Recibido: 11-04-2020 / Revisado: 12-05-2020 / Acept=
ado: 14-06-2020
/ Publicado: 03-07-2020
<=
span
lang=3DEN-US style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> DOI: https://doi.org/10.33262/exploradordigita=
l.v4i3.1348
Creating a path from emergency online teaching to
sustainable online education
Crear un camino desde la enseñanza en líne=
a de
emergencia a la educación en línea sostenible
Diana Carolina Camp=
aña
Días.[1], María Cristhina
Robalino Araujo.[2], Sandra Paulina Porras =
Pumalema.[3] &=
amp;
Daniela Alejandra Bonilla Yucailla.[4]
=
This
article is a review of state-of-the-art literature related to the emergency
online teaching practices that have taken place during the pandemic resulti=
ng
from the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The authors move along, exploring how
these emergency online-teaching practices could become sustainable online
education. Nonetheless, in several cases, higher education institutions have
had to adapt to, and adopt, specific strategies so that they have been able=
to
transfer their face-to-face curriculum to a digital world – for which not
everybody was prepared. Best practices are analyzed and proposed, aiming at
offering language teachers and, in fact, educators from different fields, w=
ith
criteria on how they could attain said sustainability, in the light that the
current educational scenario, where online education has become ubiquitous,=
is
bound to stay for longer than initially expected. The literature analysis
demonstrates that, even though there are a number of teachers and instituti=
ons
aligned with specific principles of online teaching, such as following and
approaching online pedagogy, there is still room for improvement, more
specifically in the use of authoring tools (such as video editors and other
multimodal tools).
Keywords:
COVID-19,
Online EFL teaching, Emergency online teaching, Sustainable online educatio=
n.
Resumen.
Este artículo es una revisión de literatura
actualizada, relacionada con las prácticas de enseñanza online de emergencia
que han tenido lugar durante la pandemia ocasionada por la propagación del
virus COVID-19. Las autoras exploran cómo estas prácticas de enseñanza onli=
ne
de emergencia podrían convertirse en educación en línea sostenible. Sin
embargo, en varios casos, las instituciones de educación superior han tenido
que adaptarse a, y adoptar, estrategias específicas para poder transferir su
plan de estudios presencial a un mundo digital, para lo cual no todos estab=
an
preparados. Se analizan y proponen mejores prácticas, con el objetivo de
ofrecer a los profesores de idiomas y, de hecho, a educadores de diferentes
campos, criterios sobre cómo podrían alcanzar dicha sostenibilidad, a la lu=
z de
que el escenario educativo actual, donde la educación en línea se ha vuelto
omnipresente, con seguridad permanecerá por más tiempo de lo esperado
inicialmente. El análisis de la literatura demuestra que, a pesar de que hay
una serie de docentes e instituciones alineados con los principios específi=
cos
de la enseñanza en línea, como seguir y abordar la pedagogía propia de esta
modalidad, todavía hay margen de mejora, más específicamente en el uso de
herramientas de autoría (como editores de video y otras herramientas
multimodales).
Palabras claves: COVID-19, Enseñanza online EFL, Enseñanza
online emergente, Educación online sostenible.
Introducción.
The
COVID-19 pandemic has caused more traditional educational systems to experi=
ence
a rather complex reality, especially when it comes to having to face the
challenges of online education for which, in many cases, different settings
were not fully prepared. Higher education is no stranger to this reality; m=
ost
universities worldwide have been faced with tasks related to efficient
implementation of online interventions amid the social distancing regulations that governments around the world
have accordingly enacted (Bao, 2020; Murphy, 2020).
Several
studies suggest that the process of going from emergency remote learning wh=
ich
according to Manfuso (2020) “is a rush job — an
effort to mitigate the losses students and universities might experience… [=
by
being] forced to completely abandon a semester’s worth of work”, to
high-quality – and sustainable – online education should not be mistaken, as
the former resorts to practices which are somewhat devised as proper.
