned the largest disruption of the education systems in recent history. Rosales (2021) argues that amid higher education’s seismic shift, colleges and universities are following the retail and service sectors in deploying technology to make the entire learner experience seamless—from recruitment and teaching to student and alumni interactions. While the pandemic has caused massive upheavals, it has also forced universities to use technology to bring much-needed change and innovations, making them more innovative and inventive (Champagne and Granja 2021). With COVID-19, many of these technologies and innovations have now been widely adopted across campus, a leap overnight that otherwise would have taken a generation or more to adopt (Flanagan 2021).

In the face of the worldwide social experiment where people were inventing, adapting and creating new practices of human sociality in academia, many instructors and learners, including those in Papua New Guinea (PNG), are frontline workers in this social experiment. In the context of PNG, the education of nearly 2.4 million students was abruptly disrupted by school closures following the government’s COVID-19 mitigation measures (Khan and Molendijk 2020), as reported in an article by Nuru et al. (2021). The higher education (HE) sector in PNG, like in most developing economies, needs to rethink and embrace innovative solutions that limit in-person class attendance, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Khan and Molendijk (2020) corroborate this unfortunate situation as they report on the obtaining conditions in PNG, arguing that instructors are vital to implementing education response to COVID-19 and need to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources to support remote learning. The PNG Department of Higher Education Science and Technology urges educational institutions to consider widening opportunities for educational services through digital avenues.

According to UNESCO (2013), it is imperative that higher education institutions have an ongoing, continuous process of evaluating, assessing, monitoring, guaranteeing, maintaining, and improving the quality of higher education provided. The Quality Assurance framework, as interpreted within the context of the existing quality management model at PNGUoT, is undergirded by the Academic Quality Assurance Team (AQAT). AQAT is under the umbrella of the University’s Academic Board Committee with a responsibility to foster quality teaching and learning across all Academic Departments in light of accreditation requirements. The AQAT also takes care of increasing graduates’ core competencies to meet employer expectations. During the pivot to online learning, AQAT worked with other academic departments in a cooperative spirit to achieve a culture of continuous improvement in course offerings across all instructional modes so that student learning is enhanced, and pedagogical standards upheld-this is now institutionalized as a routine practice within the university.

While deciding on the incorporation of online learning into current practices, Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) was cognizant of Sing and Hardaker’s (2014), that the decision-making process must be all-inclusive with a buy-in from all parties involved; a clear strategic vision should guide the entire effort and should be made known to all stakeholders. Coincidentally, shortly before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University had prioritized online learning in Domains 2 and 7 of its strategic plan 2020–2024 (PNGUoT 2022). An internal education policy document of PNGUoT was also developed to socialize the concept of online learning to relevant stakeholders across the university (Renagi 2021). It was, therefore, relatively easy for the University to activate its processes, systems and procedures so to address the challenges associated with the abrupt transfer to online teaching in the wake of COVID-19.

Against the backdrop of challenges occasioned by COVID-19, PNGUoT remained aware of the opportunities that online education could contribute to its mission to “grow world-class technocrats through high-quality experiential teaching, research and ardent application of scientific and technological knowledge and innovation.” Therefore, the University is committed to developing systems that would support high-quality online and blended education opportunities for its students.

Design and Implementation

Hinged on its 2020–2024 strategic plan, PNGUoT made impressive emphatic progress towards activating and implementing online learning in the wake of COVID-19. Over the past few years, the university has been using Google Classroom as its main Learning Management System (LMS). However, the university was also considering migrating into a site-wide adoption of Moodle platform that is well customized to improve online learning with content-driven concepts and data that backs it up (PNGUoT 2021). This is in line with Divine Word University (DWU, another university in PNG), which opines that social distancing restrictions are increasing the use of Moodle and also reinvigorating attention on the capabilities needed to support effective blended and online learning. In 2020, PNGUoT made a huge investment in online teaching infrastructure: paying for a site license for the Zoom app to enable seamless online interaction between academics and students, and subscription for a site license for Camtasia software helps in high-quality lecture video production and editing. All the academic departments were provided with Wacom Tablets with stylus pens that allow faculty to input graphical data online. Specifically, staff could now demonstrate how to derive an equation while using these stylus pens to write on screens for students who are attending the lectures virtually. Onboarding technology-mediated teaching and learning was relatively easy because PNGUoT also has a policy of giving laptops to every student on admission at the university. To ensure sustainable optimization of these efforts, the University also partnered with Digicel Telecommunication Company to provide all students with 20 GB of internet data plan per month, assigned to the students’ SIM cards and MiFi devices (PNGUoT 2021). The University also audited its ICT infrastructure and planned a major upgrade of its LAN and other infrastructures that support ICT. This resonates with a proposition by DWU’s experience (2020) that an important yet currently untapped idea to reduce internet expenses is to partner with internet service providers and relevant industries with a strong presence in PNG to support online learning.

To help staff take lessons from how other universities around the world were dealing with teaching continuity in the time of COVID-19, TLMU organized several in-house webinars and three international webinars. One under the title ‘Shifting Teaching and Learning online during COVID-19; Lessons learnt through research and practice’ was facilitated by an internationally renowned educational technologist, Ben Daniel, Ph.D., who is the Head of Higher Education Development Centre, University of Otago, New Zealand. The second international webinar was facilitated by Dr. Michele Dale, a senior Academic Developer from James Cook University-Australia. The webinar focused on ‘Student-Centred Teaching in the era of Online Teaching; great online engagement for optimum learning outcomes. The third international webinar was preceded by a survey ‘thriving in the face of a global pandemic: Options for students and young adults’, and targeted students and addressed relevant survey findings. This particular webinar was facilitated by Ms. Ruby Quantson Davis, an international learning and impact specialist (PNGUoT 2021).

To ensure inclusion and sustainability, the University also rethought its programs that were being offered on a face-to-face basis and made them fully adaptable to an online environment. PNGUoT continued repositioning itself to expand its pedagogical potency by taking remote learning to the next level since it ensured that staff who were undertaking their postgraduate course in student-centred teaching also balanced a blended model of in-person and online instruction as part of their orientation to online teaching (PNGUoT II 2020). The Teaching–Learning Methods Unit (TLMU), and Department of Distance Learning (DODL), of the University, extensively capacitated staff on the best ways to make online learning experiences coherent, educationally meaningful, and attractive to students. TLMU provides ongoing instructional support to staff in teaching online, redesigning course offerings, and determining which experiences to be done in person and those that can be done remotely. Whereas institutions may not want to remain online forever, they must prepare for moving towards blended learning as the “new normal” by embracing some of the tried and tested practices that PNGUoT adopted. The new shape of learning is will gradually be in the virtual space, and PNGUoT has robustly invested in making the online learning experience more human, enabling students to form bonds with one another, and better translate the campus experience to the computer screen. It is hoped that the future of online learning cannot be better enough for PNGUoT.

Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

The introduction of blended/online learning initiatives at PNGUoT to a greater extent allowed more equitable and inclusive access to quality higher education at the University. Learning outcomes and students’ learning experiences were greatly enhanced with the advent of these digital approaches. It is also evident that efficiency also increased in the education space given the automation of some routine tasks, flexible work arrangements, and the ability to benefit from analytics generated by the LMS that spurred data-driven decisions.

To help consolidate its experiences and put into perspective its opportunities for improvement, a survey was designed to get instructors’ and students’ individual experiences with Online Teaching that took place in Semester 1, 2020 at PNGUoT. In the second half of 2020, the University further hosted virtual seminars on online teaching experiences. It compared notes with other overseas universities regarding how they handled teaching–learning business continuity in the wake of COVID-19. The findings from the survey informed the content of the plenary discussion in these virtual conferences.

