Emergency online teaching in engineering
A UAE College of Engineering case study documents students’ mixed reactions to sudden online migration and highlights instructor practices students preferred during COVID-19 remote delivery.
Source
Technology supported learning and pedagogy in times of crisis: the case of COVID-19 pandemic
What they did
Researchers surveyed engineering students about reactions to sudden online migration and preferred instructors, then interviewed students and highly voted instructors; findings are interpreted alongside learning-theory and technology-supported learning discussion.
What they found
About 13% of the engineering population responded (mostly undergraduates). Reactions mixed between excitement and stress/other feelings. Thematic analyses identified valued online practices and challenges, arguing technology must be paired with sound pedagogy in crises.
The limits
What it doesn't show
A single-college case with voluntary survey response cannot prove which tools causally maximize learning for all engineering programs.
Key terms
- Technology supported learning (TSL)
- Use of digital tools/platforms to support teaching and learning processes.
- Emergency remote teaching
- Rapid shift to online delivery during crisis, distinct from carefully planned online courses.
- Synchronous delivery
- Live, same-time online teaching interactions.
- Asynchronous delivery
- Flexible-time online activities such as discussion boards and recorded materials.
- Blended approach
- Combining synchronous and asynchronous advantages in one experience.
- Learning styles (Kolb)
- Learner preference patterns used in the paper’s pedagogical discussion for engineering.
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What is the empirical core of this paper?
Common questions
Where was the case set?
College of Engineering at a UAE higher education institution.
What mixed reactions appeared?
About half felt excited; roughly a quarter reported stress/related negatives (as reported).
What methods followed the survey?
Interviews with students of preferred instructors and with those instructors.
What overarching argument do authors make?
Crisis online teaching needs learning theory–informed pedagogy, not tools alone.
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