Well-structured online learning, on the other hand, features processes where
in-advance efforts are more evident and suited to contextual realities:
provision, or lack thereof, of digital technologies and devices, internet
access and, sometimes even more significant, the knowledge on how to
efficiently make use of this set of assets that currently shape online lear=
ning
(Mavridi, 2020). In this respect, most universi=
ty
lecturers have proceeded to adopt strategies that deal with, up to a point,=
a
more superficial use of online meeting software and authoring tools that may
result unsuccessful if we think about the desired outcomes that students ma=
y –
or not – demonstrate after they have completed their course work.
Added
to this are the fundamental, worldwide changes that the pandemic has brought
along; not only education is challenged with sudden shifts of paradigms, bu=
t so
are issues that, for long, have not met agreements among world leaders. Wol=
ff
(2020) adds that the pandemic has proven to be a catalyst of so rooted, and=
for
long argued decisions, such as how and why to stop emissions and therefore,
climate change. This, then, leads our attention to the concept of
sustainability, and its relationship with education. As expressed by Hakovirta and Denuwara (2=
020),
the current society – in the broad sense of the term – is expected to act in
such a way that their present needs are met in a mindful manner so that the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs is not compromised.
Education, on its sole end, should aim at being of – and offering – quality.
Hence, efforts on the part of policy makers, education managers, and more
directly, educators, should focus on the creation of interventions – from
lesson planning to material creation and deployment, to sound application of
online pedagogy – that facilitate a process of swift change that does not
undermine the accomplishment of high quality education on the part of new
generations of learners.
Recognizing
Zhao (2020) it is also important to make it clear that even though online
learning does not offer the exact same characteristics of face-to-face
education, acknowledging its validity is a must. The current sanitary emerg=
ency
has triggered the need for online education and inherent processes to be
emergently put in place, and executed to the best of its affordances: simply
put, the situation should be looked at and analyzed from all possible angle=
s so
that opportunities can be seen, where many would only assert inconveniences=
. As
Zhao (2020, p.189) also adds “Online education cannot replace all functions
schools play in our society, but it can do a lot more than being a lesser
version of f2f schooling”.
Additionally,
as much as it is important to have teachers who are well-trained in how to
efficiently use digital technologies for their online lessons, attention sh=
ould
also be devoted to the training of students. The fact that current generati=
ons
are believed to handle technology efficiently does not mean that they are
completely aware of how to use technology for more academic purposes (Mavridi, 2020). Once again, Rahi=
em
(2020) illustrates that “Emergency Remote Learning, the education that took
place during school closure, [is] not online or virtual learning, since
well-planned online learning experiences are substantially different from t=
hose
that are delivered online in response to a crisis or catastrophe”. In this
study, the author resorted to university students’ opinions to determine the
impact of the sudden move from one, more normal mode if education to anothe=
r,
less planned – at least when it took place. This, of course, signals a yet
untouched process, where students’ insights on how to better deploy online
learning should happen, for their own benefit.
It
is necessary, then, to proceed in such a way that teachers and students feel
supported, interventions are efficient and coherent, and content that is pa=
rt
of designed materials does not try to cover too much but only the essential=
s,
for which training must be provided; follow-up processes are of course atta=
ched
to this need. Under the criteria of how sustainable online education could =
be,
it is important to minimize, as much as possible, the burdens created by ti=
me
spent in planning and evaluating lessons, both for the synchronous and
asynchronous aspects of this type of constructs. Materials must be aligned =
with
reuse, recycling, and edition criteria, thus allowing for efforts to always=
be
focused on offering, every time, better products, and enhanced processes of=
a
well understood mode of education.
The
set of suggestions that come forward try to be as comprehensive as possible,
however, they do not represent, by any means, a final word into what should=
or
could be done for teachers to be better equipped as they embark on online
education, that goes from responding to emergencies, to becoming sound,
effective and realistic interventions that aid education in the best possib=
le
way. As Avgerinou, & Moros (2020) put forwa=
rd,
there is a great deal of innovation that should be more responsive – and
visible – during the time that the pandemic is to last (which we cannot even
predict right now). Even though the future is unknown, what occurs right now
will certainly shape times to come.