The survey noted that in the transition to the online learning systems, most students and instructors had a high percentage of laptop use (63.6%), probably because the university provides laptops to all first-year undergraduate students and new staff. Subsequently, this was closely followed by using desktops (34.1%), then finally mobile phones by students with very few opting to use tablets. These figures for students are not surprising given that most teenagers are often very handy with mobile phones than other devices. For the instructors, the predominant device usage was the laptop and desktop with a combined total of approximately 98% see Fig. 6.35. Furthermore, while most students confirmed their ability to utilize their primary devices in completing their studies, it is not the case for most instructors, as represented in Table 6.19. This is largely due to internet problems. The University thus must move with speed to resolve internet lethargy that bedevils the institution.

Fig. 6.35
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Devices used in assessing online classes (a) Student (b) Staffs

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Table 6.19 Summary of the quantitative dataset
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Additionally, data extracted from the questionnaire showed that an average of 75% of both instructors and the student population have issues with internet connection. One respondent reported that “I’m disturbed about our internet connection. When doing an online quiz or downloading materials from Google class and my internet plays up, that’s the end for me. But the majority of instructors have been incredibly helpful on these technical issues.” This represents a serious concern given that it is the foundation on which the online system is being deployed and can severely impact studies. The University, therefore, should invest in providing a more reliable internet plan. The bureaucracy around sim card issuance to students should also be lessened, and more sim cards made available to the students and staff in time.

Part of the online education system employed in PNGUoT at this time was based on pre-recorded videos that were uploaded to Google Classrooms together with lecture notes. This then left little room for an interactive synchronous and synchronous interaction between instructors and students, hence a considerable strain. While the recorded lectures were averagely between 10 to 30 min, few instructors uploaded videos of over an hour, and 17% of all instructors uploaded 10 min videos, probably due to limited technical competencies of video editing. Given that most PNGUoT students are used to long lectures, instructors might need new skills and knowledge to capture new education priorities and means of delivery.

When asked to contrast online/blended versus in-person experiences, qualitative responses reveal respondents’ paranoia around online teaching. While they appreciate its benefits, they also are quick to add that it just can never replace in-person classes “I’m already tired of studying in my lodging. The pain of physical distance remains strong. With Zoom, we’re doing everything we ought to do in a physical classroom; however, it’s impossible to replace a situation of getting close with instructors, schoolmates and other people (Fig. 6.36).”

Fig. 6.36
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The average time frame of recorded videos

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Conclusion and Implications

The survey results show that through the implementation of online and blended teaching and learning at PNGUoT, various devices are leveraged, among which laptops and desktops are most frequently used. However, the internet infrastructure needs to be updated to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Also, interactions between the lecturers and students of online education remain to be improved.

According to PNGUoT’s experience, the video quality of recorded lectures would affect the online learning platform’s user experience and impact students’ learning effectiveness. Thinking of ways to upload High Definition (HD) video lectures or providing alternatives might help to facilitate the university-wide willingness to participate in online and blended teaching and learning. That being said, a drawback of HD videos is often the final output size. For the instructors, uploading a video larger than 500 Megabytes on the Google Classroom platform already takes time due to the internet structure in the region, so people are being reluctant to use high-quality videos though it enhances the user experience. Simultaneously, the instructors seemed to struggle with work completion, given that 47% of the instructors found it quite difficult. Furthermore, instructors found it quite stressful to prepare lecture content on the online system. While these corroborate the that “disruption to education systems during the COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable learners, exacerbating pre-existing inequalities with potentially dramatic and long-lasting implications. This requires urgent action to address learning gaps and ensure smooth and continued educational pathways for all learners of new technologies, including instructors.

Fortunately, the aforementioned dilemma at PNGUoT has now been remedied by using Zoom live sessions, which can be recorded and made available to students. Most students currently report satisfactorily completing their required courses and assessment using the online platform. As OECD (2020) suggests, urgent actions are now required “to address learning gaps and ensure smooth and continued educational pathways for all learners”, and that “over the longer term, systems will need to strengthen learner resilience, fostering environments in which every individual has the competencies required to reach their full potential”. It points towards the need for further skilling instructors in the areas of developing instructional materials for the online environment, technological development and the use of a mix of technologies for online learning, strategies for evaluation of the process and outcomes of online learning, education about specific technical processes such as integrating multimedia applications, working knowledge of the range of students support services as outlined by USAID (2014). Pieces of training in this regard have been planned for in the ongoing in-house capacity-building programs, which will also help educational actors to nurture resilient mindsets that value people and processes over classroom devices. For example, collected data have shown that most instructors chose to use the software (Camtasia). PNGUoT purchased a university-wise license and provided training for lecture preparation, despite the existence of other available popular software.

Another issue of PNGUoT’s online and blended education worthwhile for future consideration is the attendance rate. Instructors also noted in their evaluation report that there was a sharp decline in the attendance rate after the switch to the online system, with 73% of the instructors stating that less than 25% of the total students attended live lectures and only 13% accounted for over 75% of class attendance. This was largely blamed on lack of devices by some students, lack of know-how on how to on-board online classes, and general fear and anxiety emanating from COVID-19, among many other excuses. The University needs to develop approaches to incentivizing students to attend online classes.

The online/blended system has also changed how students are being assessed. The online feature currently in vogue mostly favours written exams and multiple-choice questions rather than the traditional group projects and term papers, quizzes and tests in Mathematics and other technical exams. Online tools that convert mathematical equations into digital format and ‘workarounds’ such as uploading complex formatting as pictures have been part of the solution. But educators have to be able to identify technical solutions to challenges of teaching and assessing technical graphical concepts online. Whereas the university had invested in Camtasia software, it seemingly benefited instructors rather than students when it comes to assessments because students equally needed an interactive board where they could graphically present their calculations virtually. The qualitative responses reflect the challenges associated with online assessments: “While in Zoom we see people’s faces on the screen, it’s hard to reach out and build rapport with them. I’m missing a walk to the library or playing sports and even hanging out with our colleagues. Besides, I don’t seem to understand the entire online assessment processes since they leave a lot to be desired”. Quantitative responses reveal that blended learning experiences might remedy students’ struggles. 36% of instructors use rubric cube methods for assessing answers which involve a lengthy write-up, and 28.6% of instructors do not even bother to set this kind of question in their assessments of the students. Furthermore, rather than implementing the regular assessment of students based on a point-based marking or other formatted structure, most instructors (28.6%) preferred to use a pass or fail method for student assessment which might have disadvantaged some students. The results indicate a need to train instructors on assessments.

On the general experience gained from the usage of the online system, another set of data showed that an average number of students were satisfactorily able to utilize the new method in adjusting to the new educational system. At the same time, most instructors were not sufficiently able to manage this shift. It is clear that addressing online learning gaps (for both students and teachers) now will minimize disruptions in students’ education journeys and enable them to have high-quality teaching–learning experiences.

Last but not least, logistical and administrative support for instructors in preparing and conducting high-quality online programs might also significantly contribute to the overall effectiveness of OBTL. As posited by Fetzner (2003), technology is crucial, but it’s the provision of enabling support that allows people to collaborate, be creative and thrive with the right technology without losing connections between teams. Premised on the work of Abdulrahman (2015), the learning institutions need to provide logistical support that involves adequate access to contemporary technology and related paraphernalia: both hardware and software. Combining with PNGUoT’s experience, institutions are supposed to implement a framework for the provision of sustainable ongoing professional support in the use of ICT for their workforce. There should be targeted training that is informed by a needs analysis, and instructors should be incentivized to attend these capacity-building initiatives.

The post-pandemic era demands new models for higher education, and OBTL has proven itself an adaptable approach to teaching and learning. Universities are suggested to make strategic investments in ICT adoption and diffusion, as well as provide support to enable the campus community to benefit meaningfully from the availed technology through online and blended forms of education.

6.15 Case 14: The Right Time to Receive a Helping Hand: A Story of Blended Learning Practices at the University of Colombo

Authored by Thushani Alwis Weerasinghe, Senior Lecturer, University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC), Sir Lanka. e-mail: taw@ucsc.cmb.ac.lk.

