Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences
Volume:11 Issue: 2, Jun 2020

The aim of this study was to identify the instructor competencies required for teaching in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). A qualitative approach was applied to achieve this objective.

Qualitative-inductive content analysis was used to identify the competencies of instructors in MOOCs. For this purpose, the articles related to the competence of instructors in MOOCs courses were first collected and the units of analysis were determined. In this respect, purposeful sampling and research criteria were applied to select 31 units from a total of 173 articles extracted from valid scientific databases. Data inclusion criteria limited the search to the articles with relevant topics published between 2006 and 2019. Reputable Persian and international databases were searched for the relevant data until theoretical data saturation was reached. An assessment of applicability and transferability was performed for data validation. Finally, the main categories were distinguished from the sub-categories, and a conceptual model was designed for identifying teachers’ competence in MOOCs.

The four main categories of competency obtained from data analysis were as follows: knowledge competencies (Dimension of Knowledge), professional skills (Instructional Content Development, Instructional Design, Evaluation, Communication, Participatory, Management, and Technical Skills), Professional attitude skills (Motivational and Emotional Skills) and the personality dimension of the instructors.

This study draws out the possible implications of developing a curriculum in view of instructors’ competence in MOOCs with the goal of providing a comprehensive perspective on the performance of instructors teaching such courses.

Using links to provide additional audio or video content can enhance learners’ engagement with the learning content and keep them active in the learning process. This study aimed to compare the impacts of two different forms of multimedia presentation, namely ‘text in image adjacency’ and ‘text linked to image’, on learning and learning retention in a course entitled the Sciences. This was a randomized trial research. Multi-stage cluster sampling method was used to select 31 fourth grade elementary school students in Malayer (Iran) in the 2014-2015 academic year. They were randomly assigned to control (N=15) and intervention (N=16) groups. Three researcher-made achievement tests (pre-test, post-test, retention test) were used to collect data. The expert opinions of seven teachers were consulted to assess the validity of the questions and the CVR of their opinions was found to be 98%. The reliability was determined using Cronbach’s alpha as well as the raters’ opinions, and the coefficients stood at 73%, 85%, and 60%, respectively. Also, Multimedia software was used to prepare the content of chapter 12 (Circulatory System) for the experiment. It was presented to the students in two forms: text linked to image (hidden hyperlink) and text in image adjacency. The control group was provided with text in image adjacency and the intervention group with text linked to image (hidden hyperlink). Data were analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov, repeated measures ANOVA, F, and ANCOVA tests in SPSS 19 software. The research findings showed that in the group in which multimedia content was presented with text linked to image, learning scores significantly increased from (5.28±3.74) in the pre-test to (11.36±3.98) in the post-test and (12.40±4.44) in the retention test (P=0.001). Also, in the control group receiving multimedia content in the form of text in image adjacency, learning values also significantly increased from (3.70±3.64) in the pre-test to (10.46±4.77) in the post-test and (12.60±3.62) in the retention test (P=0.001). However, there was no difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of learning gains (F(1, 27)=.014, P=0.906). Similarly, no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of learning retention (F(1, 24)=0.292, P=0.594). The present study demonstrated that a new form of spatial contiguity (i.e., text linked to image via hyperlinks) is as effective in learning as presenting textual content in image adjacency. Therefore, this is a new finding contributing to the development of spatial contiguity principle.

Regarding to the importance of ICT Engagement of students, it is necessary to have a reliable and valid method for evaluating it in this group. ICT Engagement questionnaire of Zylka et al have been designed for this purpose. This study aimed to validate that questionnaire in a representative sample of Iranian students. The Questionnaire was translated into Persian and its face and content validities was assessed by the members of Education faculty at the University of Tabriz, Iran. Its population included the faculty members of that University and the students studying in technical and vocational schools in Urmia. Of the faculty members, 8 experts were selected by purposeful sampling for face and content validities, and 370 students were selected by cluster random sampling. The research tool was Zylka et al ICT engagement Questionnaire. We used SPSS 26 to analyze data. The students’ ages ranged from 16 to 18 and 38.6% of them were male and 61.4% were female. The reliability of the questionnaire was 0.91 based on the Cronbach’s alpha. The results of exploratory factor analysis revealed that five factors of ICT in Zylka et al questionnaire were similar to seven factors in the present study, namely positive ICT self-esteem (explained variance=29.87%), self-confidence in ICT (explained variance=6.84%), online exposure (explained variance=4.69%), social exposure (explained variance=3.83%), interest in computers, tablets and mobile phones (explained variance=3.46%), spending time on ICT (explained variance=3.36%), and the negative ICT self-concept (explained variance=3.18%). PCA results revealed that seven factors can affect ICT Engagement. In total these seven factors can account for 55.19% of the variance in ICT Engagement. Validating the questionnaire reveals that constructs of “ICT engagement” may vary among populations in different countries. This difference may be due to the cultural differences and varied facilities between the two statistical populations.

Social media have become an indispensable part of human life and influenced the medical education and professions in recent years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in a virtual group on socialcollaborative learning, social presence and satisfaction among the medical students in surgery rotation.