Methodology.
For
this literature review, articles submitted to different high-quality journa=
ls
and digital publications since the declaration of the pandemic due to COVID=
-19
(11 March, 2020 - WHO) have been analyzed, with the objective of capitalizi=
ng
upon the experiences of different institutions worldwide, and their respons=
e to
implementation of emergency online teaching. A first group of contributions
were gathered according to what the
exact response was, i.e., getting to know what initial measures were
executed. Another collection dealt with perceived
and evidenced differences
between emergency online teaching and what could be considered more sustain=
able
practices. Finally, a few other articles were selected in relation to what =
specific measures have been taken in =
the
field of English language teaching (ELT). This process was conducive to
proposing a set of suggestions and ideas that may well be considered by
different stakeholders involved in online education, more essentially, lang=
uage
teachers for whom the task of online teaching – be it emergency or more
developed versions – may have resulted frantic. A few documents correspondi=
ng
to the last decade have also been used, given their importance in facilitat=
ing
some initial concepts, necessary for a better outline of this work.
Results.
This
section introduces a set of recommendations, carefully explained, for Engli=
sh
language teachers – but not exclusively for this group of practitioners – so
that they are better able to implement their online lessons in such a way t=
hat
they do not feel a burden as they continue to provide instruction to their
students. In the case of Ecuador, and because of the current limitations, m=
ost
contingency plans of higher education institutions seem to be confirming fu=
ll
closures until at least the end of the fall term (January 2021).
Balance the amount of time dedicated to synchronous
and asynchronous activities.
In
a lot of instances, taking the face-to-face curriculum to the online
environment has meant that teachers thought – or were made to believe so – =
that
absolutely every single activity designed for the everyday lessons should be
somehow reproduced for the online encounter. This, whether administrators l=
ike
it or not, is simply not possible. (Greenberg, 2020; M=
avridi,
2020; Zhu & Liu, 2020). Timewise, synchronous encounters, where interac=
tion
is expected to take place, should be planned, and designed so that class ti=
me
is used efficiently to cover those points that are essential. Asynchronous
activities – those which are not live – should be carefully thought of for
students not to feel overwhelmed by excessive work that eventually teachers
will have to mark – meaning even more time not dedicated to what could be
better planned activities (George, 2020).
Do expect the unexpected.
It
is important to understand that internet connections on both the side of
teachers and students may experience difficulties during a lesson, or even =
at
times when planning is taking place. A file may not open properly, or a vid=
eo
might be too heavy to upload onto the course VLE. There are even occasions =
when
disruption caused by the slightest situation during connection time may tur=
n it
all into chaos (Atmojo & Nugroho, 2020). In=
such
cases, teachers should understand that there is nothing they should push.
Sending the video through another means, after solving the size issue, or
planning for the unexpected in mind – recognizing every possible scenario –=
are
necessary steps that should be considered as lessons take place. This, for
example, is a good start for the idea of making it all sustainable: planning
with the idea that most of those materials and activities could not be as
successful but, when they are, they could be recycled, reused or modified
accordingly (Tzifopoulos, 2020). Under this lin=
e of
work, the teacher will discover that things become less stressful, gaining
expertise as they advance their interventions.
Do not take things for granted.
In
the same way that teachers cannot fully rely on their internet connection,
there are other important points that cannot be adjusted to a checklist. Th=
ere
is plenty of evidence that the provision of internet services, access to
digital devices and even to more ever-present means of communication such a=
s a
mobile phone with access to instant messaging apps is not the same in all a=
reas
of a nation. The Ecuadorian case, unfortunately, is an example of this real=
ity.
According to the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society (20=
20),
around one million students in Ecuador lack an internet connection, making =
it
complicated for these students to get involved in online learning.