Executive Summary

Technology-enhanced education has proven benefits for higher education. Having understood that, the University of Colombo has been using online learning technologies for their distance learning programmes, such as postgraduate and external bachelor’s degree programmes. However, until 2017, the adoption of e-learning technologies in internal undergraduate programmes was minimal. With the support of the SFIT-blended learning project of UNESCO-ICHEI, Shenzhen, China, during 2017–2019, the University of Colombo could introduce blended learning practises in their internal undergraduate programmes.

This project motivated all the lecturers to convert their courses to blended learning courses. During the project, the academic staff were trained on designing and developing blended learning content, activities, and e-assessments. By then, the faculties who did not have learning management systems (LMS) implemented Moodle LMS, and others upgraded their LMS. The lecturers researched blended learning practices and evaluated the effectiveness of their interventions. Their findings were presented at a blended learning symposium. At the end of the project, there were 50 blended learning courses, and 20 staff members qualified to train others on developing blended learning courses.

As a result, the university could face the pandemic more confidently. Blended learning policy drafted during the project was considered for improving teaching–learning quality frameworks and assessment criteria to improve online and blended teaching–learning practices in the university. Based on the experience, a checklist has been developed to ensure the quality of online learning courses in undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. The distance learning centre of the University of Colombo was renamed as Cyber Campus and broadened its vision to introduce international collaborations and expand its capabilities and services.

Today almost all the teaching–learning activities at the university are carried out online using the new blended learning approach of synchronous and asynchronous teaching–learning. All lectures conducted online are recorded and made accessible via LMS or Youtube. Therefore, most lecturers have already recorded video lectures that can be reused after editing if required. They can use these video lectures for developing other courses. Also, they can upload the videos to the LMS before the online class and practice the flipped-classroom approach to make their online sessions more interactive.

Introduction and Context

The University of Colombo is located in the heart of the commercial capital in Sri Lanka. It is the oldest and the best university in Sri Lanka (Cybermetrics Lab 2021). Currently, it has ten faculties, eight institutes, and one campus conducting internal undergraduate programmes.

Having understood that technology-enhanced education has proven benefits for higher education, the University of Colombo has been making a tremendous effort to adopt online learning technologies to their study programmes. Mainly, the student following distance learning programmes, such as postgraduate and external bachelor’s degree programmes, received OBTL (Online and Blended Teaching and Learning) benefits. Some programmes had their own Learning Management Systems (LMS) and delivered courses online. For example, the Bachelor of Information Technology programme of the University of Colombo School of Computing introduced their LMS in 2006 with interactive learning content, activities, and quizzes. The students found this learning content very useful and effective. The research carried out at the university implies that blended learning practices can improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning activities at the university (e.g., Hewagamage et al. 2007; Someratna and Weerasinghe 2016). However, developing such highly interactive learning content needed skilled and dedicated staff. It was not feasible to keep such a staff team by many other faculties who depended totally on the government’s financial support. As a result, the adoption of e-learning technologies in internal undergraduate programmes was minimal. Even though several faculty-level projects were conducted to introduce OBTL, adopting such practices to undergraduate programmes was not considered mandatory.

The staff had barriers such as a lack of information technology infrastructure and technical experts to support practising OBTL. Therefore, even the compulsory staff training programmes such as the Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (CTHE) did not include OBTL in their curricula. Also, when designing curricula and courses, OBTL was not considered an essential component. However, the administration appreciated the lecturers who practised OBTL and created online course environments.

The Network Operating Centre introduced Moodle LMS to all the faculties and provided technical support to administer the systems. But the lecturers did not have the required knowledge and skills to develop online or blended learning content. In this needful situation, the university received tremendous support from its kind friend, UNESCO-ICHEI, Shenzhen, China. With the support of their blended learning project of UNESCO-ICHEI, which was titled “Shenzhen Funds-In-Trust (SFIT) Project on Seizing Digital Opportunities in Higher Education: Building staff capacity for ICT-driven innovation in Cambodia and Sri Lanka” and was conducted from 2017 to 2019, the University of Colombo could introduce blended learning practises to their internal undergraduate programmes.

The project could bring positive change to the teaching–learning practices. This paper discusses how the University of Colombo faced the challenge of introducing OBTL to their undergraduate courses.

Design and Implementation

The project was conducted in two phases: Phase I to train the staff to develop blended learning activities and Phase 2 to initiate faculty-level projects and introduce blended learning to internal undergraduate courses (See Fig. 6.37).

Fig. 6.37
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Project phases

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Each phase of the project was started by signing an agreement between the UNESCO-ICHEI and the University of Colombo. Planning was done collaboratively, involving all stakeholders of the project. The Bangkok Office of UNESCO supported the project administration by providing necessary budget lines, keeping track of the progress and sending review comments. The university appointed a project coordinator and a steering committee to manage the project. The author of this paper played the coordinator’s role. The steering committee consisted of the Rector of the campus, Deans of the faculties and the institute Directors. The Vice-Chancellor played the role of Project Director, and to advise the project coordinator and the team, two advisors were also appointed. This structure supported conducting all project activities very smoothly. The steering committee had meetings at least once a month to discuss the progress and solve the issues.

Phase I

It was started by assessing the status of blended learning practices using the self-assessment framework and tool of Lim and Wang (2016) and the possibility of practising blended learning at the university. By that time, the university had only 18 entities which consisted of faculties, institutes, a campus and a school. Each entity conducted the self-assessment and prepared a list of objectives and key performance indicators to measure and determine the achievement of objectives. As the second step of Phase I, each entity was requested to submit a proposal to improve their blended learning practices. By examining all proposals, the UNESCO-ICHEI identified one entity to develop an online course to practice blended learning.

The next step in Phase I was to conduct a capacity development programme for all university academic staff. This activity aimed to make “blended learning champions” who could take initiatives to introduce blended learning activities to curricula at their faculties or institutes of the university and lead their fellow academic staff members to implement policies and strategies required to practice blended learning activities. For this purpose, this activity attempted to achieve the following set of objectives;

  • develop positive attitudes towards blended learning in the academic staff,

  • increase the number of courses using blended learning practices,

  • develop action plans to carry out blended learning practices, and.

  • encourage a culture of sharing best practices of blended learning.

The responsibility for conducting these programmes was borne by the Staff Development Centre (SDC) and the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC). The programme conducted by the SDC discussed adult learner characteristics, learning theories and the difference between physical and virtual learning environments. Thereby, the SDC helped their programme participants determine the best practices and decide what learning activities should better be conducted in a blended learning approach. At the end of this programme, the participants had to present their improved syllabi incorporating blended learning activities.

The UCSC supported the programme participants in developing their blended learning activity development skills. The participants of the UCSC programme engaged in designing, developing and implementing sample online learning activities.

Phase II

After successfully completing Phase I, Phase II of the project was launched in September 2018 in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor and with the participation of the steering committee. Five entities were selected to conduct mini-projects considering the number of students they have and the nature of the subject content they cover in their programmes. The five entities were Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Management and Finance, Institute of Agro-Technology and Rural Sciences and Sri Palee Campus. The overall purpose of this project was to increase access to quality higher education in Sri Lanka through technology and strategic partnerships that advance teaching and learning and promote effective institutional governance. To achieve this goal, the project aimed to achieve the following set of objectives.

Improve curricula and course syllabi based on the blended learning model at five academic entities of the University of Colombo.

Conduct applied research on effective and sustainable governance of blended learning at the University of Colombo.

Launch a pilot visiting faculty/partnerships scheme for sustaining blended learning.

At the initial stage of Phase II, the selected faculties improved curricula and course syllabi incorporating blended learning activities. All blended learning implementations were planned and conducted as action research (see Fig. 6.38).

Fig. 6.38
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Action research design

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Accordingly, the staff gathered data from the students and administration to determine the feasibility of conducting blended learning as curricular activities. They analysed the collected data and designed blended learning activities for selected sections in their course syllabi. The blended learning activities were designed and developed following the blended learning development process (see Fig. 6.39).