This was a quasi-experimental study with a one-shot posttest-only design that was performed on 66 trainees attending the surgical wards in teaching hospitals of Mashhad Islamic Azad University from February 2018 to July 2019. A virtual Telegram group was created for the learners to share interesting or rare educational cases at different hospitals, express their views on the issues, and engage in discussions until the next morning. Demographic and CLSS (Collaborative Learning, Social Presence and Satisfaction) questionnaires were used to collect data and to measure students’ perceptions of collaborative learning, social presence and satisfaction. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20 software.

The mean age of participants was 28.5±7.6 years. The average student participation rate in the group was 95.25%. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between the overall scores of the three questionnaires (social presence, satisfaction, collaborative learning) (P<0.001).

The results of the present study showed that given the high level of participation and satisfaction among students, using social networks as a complement to education is recommended.

Media literacy is one of the essential skills needed by learners in the twenty-first century. Teaching this skill requires methods that stimulate thinking and reasoning among learners. This study aims to analyze the effect of P4C on students’ philosophical mentality and learning in Thinking and Media Literacy as a school course. This study used a quasi-experimental method employing the pretest-posttest control group design. The research population consisted of all male students studying in the tenth grade at a school in Arak, Iran, in 2018-19 academic year. The sample comprised 44 students, selected by cluster sampling, and assigned to two experimental and control groups. Data collection was performed using a philosophical mentality questionnaire and a researchermade learning test. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, mean, frequency and standard deviation were used. Covariance analysis was applied for inferential statistics using SPSS version 23. The statistical results showed that in terms of learning outcomes, the mean score in the P4C group (M=18.06, SD=1.6) was higher than in the conventional group (M=15.7, SD=1.6). There was a significant difference between learning outcome scores in the experimental and control groups (P<0.001). In addition, the mean score of philosophical mentality in the experimental group (M=146.3, SD=8.7) was significantly higher than that in the control group (M=131.8, SD=11.7), (P<00.1). Given the findings of this study, it is suggested that the principles considered important in the P4C programs be used to teach the Thinking and Media Literacy course.

Today, conducting research is among the most important skills in medical sciences, and plays a significant role in terms of improving students’ learning and their career prospects. This study aimed to evaluate the research factors in the curriculum of paramedical faculty at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd, Iran.

The statistical population included the students at the paramedical faculty at Shahid Sadoughi University of medical sciences in 2019. Simple random sampling was applied and 224 students were selected. The research instrument was a researchermade questionnaire. Its validity was determined based on the opinions of professors and experts, and its reliability was measured at 0.87 using Cronbach’s alpha.

From the paramedical students’ viewpoints, a number of research factors in the curriculum like individual factors (1.70), motivational factors (2.05), service delivery factors (2.11), and cultural administrative factors (1.78) are not in a favorable situation (P<0.05). Besides, in terms of prioritization, the service delivery factors of research in the curriculum have the greatest importance, and the individual factors have the least importance.

The authorities, curriculum planners, and medical practitioners must take the necessary measures to enhance the presence of research factors in the curriculum of paramedical students.

The purpose of the current paper is to explore the challenges associated with the emergency remote teaching (ERT) in developing countries including Palestine, Libya, and Afghanistan, as reported by students, parents, and teachers. A qualitative approach was used for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interviews and online class observation were used for data collection. The subjects in the interviews included 60 participants from different countries and 60 online classes were observed. Each class lasted around 40 minutes. Thematic analysis was used to categorize the findings into themes. The findings of the study revealed various challenges in the emergency remote teaching in COVID-19 crisis. These challenges included the learning environment, quality of digital content, digital inequity, and the violation/invasion of digital privacy. The participants reported that COVID-19 has broadened the digital gap among students and their families, depriving them of attending online classes. Another emerging challenge in emergency remote teaching was the violation of students’ and parents’ digital privacy. Moreover, the findings confirmed that these challenges were the main factors that negatively influenced students’ attendance and engagement in online classes. Further research with larger samples is required to better understand the challenges of ERT in developing countries.

According to UNESCO statistics (1), more than 1.5 billion children and youth in 188 countries around the globe have to stay home due to the closure of schools and higher education institutions following the Coronavirus outbreak. Many countries have shifted from traditional face-to-face methods to e-Learning in the light of the new states of emergency. Humans have the right to continue education in times of crisis, disaster, and violence. This is based on the assumption that each student is treated with equity and has access to education, which is not quite in consistence with the reality on the ground, especially in developing countries. Many countries have long used e-learning in emergency situations, including Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, and South of Africa (2-4). Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) is not usually planned in advance and involves a sudden shift from traditional teaching into a remote one in view of emergency situations like the outbreak of Coronavirus in different countries. This is a totally different situation compared to e-Learning in normal circumstances. After an emergency state, everything is supposed to go back to normalcy. Moreover, educators have to work in a highly stressful situation while having no knowledge of the end of the crisis. Nevertheless, after the Coronavirus crisis e-Learning will be in an entirely different state, especially in developing countries. Education leaders and policy makers in both public and higher education need to learn new lessons about education in crisis to develop their e-Learning systems. Due to unplanned nature of e-Learning in crisis situations, students, parents, teachers and faculty members may confront many obstacles in accommodating and embracing e-Learning in ERT. For instance, in most cases students complain about the inequality in education and the difficulties in gaining access to educational resources, while faculties complain about students' engagement in ERT environment.