Recommendations from this same Ministry to the Ministry of Education have b=
een
to think about the possibility of implementing tele-education using state
television networks, and also making connectivity more available for studen=
ts
in remote areas though the services offered by the National Telecommunicati=
ons
Company (CNT). In this context, thinking of other ways that are more adjust=
ed
to specific needs and audiences is a valuable practice on the part of
educators. Again, the time dedicated to tackle those needs should be well
balanced.
Become a curator of tools, materials, and ideas.
In
his webinar, through RecetasTic (2020), Ávila
recommends teachers to pay careful attention to the tools that really aid t=
heir
teaching practice. In the same way that some students may not have problems
using videoconferencing tools which are more user friendly – such as Zoom –
there are others which have shown to be more complex. This is a moment when=
the
teacher should rethink if a specific program or application should be chang=
ed
for another, less complex. The author also considers important to allocate =
some
time to get to know and “play” with authoring tools; mastering different
software depends on the dedication the teacher applies to their craft, but =
more
importantly, to the objective – learning outcome – they have in mind.
Will students have to dedicate more effort to learn how to handle the
technology, or will they concentrate their efforts to comprehension of the
proposed content? When it comes to ideas, teachers should be offered coachi=
ng
and observation opportunities (Greenberg, 2020). For example, administrator=
s or
more skilled fellows could attend their colleagues’ lessons to offer them l=
ive
advice, or to debrief later. Conversely, teachers who feel like doing so co=
uld
greatly benefit from sessions where answers to even “simple” questions are
offered.
Possessing the necessary digital skills means well
prepared teachers – and students.
Where
you prepared for the new teaching scenario that the pandemic brought about?
After almost five months of working fully online, have your digital skills
improved in any way? Even with the demands of education in the XXI century,
that have been more noticeable during the last five-year period, there are
teachers who have never taught and students who have never had an online
lesson. Indeed, there have been institutions worried about their teachers a=
nd
their in-time training so that they could feel at ease when starting their =
work
online. Nevertheless, as this is a two-way process, students should also be=
come
aware of what is expected from them when facing online activities. Mavridi (2020) suggests allocating at least a few day=
s at
the beginning of a school term to create team building and digital skills. =
This
would help all of the actors involved to perform=
in a more
improved way.
Training
as a permanent enabling act.
Be
it offered, ideally, from the institution where the teacher works, or from
opportunities looked by themselves, teachers should constantly be trained a=
nd
allowed to perform in such a way that changes in their practice are not
expected to happen overnight. While it is true that new knowledge should be
exercised from the moment it is grasped, it will take some time before the
teacher finds it easier to implement the technology at hand – and this is
completely normal. There is no need to rush a process which, as discussed
previously, is not the same in all cases. When teachers are new to online
teaching, it is important to design a learning path that really proves to be
useful to take them from, sometimes nothing, to a sound knowledge of
instructional design and necessary digital skills for online teaching (O'Ke=
efe,
Rafferty, Gunder, & Vi=
gnare,
2020; Baghdadi, 2020).
Decide on the most appropriate content for language
teaching.
With
a plethora of resources available online, there is a broad range of materia=
ls
that EFL teachers can choose from to deliver their lessons. Fansury,
Januarty, & Ali Wira
Rahman (2020) state that while this task might be time-consuming, there is =
no
way that a teacher of English could complain about not having enough assets
handy. When more accurate information is offered by careful selection of
materials, students evidence improved understanding and a higher degree of
motivation is also evident.
Think of a swift mo=
ve
to task-based learning.
Egbert
(2020), states that in the times of pandemic, designing lessons that involve
completion of a specific task, where the language focus is included, may we=
ll
play a key factor when having students comprehend the target language bette=
r.