Fig. 6.39
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Blended learning development process

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Since the blended learning process steps could be mapped easily with the steps in the action research process, the staff found their work interesting and got motivated to report and discuss their findings. The blended learning courses were evaluated by a panel appointed by the respective entity (faculty/institute/campus). The developers/lecturers of the best courses were invited to submit an abstract reporting their findings. Also, they were allowed to present their findings at a blended learning symposium. The abstracts were collected and prepared a book of abstracts (University of Colombo 2018).

Results and Findings

The results of the self-assessment conducted at the beginning of the project were prepared considering only the seven faculties, four institutes and one campus as other entities failed to do and submit the analysis on time. The results are presented on a Radar Chart (see Fig. 6.40). It revealed that none of the dimensions had reached its topmost level (level 3). Also, six dimensions: (1) Curriculum, (2) Professional Development, (3) Infrastructure, Facilities, Resources and Support, (4) Policy and institutional structure, (5) Partnership and (6) Research and Evaluation- need more attention than the other two. Since the curriculum cannot be changed in the middle of a semester, the university decided to address the five other dimensions that required immediate attention (2–6) during the project. However, during the workshops conducted in Phase II of the project, the staff discussed how the curriculum could also be improved to accommodate blended learning practices.

Fig. 6.40
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Status of blended learning practices: areas that need particular concern

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Each entity’s key performance indicator (KPI)s submitted were categorised and prioritised to prepare the following set of KPIs.

Number of staff using the LMS.

Number of Technical Staff recruitment and their availability.

Number of staff training workshops or discussions/year.

Stakeholder engagements.

Students’ attendance percentage.

Number of publications related to O.B.T.L./year.

Students’ satisfaction rate.

Students’ performance evaluation marks.

Number of national and international partnerships.

Number of projects related to blended learning.

Number of new courses using blended or online learning technologies.

Number of courses receiving above 75% positive feedback from students.

Number of IT-based teaching and assignment methods introduced.

Number of video courses developed.

Phase II of the project was conducted with five entities: Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Management and Finance, Institute of Agro- Technology and Rural Sciences and Sri Palee Campus of the university. Each faculty improved the syllabus of a selected course in one of their undergraduate programmes. The syllabi were evaluated using a checklist. The results of the evaluation are presented in Table 6.20.

Table 6.20 Evaluation of blended learning syllabi
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The findings shown in Table 6.20 informed the requirement of preparing a blended learning policy, netiquette and a set of procedures and guidelines to support the students. This requirement was partly met by a resource person from the UCSC who shared all her resources with the other entities and explained how they could be customised to meet the entity requirements.

There were lecturers who had prior experience in practising blended learning (Weerasinghe 2018), and they were identified as resource persons to conduct training for other lecturers for the sake of efficiency. Accordingly, each entity conducted train-the-trainer programmes with the support of resource persons. Each programme consisted of four or five workshops. Participants of these workshops worked in teams to develop online courses to practice blended learning. Outcomes and findings of the activities and the current practices are summarised below with respect to the blended learning dimensions: (1) Professional development, (2) Learning support, (3) Research and evaluation, (4) Infrastructure, facilities, resources and support, (5) Internal partnership and collaboration and (6) Policy and institutional structure, which were aimed to enhance during Phase II of the project.

Professional development

Fifteen to forty staff members were trained with the support of blended learning champions at the entity and resources persons. The resource persons and the coordinators of train-the-Trainer workshops prepared online courses (see Fig. 6.41 for an example) to share resources related to the workshops. These online courses shared tools and step-wise guides to develop blended learning activities.

Fig. 6.41
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Online course environment of blended learning programme at the law faculty

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The participants were trained to use tools such as H5P, Articulate and iSpring to develop interactive learning content that can be used before or after the lecture. Also, they used online tools such as Mentimeter (from www.mentimeter.com), Kahoot (from kahoot.com and kahoot.it) and Zeetings (from www.zeeting.com) to develop blended learning activities that can be conducted during lectures.

Training Outcomes

At the end of the training programmes, the participants could improve their knowledge and develop skills related to blended-learning activity development. They could design attractive online courses (An example is shown in Fig. 6.42). Also, there was a clear indication of enhancing positive attitudes towards e-learning and b-learning. Those who had negative attitudes towards e-learning and blended learning could at least share positive thoughts and ideas and appreciate the other’s work.

Fig. 6.42
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An online course developed by art faculty

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Blended learning activities developed by the trainees:

The participants could develop different types of learning content. There were interactive online learning activities that could be attempted off-class/at home (See Fig. 6.43), blended learning activities that could be conducted during lectures (See Fig. 6.44) and Moodle LMS-based online quizzes to evaluate students’ learning achievements.

Fig. 6.43
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Different types of activities developed by the entities

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Fig. 6.44
figure 46

A blended learning activities conducted during in-class lecture sessions

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The blended learning activities and online courses were evaluated using paper-based or online questionnaires (see Fig. 6.45) and interviews. The evaluation results informed that most students were delighted with the new learning method. For instance, a student at Management Faculty reported: “interactive contents enable to overcome the boredom and enhance the understanding of the concepts” covered in the lesson. Online feedback received from a student at the Law Faculty revealed that the online activity helped them understand the lesson’s key points, and practising blended learning in the classroom supported them to clarify doubts by engaging in discussions.

Fig. 6.45
figure 47

A course evaluation questionnaire from art faculty

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Learning support

Some lecturers had to develop course content in Sinhala medium too to support the students studying in the blended learning environment. The students were supported with online learning content, activities and assessments. All learning components were designed following instructional design guidelines such as Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction (Merrill 2009), Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction (Gagne et al. 2005) and design principles and guidelines to promote individual and collaborative learning (Weerasinghe 2015). Therefore, lecturers could easily support the students’ learning via online courses designed for blended learning. The students were facilitated through discussion forums and in-class face-to-face instructions during online activities. Also, LMS administrators and instructors of the relevant courses shared their contact information to support the students to solve their technical problems. The LMS administrators got motivated to upgrade their servers and keep monitoring system activities. Some entities organised special workshops for students to learn how to use the LMS.

Both lecturers and students highly appreciated this new approach and provided comments and suggestions to further improve the blended learning practices. For instance, lecturers suggested the importance of preparing a blended learning policy and incorporating blended learning into the programme evaluation criteria. A student reported that it is better to use forums for discussions than chat rooms as the forums are well organised and easy to follow.

Research and evaluation

Each entity developed 3 to 10 courses and selected the best courses for presenting at the symposium. Altogether there were 49 well designed online courses (Table 6.21). The results of their course evaluations and experience were reported in the book of abstract (University of Colombo 2018).

Table 6.21 Number of online/blended learning courses developed
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The entities had a common set of problems, such as lack of time to do learning activities during lecture hours, students’ poor attention and attendance to lectures and poor or no interaction among the students and between the lecturer and the students. Blended learning activities were designed to address these problems as described in Sects. 2.2 and 3.1.2. Research studies were designed following the steps in Action Research (Elliot 1991) (See Fig. 6.38).

The findings informed that students were highly satisfied with the new approach and could learn effectively using it. For example, feedback received by Arts Faculty can be seen in Fig. 6.45.

The students’ and lecturers’ feedback and comments can be used to improve the blended learning practices in the future. For example, a student reported the importance of setting deadlines for forum discussions. It can be easily implemented with the forum settings in the Moodle LMS.

The students and the lecturers encountered several issues in developing and delivering blended learning activities and courses due to their lack of technical skills and infrastructure. More than 50% of the students have used their mobile phones to access the LMS resources and even attempt the quizzes. ITo address these kinds of issues, the university can invite the industry to provide a cheap and best solution for the students and lecturers. Also, many banks have already introduced loan schemes to support students in purchasing laptops.

Infrastructure, facilities, resources and support

Most of the issues that the lecturers and students faced were related to the poor quality of the network connection, outdated software and lack of computers and required software to develop blended learning content. Also, the entities selected for the present study emphasised the importance of continuous support from the university’s management, the Network Operating Centre and the UCSC for the sustainability of the blended learning practices at their entities.

