Perspectives, practices, and challenges of online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational survey

Jaber S Alqahtani; Renata G Mendes; Maria Isabel Triches; Tatiana de Oliveira Sato; Jithin K Sreedharan; Abdulelah M Aldhahir; Abdullah A Alqarni; Reynie Purnama Raya; Mohammed Alkhathami; Arulanantham Zechariah Jebakumar; Ayadh Yahya AlAyadi; Abdullah S Alsulayyim; Abdullah S Alqahtani; Saeed M Alghamdi; Ibrahim A AlDraiwiesh; Musallam Alnasser; Rayan A Siraj; Abdallah Y Naser; Hassan Alwafi; Saad M AlRabeeah; Mohammed D AlAhmari; Ami Kamila; Heba Bintalib; Eman M Alzahrani; Tope Oyelade

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19102

Perspectives, practices, and challenges of online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational survey

Heliyon. 2023 Aug 11;9(8):e19102. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19102. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Authors

Jaber S Alqahtani¹, Renata G Mendes², Maria Isabel Triches², Tatiana de Oliveira Sato², Jithin K Sreedharan¹, Abdulelah M Aldhahir³, Abdullah A Alqarni⁴, Reynie Purnama Raya^{5

6}, Mohammed Alkhathami¹, Arulanantham Zechariah Jebakumar⁷, Ayadh Yahya AlAyadi¹, Abdullah S Alsulayyim³, Abdullah S Alqahtani¹, Saeed M Alghamdi⁸, Ibrahim A AlDraiwiesh¹, Musallam Alnasser¹, Rayan A Siraj⁹, Abdallah Y Naser¹⁰, Hassan Alwafi¹¹, Saad M AlRabeeah¹, Mohammed D AlAhmari¹, Ami Kamila^{6

12}, Heba Bintalib^{13

14

15}, Eman M Alzahrani¹⁶, Tope Oyelade¹⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
² Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
³ Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Respiratory Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK.
⁶ Faculty of Science, Universitas 'Aisyiyah Bandung, Bandung 40264, Indonesia.
⁷ Vice Deanship of Post Graduate Studies and Research, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Science, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Respiratory Care Program, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Respiratory Therapy Department, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan (AN).
¹¹ Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al Qura University, 21514, Mecca, Saudi Arabia (HA).
¹² Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
¹³ UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁴ Department of Respiratory Care, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁵ King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁶ Curriculum & Study Plan Unit, Vice Deanship of Academic Affairs, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁷ Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK.

Abstract

The result of the movement restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic was an impromptu and abrupt switch from in-person to online teaching. Most focus has been on the perception and experience of students during the process. The aim of this international survey is to assess staffs' perspectives and challenges of online teaching during the COVID-19 lockdown. Cross-sectional research using a validated online survey was carried out in seven countries (Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia, India, the United Kingdom, and Egypt) between the months of December 2021 and August 2022, to explore the status of online teaching among faculty members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Variables and response are presented as percentages while logistic regression was used to assess the factors that predict levels of satisfaction and the challenges associated with online instruction. A total of 721 response were received from mainly male (53%) staffs. Most respondents are from Brazil (59%), hold a Doctorate degree (70%) and have over 10 years of working experience (62%). Although, 67% and 79% have relevant tools and received training for online teaching respectively, 44% report that online teaching required more preparation time than face-to-face. Although 41% of respondents were uncertain about the outcome of online teaching, 49% were satisfied with the process. Also, poor internet bandwidth (51%), inability to track students' engagement (18%) and Lack of technical skills (11.5%) were the three main observed limitations. Having little or no prior experience of online teaching before the COVID-19 pandemic [OR, 1.58 (95% CI, 1.35-1.85)], and not supporting the move to online teaching mode [OR, 0.56 (95% CI,0.48-0.64)] were two main factors independently linked with dissatisfaction with online teaching. While staffs who support the move to online teaching were twice likely to report no barriers [OR, 2.15 (95% CI, 1.61-2.86)]. Although, relevant tools and training were provided to support the move to online teaching during COVID-19 lockdown, barriers such as poor internet bandwidth, inability to track students' engagement and lack of technical skills were main limitations observed internationally by teaching staffs. Addressing these barriers should be the focus of higher education institution in preparation for future disruptions to traditional teaching modes.

Keywords: COVID-19; Digital learning; Online teaching; Pedagogy; Perception.