Creativity plays an important role in this context. As Egbert continues, “u=
sing
engaging tasks can also help to keep teachers engaged and demonstrating
positive attitudes, too”. This means that in all cases, it is necessary to,
once again, think of the audience for whom the tasks are being designed so =
that
the group and the teacher feel a permanent compromise in achieving the
proposed, final result.
The
above points are, more than ever, aligned with what Se=
ner
(2010) proposed in relation to the attainment of full scale of online
education:
Practically all hig=
her
education students will experience online education in some form during the=
ir
collegiate career, and college students will be able to take online or blen=
ded
degree programs and certificates in almost any subject. Full scale online
education will occur as the result of compounded growth, increased familiar=
ity
and acceptance, various models of scalability, and possible wildcards which=
may
accelerate growth. Online education will also attain full scale by becoming
fully integrated into mainstream education. This transformation is necessary
for online learning to reach its potential to improve the quality of educat=
ion (p.
3).
In this sense, the
COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated Sener’s
predictions, proposing a type of online education that is actually proving =
to
be essential, transformational, and without a doubt, the new normal for whic=
h all
actors of education must be prepared, and adjust to. In similar lines, Geith & Vignare (2008=
) stated
that accessibility and availability of online learning, using open educatio=
nal
resources (OER), would have increased the demand and interest of students in
online education. As it is now clear, they were not far from a reality that=
is
now visible and consolidating as moths go by.
Conclusiones:
· =
As it has been discussed, emergency online teaching should not be
confused with well designed, sustainable online education. First, the forme=
r is
implemented as a response to emergency situations, as is the pandemic resul=
ting
from the spread of COVID-19 virus. While it may be a good start for future
endeavors, conducive to the latter, it is necessary to clearly understand t=
he
more complex process involved in making online education sustainable.
· =
Furthermore, and based on t=
he
above discussion, asking if whether online education works becomes meaningl=
ess:
right now it is proving not only to be worth the effort, but also to offer
answers in times where the future is certainly unknown; little by little,
teachers, students and educational administrators are understanding that, in
the new normal, online education is ever-present, and will not fade for the
time being – and beyond.
· = Last, but not least, it mus= t be understood that the fact that implementation of online interventions has be= en called to as an obligation from teachers does not mean that they are ready – well educated and aware – to use specific digital technologies. If anything, teachers should be offered in time training that relates to their contextual realities, and that provides them with strategies that do allow to enquire about how applying certain idea may not have the exact same result as it wo= uld for another colleague. Ultimately, the field in which this happens correspo= nds to what would be more universal practices, which are not exclusive of ELT.<= o:p>
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PARA
CITAR EL ARTÍCULO INDEXADO.
Campaña Días, =
D.
C., Robalino Araujo, M. C., Porras Pumalema, S.=
P.,
& Bonilla Yucailla, D. A. (2020).
El artículo que se publica es de
exclusiva responsabilidad de los autores y no necesariamente reflejan el
pensamiento de la Revista Explorad=
or
Digital.
El artículo qu=
eda
en propiedad de la revista y, por tanto, su publicación parcial y/o total en
otro medio tiene que ser autorizado por el director de la Revista Explorador Digital.
[1] Escuela Superior Politécnica=
de
Chimborazo, Facultad de Salud Pública, Riobamba, Ecuador,
diana.campania@espoch.edu.ec,
[2] Escuela Superior Política del
Chimborazo, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Riobamba, Ecuador,
cristhina.robalino@espoch.edu.ec, <=
v:shape
id=3D"Imagen_x0020_3" o:spid=3D"_x0000_i1027" type=3D"#_x0000_t75" style=
=3D'width:10.8pt;
height:10.8pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
[3] Escuela Superior Politécnica=
de
Chimborazo Facultad de Mecánica, Riobamba, Ecuador,
sandra.porras@espoch.edu.ec,
[4] Universidad Tecnológica
Indoamérica, Departamento de Idiomas, Ambato, Ecuador,
alejandrabonilla@uti.edu.ec,
www.exploradordigital.org
=
Vol.
4, N°3, p.