Further, the entities insisted that their staff and the students need to have at least computers and an internet connection to practise blended learning at their entities. Since some students were having financial difficulties, they could not afford computers or the internet. Most of these students were from rural areas, and they stayed in university hostels. Therefore, one suggestion was to provide some computers and internet connection to the hostels and open more computer laboratories at the university.

Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this issue was addressed by offering computer loans through the University Grant Commission of Sri Lanka and the scholarships and donations provided by the external parties connected with the university. The Alumni Association of the university played a major role in this endeavour. With their support, the infrastructure issue could be solved to a greater extent. However, due to the geographical challenges and lack of landline connections to the internet, many students used mobile networks and often encountered connection drops.

Therefore, lecturers have to record all lectures, upload them to live stream platforms or Cloud services and share their links via the LMS. But students prefer to access all resources via LMS as it costs less, considering that the internet service providers introduce special rates for accessing data from school and university networks, and that it is easier to download from LMS than from commercial platforms. Since the university does not have adequate space in their servers to keep all video recordings, the lecturers are advised to delete the video files after keeping them accessible for one or two weeks. This strategy of recording, editing, uploading and deleting has increased the lecturers’ workload drastically. Therefore, as a solution and with the consent from UNESCO-ICHEI, the university purchased data storage, spending the unutilised funds of the SFIT project. However, due to the increasing number of study programmes, courses, and students, the servers’ storage space needs to be used carefully. A policy, guidelines and procedures should be prepared to support all users.

Internal partnership and collaboration

University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) has experience in teaching and developing blended learning courses. Therefore, UCSC supported the five selected entities to conduct Train-the-Trainer workshops during this project phase.

Also, the Network Operating Centre of the university provided constant support during the project by providing necessary instructions and guidance to solve network issues at the entities. Some faculties had old versions of LMS. As lecturers were not interested in online learning or blended learning, the faculty did not make any effort to improve their LMS. For instance, the Faculty of Law had an old version (Moodle 3.1) of Moodle, and there were several issues with their LMS. The staff were reluctant to use the system as it was too slow to respond. With the provision of the project, Law faculty could get support from the Network Operating Centre and the UCSC to solve their network and LMS issues. Thereby, they could get a new version of Moodle LMS (version 3.5) and transfer all the courses to the new LMS. The new system worked fast, and the staff were excited to work.

Policy and institutional structure: Policies and guidelines for faculty governance.

The applied research work at the entities informed that there should be sets of policies and guidelines to best practice blended learning at the entity and the university. The sets of policies and procedures identified by the entities are as follows.

Policies:

Faculty/entity level decisions should be taken by engaging with the curriculum review committee and quality assurance cell to promote the integration of blended learning.

All academic staff should undergo professional development programmes on blended learning.

IT infrastructure acquisition plans should be incorporated into the faculty strategic plans by periodically identifying infrastructure needs at the faculty/entity for promoting blended learning.

Rules and regulations of the faculty/entity should be revised to enable blended learning integrations.

All curricula of degree programmes should be improved to include blended learning activities.

All courses should have blended learning activities.

Conduct staff and student training programmes at the beginning of each academic year.

Strengthen internal as well as external partnerships for the sustainability of blended learning.

Promote research studies on blended learning.

Guidelines:

Entities informed that there should be guidelines to design syllabi for blended learning, preparing netiquettes, technical and service support, evaluation of blended learning courses, obtaining students’ feedback and analysis for improvement, archiving of a digital repository for future resource sharing and management and applying for innovative teaching and research awards. Further, they identified the following guidelines.

Plan and design blended learning modules with the support of the pedagogical experts/subject matter experts and content developers and take into account resources available at the faculty/entity.

Get approval from the Quality Cell and Review committee at the faculty for faculty level consistency.

Organise and sequence teaching–learning activities in line with the faculty level academic calendar.

Provide required prior training for students and encourage student collaboration.

Support students during the process.

Ensure that all the students have access to necessary technology before conducting specific blended learning activities such as online quizzes and assignments.

Monitor the status of the technology regularly and take necessary steps to rectify any issues.

Conduct staff training programmes to train the staff to use new technologies.

Introduce external partnerships to enhance the quality of blended learning practices.

Further, the faculties, campus and institute emphasised the importance of having a tool to assess the quality of online courses. Therefore, a checklist was prepared (See Annexe) based on our experience and referring to Weerasinghe et al. (2009) and Hill (n.d). The checklist was shared among the UCSC’s academic staff and the Director, Centre for Quality Assurance (https://cqa.cmb.ac.lk/) for their comments and feedback.

Impact on Equity, Quality and Efficiency

During Phase I of the SFIT-Blended Learning project, the lecturers were trained on designing and developing blended learning content, activities, and e-assessments. By then, the faculties previously not having LMS implemented such a system, and others received expert support to upgrade their outdated versions. Since all entities used Moodle LMS software, it was easy to instruct how to design and develop the LMS-based online courses. At the end of Phase I of the project, 20 staff members qualified to train others on developing blended learning courses. They were the champions to promote online and blended learning practices at their faculties, institutes and the campus.

Phase II of the project motivated the lecturers to conduct research studies with their blended learning practices and evaluated the effectiveness of their interventions. Their findings were presented at a blended learning symposium organised by the project. At the end of the project, 50 courses used blended learning practises. The re-assessment of blended learning status conducted by the five entities that contributed to Phase II of the project revealed that the project supported improving all the dimensions (See Fig. 6.46).

Fig. 6.46
figure 48

Status of blended learning at the end-of-the project

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The university could learn about its resources persons who can provide support to others. All entities of the university could strengthen their friendly ties with other entities. Thereby, they could be empowered with the knowledge and skills required to practice blended learning.

The project motivated the lecturers to convert their courses to blended learning courses. As a result, the university could face the COVID-19 pandemic more confidently. The students and the lecturers were ready to conduct teaching–learning activities online. According to Fig. 6.47, the students and the lecturers in the University of Colombo could use the LMS more than the other state universities in the country.

Fig. 6.47
figure 49

A screen image from https://learnaclk.wordpress.com/

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Since all lectures were recorded and shared online, the students who failed to be online during synchronous online sessions also could learn effectively. There was no significant difference between the students’ examination marks and pass rates before and during the pandemic.

Today almost all the teaching–learning activities at the university are carried out online using the new blended learning approach of synchronous and asynchronous teaching–learning. The distance learning centre of the University of Colombo was renamed as Cyber Campus and broadened its vision to introduce international collaborations and expand its capabilities and services.

Strengthening our friendship with the UNESCO-ICHEI, the university of Colombo has become a direct counterpart/partner of their project on the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE). As a major activity of its main platform, IIOE, UNESCO-ICHEI offered a new project to the university to co-develop a video course titled Video-based Learning Content Development for e-Learning and b-Learning, and the course will be delivered via IIOE. This course will support the academic staff of the University of Colombo and the universities in South Asia and African countries to design and develop video courses for the IIOE. It will be an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and experience in the regions and support each university to increase the efficiency of their study programmes.

Conclusion and Implications

The blended learning self-assessment conducted at Phase I revealed the status of blended learning practices and supported identifying the areas to be considered to promote blended learning practices at the university. Also, we could identify blended and online learning champions in each faculty. With that finding, the university entities could conduct staff training sessions further to disseminate the new knowledge and experience they gained during the project. Additionally, during Phase II of the project, five entities were selected to conduct mini-projects supporting the specific capacity development requirements for practising blended learning. The project activities were conducted focusing on six major dimensions: Professional development, Infrastructure, facilities, resources and support, Partnership, Policy and institutional structure, Research and evaluation and Learning support.

