Health Promotion and Sexology Student and Teaching Staff Perspectives of Online Learning and Teaching During COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Universities are undergoing rapid and unprecedented changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the needs of learners during this transition are not necessarily well understood or addressed. This study aimed to examine the impact of the “remote internal” unit delivery in a large Western Australian university, as experienced by students and teaching staff within a department of health promotion and sexology (DHPS). In the remote internal mode, previously “internal” (face-to-face) students received prerecorded lectures and attended workshops and seminars in real time through use of the learning platforms. The mixed methods study was conducted across three phases in 2020. A quantitative online student survey was followed by student and teaching staff focus groups and document analysis. Six themes were uncovered regarding the student experience of the remote internal mode: (1) face-to-face contact provides a sense of community, (2) online learning is better when it is interactive, (3) online learning is convenient, (4) delivery mode affects student willingness to contribute to discussions, (5) students enjoy a mixture of teaching patterns, and (6) technological issues create barriers to effective learning. Five themes were revealed regarding teaching staff experience of the remote internal mode: (1) connections matter, (2) face-to-face delivery enhances engagement, (3) learning outcomes are a priority for teaching staff, (4) online delivery needs effective supports, and (5) students have online privacy concerns. Considerations for course modalities, methods to enhance interactivity, and supportive technology and infrastructure are recommended to ensure that the technological, demographic, and socio-environmental needs of students are adequately met.

Keywords

blended learning higher education public health workforce development online active learning

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Berić-Stojšić

Patel

Blake

Johnson

(2020). Flipped classroom teaching and learning pedagogy in the program planning, implementation, and evaluation graduate course: Students’ experiences. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 6(3), 222–228. https://doi.org/10.1177/2373379919839073

Blackboard Inc. (2021). Blackboard Collaborate. https://www.blackboard.com/en-eu/teaching-learning/collaboration-web-conferencing/blackboard-collaborate

Bower

Dalgarno

Kennedy

G. E.

Lee

M. J. W.

Kenney

(2015). Design and implementation factors in blended synchronous learning environments: Outcomes from a cross-case analysis. Computers & Education, 86(August), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.006

Bowles

D. C.

Sendall

M. C.

(2020). COVID-19: The elephant in the virtual classroom. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 6(3), 156–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/2373379920938419

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Brown

M. G.

(2016). Blended instructional practice: A review of the empirical literature on instructors’ adoption and use of online tools in face-to-face teaching. Internet and Higher Education, 31(October), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2016.05.001

Cash

Patel

(2020). Has COVID-19 subverted public health? Lancet, 395(10238), 1687–1688. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31089-8

Chakraborty

Maity

(2020). COVID-19 outbreak: Migration, effects on society, global environment and prevention. Science of the Total Environment, 728, Article 138882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138882

Cisco. (2021). Webex. https://www.webex.com/

10.

Crawford

Stone

(2020). Supporting students’ wellbeing during COVID-19: Tips from regional and remote Australia. Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training. https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/10288/webinar-supporting-students-well-being-during-covid-19

11.

Cucinotta

Vanelli

(2020). WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Acta Biomed, 91(1), 157–160. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v91i1.9397

12.

Gillett-Swan

(2017). The challenges of online learning: Supporting and engaging the isolated learner. Journal of Learning Design, 10(1). https://www.jld.edu.au/article/view/293.html

13.

Godley

Aumiller

Horigian

Khalil

Kruger

Pennel

Youatt

Kiviniemi

M. T.

(2020). Evidence-based educational practices for public health: How we teach matters. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 7(2), 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/2373379920978421

14.

GroupMap. (2021). GroupMap. https://www.groupmap.com/

15.

Han

Tan

Turk

Sridhar

Leung

Shibuya

Asgari

García-Basteiro

Hanefeld

Cook

Hsu

Teo

Heymann

Clark

McKee

Legido-Quigley

(2020). Lessons learnt from easing COVID-19 restrictions: An analysis of countries and regions in Asia Pacific and Europe. Lancet, 396(10261), 1525–1534. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32007-9

16.

Hsieh

H. F.

Shannon

(2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277–1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687

17.

IBM. (2021). SPSS. https://www.ibm.com/au-en/analytics/spss-statistics-software

18.

Kite

Schlub

T. E.

Zhang

Choi

Craske

Dickson

(2020). Exploring lecturer and student perceptions and use of a learning management system in a postgraduate public health environment. E-Learning and Digital Media, 17(3), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753020909217

19.

Liamputtong

(2015). Qualitative research methods (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

20.

Marinoni

van’t Land

Jensen

(2020). The impact of COVID-19 on higher education around the world: IAU global survey report. https://www.iau-aiu.net/IAU-Global-Survey-on-the-Impact-of-COVID-19-on-Higher-Education-around-the

21.

Microsoft. (2021). Microsoft teams. https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software

22.

Mohamedbhai

(2020, April 9). COVID-19: What consequences for higher education? University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200407064850279

23.

Nava Buenfil

Higgs

Gupta

(2020). Delivering health education curriculum online in the wake of COVID-19. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 7(1), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/2373379920978815

24.

Polit

D. F.

Beck

C. T.

(2010). Generalization in quantitative and qualitative research: Myths and strategies. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 47(11), 1451–1458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.06.004

25.

QRS International. (2021). NVivo. https://www.qsrinternational.com/nvivo-qualitative-data-analysis-software/home

26.

Qualtrics. (2021). Qualtrics. https://www.qualtrics.com/au/

27.

Rasheed

R. A.

Kamsin

Abdullah

N. A.

(2020). Challenges in the online component of blended learning: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 144(January), Article 103701. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103701

28.

Schleicher

(2020). The impact of COVID-19 on education: Insights from Education at a Glance 2020. https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/

29.

Scull

Phillips

Sharma

Garnier

(2020). Innovations in teacher education at the time of COVID19: An Australian perspective. Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(4), 497–506. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1802701

30.

Symonds

M. R. E.

(2014). Lecturing and other face-to-face teaching—too much or too little? An assessment based on student feedback and fail rates. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(6), 1221–1231. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.911256

31.

Thomas

D. R.

(2006). A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data. American Journal of Evaluation, 27(2), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214005283748

32.

Tong

Sainsbury

Craig

(2007). Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): A 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 19(6), 349–357. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzm042

33.

Walker

E. R.

Lang

D. L.

Alperin

Barry

C. M.

Gaydos

L. M.

(2020). Comparing student learning, satisfaction, and experiences between hybrid and in-person course modalities: A comprehensive, mixed-methods evaluation of five public health courses. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 7(1), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/2373379920963660

34.

Weightman

A. L.

Farnell

D. J. J.

Morris

Strange

Hallam

(2017). A systematic review of information literacy programs in higher education: Effects of face-to-face, online, and blended formats on student skills and views. Evidence Based Library & Information Practice, 12(3), 20–55. https://doi.org/10.18438/B86W90

35.

World Health Organization. (2020, March 11). WHO director-general’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19. https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—11-march-2020