The attempts to improve the six dimensions and the findings informed that the university should improve its blended learning practices. For that, continuous monitoring and assessment of blended learning status can be conducted using the self-assessment tool. More importantly, programme curriculum and assessment criteria need to be revised to incorporate blended learning practices. Additionally, student support services such as help desks and online libraries need to be provided. Special consideration must be made to support the differently-abled students currently supported by the respective staff and student groups with much dedication. For this purpose, research and development activities can be started with national and international contributions to developing new and improved information systems and special devices.

The experience of the academic staff directly involved in the project and the students who participated in the blended learning activities informed that blended learning could make the learning more interesting and compelling. Based on the research findings conducted at the entities, the university attempted to prepare a set of policies and guidelines to practice blended learning. This draft set of policies and procedures needs to be improved based on the experience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the checklist prepared to assess the quality of online courses (see Annexe) needs to be used to improve the existing course assessment rubrics and programme review criteria.

The university well appreciated the support received from the international partnership as it supported the university to get ready to face the pandemic competently. With the new project on co-development of video courses and future projects, the university will work with the UNESCO-ICHEI more collaboratively, benefiting both parties and the world. Furthermore, the University of Colombo seeks international partnerships to collaborate with research studies. Thereby, the University of Colombo plans to make its’ vision of blended learning to be realised.

Acknowledgement:

The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Senior Professor Lakshman Dissanayake, the Deans, Directors, Rector, entity-level project coordinators and the other university staff who supported conducting the SFIT-Blended Learning project during 2017–2019 are acknowledged for their dedicated contributions. Especially the lecturers who practised blended learning in their courses and submitted reports on their experience and students’ feedback are highly appreciated. Moreover, the present Vice-Chancellor, Senior Professor Chandrika N. Wijerathna, who motivated all the staff to continue improving blended learning practices, is also acknowledged.

Annexe:

General information

√/X

1.

Course title: This should be clear and come on the top of the course home page

 

2.

Course description: Brief description of the course describing the goal, major topics, activities, and assessments and what kind of learning behaviour is expected

 

3.

Course outcomes: A list of course-level intended outcomes addressing higher-level thinking skills. All the outcomes (competencies) should be written from the learners’ perspective. These competencies can be defined in the online course and linked with the course activities and assessments

 

4.

Facilitators’ information: Names and the contact information (emails) of the lecturers and the academic support staff members assigned to the course for delivering the course

 

5.

Netiquettes: A link to read the netiquettes is provided

 

6.

Terms of use and acknowledgement (if required) page: A page providing the copyright information and describing how students should use the content in the online course

 

7.

Syllabus and schedule: Syllabus is prepared using the template shared by the faculty/department. An online course syllabus should provide the list of topics, time allocated for each major topic, schedule of continuous assessments, and the rubric for the final grade

 

Quality Assurance Checklist for Blended/Online Learning Courses

Course structure

√/X

1.

Organise the course content in the order of the syllabus

 

2.

Maintain consistency and use standard terminology to quickly identify different types of course components such as activities, notes, manual, section, sub-section, and assessments. E.g., Sect. 1: Introduction to programming

 

3.

Easy to identify the main sections and sub-sections

 

4.

Maintained consistency in designing section headings -considered font size, colour, and style

 

5.

Content in each section has been organised in the same order (e.g., each section lists the teacher’s note on the top)

 

Lesson content

√/X

1.

All the content contributes to achieving the stated intended learning outcomes or competencies

 

2.

Audio/video contents are audible enough and free of noise, and graphical content should be clear enough for understanding

 

3.

Downloadable materials are cited where appropriate, and copyright information is provided

 

4.

Links to supplementary content are updated and active

 

5.

Content is current/updated

 

6.

Tools/software needed to study/view the lesson content are readily available

 

Activities

√/X

1.

They help the students to achieve the intended learning outcomes

 

2.

Activities are well designed for authentic learning

 

3.

Different types of activities have been designed to create interest

 

4.

All activities encourage learners to engage in the learning process actively

 

5.

Collaborative learning activities–encourage peer interaction and co-construction of knowledge

 

6.

Instructions are clear

 

7.

Deadlines are set and communicated to the students

 

8.

The feedback procedure is planned and informed

 

9.

Tools/software needed to do the activities are readily available

 

10.

An adequate amount of time is allocated

 

11.

Students’ workload in the course has been considered

 

Assessments

√/X/NA

1.

Assignments have been aligned with the intended learning outcomes to measure the attainment of outcomes/competencies

 

2.

Instructions are clear

 

3.

The number of marks allocated for each assessment component is provided

 

4.

The time allocated for the assessment is adequate

 

5.

Assessments have been designed following the assessment preparation guidelines

 

6.

Problem-solving/issue handling processes are identified, and relevant information has been provided to the students

 

7.

Alternative methods of submissions have been identified and informed

 

8.

All required devices and software to do the assessment and submit the answers are clearly stated

 

9.

Tools/software needed to do the assessments are readily available

 

10.

Ample time is allocated to do the pilot assessment

 

11.

Marking and feedback processes have been defined

 

12.

The grade book has been set up

 

Course delivery

√/X

1.

Announcements–send announcements to pass messages to all the students–e.g. Welcome to the course and regarding zoom sessions, assignment deadlines and online assessments

 

2.

Send private messages to address issues of individual students–send messages to the students who do not attend online sessions, not complete activities and assignments

 

3.

At least once in two weeks, check the activity reports and students’ participation in the course activities

 

4.

Send reminders to the students who do not access the course for more than two weeks

 

5.

Check all links and verify they are valid and active

 

6.

Hide the links of overdue assignments or add restrictions to make them inactive automatically

 

7.

Delete the irrelevant/old content that you need not have in the course

 

If lecturers design their course evaluations, they can refer to the following checklist to ensure they have designed it appropriately.

Course evaluation checks

√/X

1.

Whether the design of each course component (lesson content, activities and assessments) is good

 

2.

Whether the structure of the course is clear

 

3.

Easiness to navigate and find the required content

 

4.

Clarity of the instructions

 

5.

Relevancy of the content

 

6.

Readability of the downloadable material

 

7.

Quality of the multimedia (audio, video and graphic content)

 

8.

Adequacy of the time allocated for each assignment component and activity

 

9.

Adequacy of the learner support during assessments

 

10.

The usefulness of the feedback

 

6.16 Case 15: The Philippines: Post-COVID Educational Innovations from Practices and Challenges of Teacher Education Institutions During the Pandemic

Authored by Jerome T. Buenviaje, Ph.D., Dean, College of Education, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Executive Summary

The emergence of the COVID-19 global outbreak brought unprecedented disruptions in people’s daily lives worldwide. Community quarantines were imposed as the only measure to limit the spread of the virus. As regular face-to-face interaction became restricted, in-person classes were inevitably suspended. In the Philippines, millions of learners were affected by this educational crisis; thus, learning continuity amidst the pandemic emerged as a major concern. The situation demands an immediate transition from traditional to online or alternative learning modes.

At the tertiary level, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in the Philippines formulated the guidelines for flexible learning implementation or CHED Memorandum Order No. 4, series of 2020 (CMO 4, s2020). Although flexible learning is derived as the best possible solution, it requires a major transformation of the higher education landscape. Consequently, higher education institutions (HEIs) were challenged to make immediate preparations and drastic adjustments to keep up with the rapid paradigm shift in education and technology.

Meanwhile, most teacher education institutions (TEIs) in the country took the lead in flexible learning implementation. Hence, this study examined the responses of select TEIs regarding their flexible learning implementation as constituted in CMO 4, s2020. Data were analyzed through various components of flexible learning modalities, which are also the theoretical lenses of this article. Through the responses of these seven (7) TEIs from the three major islands of the Philippines, valuable practices, challenges, and innovations emerged. These are later presented as key lessons and opportunities from the pandemic that can serve as a reference for future practices and research.

Introduction and Context

The Philippine government imposed a total lockdown in mid-March 2020 as a primary measure to prevent the widespread of COVID-19 disease (Presidential Proclamation 922). This historical event disrupted the usual activities and has brought crises in different sectors such as business, manufacturing, tourism, education, performing arts, agriculture, and other industries. According to Yu et al. (2020), the prolonged community quarantines or lockdowns in the Philippines had a consequential impact on the nation’s economy. Specifically, it affected the national economy and resulted in a 16.5% decrease in the second quarter of the 2020 national GDP (Philippine Statistics Authority 2020).

The education sector likewise has been greatly affected by the prolonged lockdowns in the country. UNESCO (2020) identified over 28 million Filipino learners at the basic and higher education institutions who have been affected by the strict quarantine measures imposed by the government. Since the Philippines has a tri-focalized education system, respective policies were crafted by the Department of Education (DepEd) for the basic education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for the technical-vocational programs, and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the tertiary education and graduate studies. However, the unifying objective is to provide guidelines for the continuity of learning in this time of emergency.

The issuance of a CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) was an imperative response to the never-before-seen challenges in the Philippine higher education sector during the pandemic. Particularly, CMO No. 04, series of 2020 or the Guidelines on the Implementation of Flexible Learning for public and private Higher Education Institutions serves as a guide to more than 2000 higher education institutions (HEIs) across the 17 regions of the country. Anchored on Republic Act (RA) 7722 or Higher Education Act of 1994 and RA 11,469 or Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the core purpose of this policy is to ensure the continuity of providing quality, inclusive, and accessible education in times of crisis, where traditional teaching modalities are no longer possible. Its full implementation began in Academic Year 2020–2021.

CMO 4, s2020 describes flexible learning as a learner-centered, pedagogical approach that complements outcomes-based education. It allows learners and teachers to customize learning experiences depending on the unique needs of learners, such as the place, process, pace, and products of learning. The delivery mode of learning can be face-to-face, in-person learning, out-of-classroom, or a combination of these. “The main objective should be to provide learners with the most flexibility on the learning content, schedules, access, and innovative assessment, making use of digital and non-digital tools” (Republic of the Philippines Office of the President 2020, p. 3).

Facing inevitable drastic transitions with limited preparation time, all HEIs were challenged to immediately transform the entire education system by adopting flexible learning and making whatever necessary adjustments and innovations to achieve learning continuity for all students amidst the pandemic. Looking on the bright side, this policy has promoted collaborative culture, facilitated innovations, solidified learner-centeredness, and expanded learning opportunities. Likewise, this policy has served as a catalyst because it compelled different stakeholders to rethink alternative ways to challenge the status quo. It has become instrumental for expediting the long-overdue transformations that consider different contexts and possibilities.

In particular, the role of teacher education institutions (TEIs) in this time of crisis is crucial to the higher education sector where it operates and the basic education system for which it serves. Therefore, this case study presents the policy implementation of select TEIs in line with CMO 4, s2020 using the components of various learning modalities as the analysis lens. The participants comprise public and private universities representing the three major islands of the Philippines (three from Luzon, two from Visayas, and two from Mindanao) and elaborate their valuable experiences that gave birth to creativity and innovation in their contexts.

Design and Implementation

The implementing guidelines of CMO 4, s2020 were formulated and adopted by all HEIs in the country as an immediate response to the need for learning continuity during the pandemic. Through flexible learning, the education sector can thrive in times of national emergencies when face-to-face learning delivery is not viable. The fundamental principle of flexible learning is to address the diverse situation of learners where they experience many contextual challenges and limitations. It also facilitates customizable learning environments, thus allowing learners to have more control over the educational process (Isaias et al. 2020). In this approach, learners have the freedom to manage the place, process, pace, and products of learning.

According to CMO 4, s2020, all HEIs should implement flexible learning by integrating it as a complementary approach to the outcomes-based education approach (Tyler 2013). They should continue to observe the applicable existing policies, standards, and guidelines (PSGs) to assure teaching and learning quality. However, HEIs must make their autonomous judgment regarding the deployment of alternative modes of delivery, given that the decision must be “reasonable, transparent, and outcomes-based validated” (CHED COVID-19 Advisory No. 6). This means that HEIs can maximize the flexibility in delivery modes and assessment as long as each course’s essential learning outcomes are achieved. Hence, flexible learning serves as the best option to ensure the continuity of providing inclusive, accessible, and quality education.

Furthermore, the policy mandates all CHED Regional Offices to require all HEIs to develop and submit their Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) at the beginning of the Academic Year 2020–2021 as a mechanism for monitoring and sustainability. Through this plan, articulation of readiness and responsiveness to the needs for undisrupted learning and resilient learning continuity can be observed. With the bulk of changes in the content, system, and procedures, the policy necessitates HEIs to implement or promote capacity-building programs for staff and administrators on the transition to flexible learning. HEIs are also required to develop their learning content by reviewing and adjusting curricular offerings to deliver learning whether offline, blended, or online (Republic of the Philippines Office of the President 2020).

Specifically, this case study looked at how TEIs implemented the various components of flexible learning modalities as follows:

Policies

The importance of policy at the institutional level operationalizes CMO 4, s2021 in consideration of the unique context of the TEIs covered in this study. Based on the gathered data, planning and policy designs were crafted based on their resources and capabilities. For instance, De La Salle University shared:

“We have the Academic Support for Instructional Services and Technology (ASIST) unit, which provides training in curriculum design, pedagogical techniques, and educational technologies. It also supports users of the university’s Learning Management System.”

This shows the importance of a context-based policy to implement flexible learning successfully. It includes the enhancement of the design, content, and delivery of instruction in different programs, regular review and recalibration of the curriculum, and management of innovative teaching. Specifically, developed modules and course files are covered by a copyright policy. This manifests adequate attention to copyright laws, especially when building online courses that require many resources (Nilson and Goodson 2021).

Overview and Orientation Guide for Students and Teachers

Information dissemination is crucial in conducting flexible learning among TEI participants. In this way, teachers and students are given opportunities and tools to participate in the program effectively. The Table 6.22 shows some guidelines and strategies employed by the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) to prepare its faculty and students for remote learning.

Table 6.22 Some UPD activities in preparation for remote learning
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Technology

The use of technology has become a necessity more than ever in the time of education emergency. CMO 4, s2020 provided an opportunity for most of the TEIs to improve their technological infrastructure directly utilized for teaching and learning. Specifically, participating HEIs in this study ensured the quality of connectivity in their campuses. They acquired or developed necessary learning management systems (LMSs) and applications that have enabled them to conduct synchronous and asynchronous classes. This is a major development for these TEI; according to Sistek-Chandler (2020), the development of standard LMSs supports an inclusive learning environment. The balanced combination of synchronous and asynchronous modes help address both convenience and social interaction needs.

Content and Learning Materials

The most common learning materials adopted by TEIs in their flexible learning consist of electronic modules, digital tools subscription, and LMS when internet connection and devices are available for the students. However, for those with limited internet access, materials include learning packets and printed modules that can be distributed or picked up from the campus. In both modalities, TEIs develop instructional materials following step-by-step guidelines. Using a re-calibrated syllabus, learning plan, or task analysis blueprint, instructional materials were developed, reviewed, uploaded, or printed for distribution This shows that providing a well-crafted guide or exemplar is crucial to coherent content development, especially when faculty create course content without professional assistance (Hillman et al. 2021).

Evaluation and Assessment

Despite the challenges presented by flexible learning on evaluation and assessment of students’ learning, TEI participants ensured that this is not neglected in the re-calibrated course syllabi. The development of content and learning materials should include appropriate evaluation and assessment that aligns with the intended learning outcomes. In the case of Bukidnon State University, a review of rubrics for online performance tasks was conducted alongside their content and learning materials preparations. On the other hand, Mariano Marcos State University required the faculty to upload their modules with corresponding summative examinations through their virtual learning environment. These are just proof that some LMS platforms are effective for summative assessment (Hillman et al. 2020) and formative assessment in the form of feedback that is pivotal to support student learning during the pandemic (Guskey 2020). However, designing assessments can be very challenging because they threaten the academic integrity of the learning process (Khan et al. 2021).

Support Services

This study also identified three essential support services that TEIs need to effectively implement flexible learning: learner support, professional support, teaching and learning support, and ICT support. Appropriate learner support should stem from learners’ actual needs and contexts, such as their capacity-building needs, student workload, and student preference of learning modality. Professional support provides staff with incentives, technical aid and service, and essential pedagogy and educational technology training. Meanwhile, teaching and learning support encompasses mechanisms that encourage instructional innovation, develop a conducive learning environment, ensure quality education, and promote continuous student improvement. ICT support also includes the provision of technological devices and continuous support to online learning platforms such as LMS. Toquero (2020) considered these as strengthening student support and staff training on instructional online teaching that are crucial responses of HEIs in the Philippines.

Impact on Equity, Quality, and Efficiency

In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, CMO 4, s2020 has served as a unifying policy for more than 2000 HEIs in the Philippines. Based on the most recent record of CHED (2020), the overall HE enrollment is 3,408,425, while the total TEI enrollment is 671,421 in Academic Year 2019–2020. Specifically, data presented in this study apply to the faculty and students of the seven teacher education institutions as shown below (Table 6.23).

Table 6.23 Number of faculty and student enrollment of select TEIs in the Philippines
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From these select TEIs, valuable practices on flexible learning were explored in line with the contextual implementation of CMO 4, s2020. Since these TEIs play a vital role in their respective universities, the study looked at the challenges of flexible learning, key lessons from their practices, and how these served as a model to other degree programs.

Challenges of Flexible Learning

There are four main challenges that TEIs encounter in their flexible learning implementation. The primary challenge deals with resources such as the stability and reliability of internet connectivity and the availability of devices or gadgets that should be used for teaching and learning. In addition, TEIs experience the limitations of some learning activities and assessments that need to be conducted with social interactions and the use of campus amenities and facilities. The learning environment also emerged as one of the challenges, given that some learners or faculty cannot avoid distractions at home. The finding of Barrot et al. (2021) revealed that the learning environment (e.g., noise, limited space) is the most difficult problem to address. Lastly, staff’s integrity and capacity to deal with human emotions are also considered a challenge for stakeholders who lack ICT training and are hesitant to embrace change. Similarly, Chan et al. (2022) highlighted human factors as one of the challenges to online teaching and learning in higher education. This also concerns addressing health risks when necessary to go to the campus and ensuring that proper work and life balance is considered. In the research of Dayagbil et al. (2021), Pawilen (2021), and Rotas and Chapay (2020) identified similar challenges that Filipino higher education students face in the remote learning setup. Therefore, these challenges can be used as rich sources of information on how to possibly address the gaps presented in this education emergency.

Key Lessons Learned from Flexible Learning Practices

Even at this unfortunate time, the “gifts of the pandemic” have brought innovations and creativity among the TEIs participating in this study. The primary key lesson brought by flexible learning policies and implementation is directed to the importance of considering the context of every learner and what the institution can do about it. Specifically, the available resources and mechanisms can be utilized to ensure that all students are given equitable opportunities to study during the pandemic. Below is a simplified model about this resilient action (Fig. 6.48).

Fig. 6.48
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Pathways of flexible learning

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Another important element for successful flexible learning is having systematic communication between teachers and learners. This study shows the importance of effective communication to policy success through creative and accessible means such as social media messaging, discussions or forums in the LMS, and the most common email threads. In addition, the feedback mechanism through these communication platforms is not solely about academic activities but also about fostering student–teacher engagement and looking after the well-being of the students. Finally, despite high-stake investment and limited resources, improvement of technological infrastructures and upskilling of teachers on ICT must be maintained. These are important prerequisites of flexible learning that higher education systems must take as a valuable lesson. In terms of teachers’ capacity building, this study highlights the significance of regular training on utilizing educational technology, which should be central to the professional development programs of every university.

All these meaningful lessons in the implementation of flexible learning during the pandemic must be foundational to the revitalized higher education system immediately after the pandemic and in creating a sustainable future. Beyond these challenging times, HEIs should search for the silver lining, such as taking the opportunity to upscale online teaching capacity (Hillman et al. 2020), integrate 21st-century skills in online learning design (Munday 2021), develop new knowledge and pedagogy (Pawilen 2021), and strengthen research effort to improve student learning amid another educational crisis (Toquero 2020).

Flexible learning practices that serve as a model to other degree programs

Teacher educators’ significant role and contribution have become evident in the higher education sector because of the need to upscale flexible learning that they practiced even before the pandemic. For instance, most of them spearheaded the pedagogy committee of their universities to train faculty members from other disciplines. In particular, re-designing courses and learning delivery strategies were imparted by TEIs based on their research publications, innovative practices, and pre-pandemic experiences.

With CMO 4, s2020 serving as a national framework, there are many initiatives contributing to the equity, quality, and efficiency of different HEIs. For instance, the flexible learning practices of TEIs were imparted to other HEI faculty members through a series of webinars. Many teacher educators became resource speakers and facilitators in the course pack preparation, effective teaching–learning approaches, and appropriate assessment strategies. All these are manifestations that well-developed courses in terms of design and teaching practices based on best practices give the most satisfaction to learners and faculty (Lederman 2020). Moreover, the research findings of Ashraf and colleagues (2021) revealed that course design is a significant predictor of online learning effectiveness. In this case, other faculty members benefit from teaching and learning centers and instructional designers, thus speeding up the preparations for remote teaching (Greene 2020) and therefore making these TEIs at the forefront of flexible learning implementation.

Conclusion and Implications

This case study presents the contextual implementation of CMO 4, s2020 among the select TEIs in the Philippines. Using the various components of flexible learning modalities as a theoretical lens, the study revealed the fundamental significance of institutional policy on flexible learning that must be based on the institution’s contexts, resources, and capabilities. This institutional policy anchored on CHED policy must be well disseminated to the teachers, students, and other stakeholders to ensure positive reception and participation. Since effective communication is one of the key elements to policy success, there should be an established and strong line of communication between teachers and learners through available and appropriate means to promote healthy student–teacher engagement, relevant mentoring, and feedback mechanisms. The integration of technology in flexible learning during the pandemic has brought major progress in the digital transformation of the Philippine higher education system. Through the transformation process, content and learning materials development and evaluation and assessment have been digitized (becoming print-based to cater to the needs of students that do not have technological resources) and digitalized (improving equity, quality and efficiency through digital means). Finally, flexible learning during education emergencies requires strong support services, specifically on logistics, training, and well-being.

The flexible learning experiences of the TEI participants presented challenges and opportunities that can be a reference for further practice and scholarship. The challenges of flexible learning in this study focus on the lack of resources to deliver equitable higher education. This suggests that the government must allocate funds to improve the necessary technological infrastructures further so that education can propel in the direction that it should take. HEIs can establish partnerships with industries such as telecommunication companies, professional or civil society organizations, and international or local agencies to address the challenges on internet connectivity and other concerns. HEIs must also prioritize ICT training and upskilling of faculty to align with the agile education environment that the pandemic has highlighted. Sharing of resources through consortia, coalition, or networking can be put together to optimize capacity-building programs across different organizations.

There are also valuable lessons that higher education institutions can learn from the flexible learning practices during this pandemic. These can be the way forward for future practices and research. Some of the practices that can be beneficial even after the pandemic primarily include maintaining the virtual learning environment or LMSs and other digital tools. This is to maximize opportunities and time management in the proper integration of traditional and blended learning. Likewise, it is important to consider a schedule that integrates in-campus and work-from-home arrangements to promote work and life balance among education professionals.

Finally, based on the challenges of blended learning implementation, some recommendations for future research can be on (1) discovering effective learning activities and assessment techniques, (2) managing change that involves staff quality in terms of capacity and human behaviour, (3) exploring the concept of learner-centeredness in higher education, and (4) developing 21st-century learning skills through hybrid learning.