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
Affiliations
Jaber S. Alqahtani
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Renata G. Mendes
Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of São Carlos, SP, Brazil
Maria Isabel Triches
Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of São Carlos, SP, Brazil
Tatiana de Oliveira Sato
Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of São Carlos, SP, Brazil
Jithin K. Sreedharan
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Abdulelah M. Aldhahir
Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah A. Alqarni
Department of Respiratory Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Reynie Purnama Raya
Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK; Faculty of Science, Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Bandung, Bandung 40264, Indonesia
Mohammed Alkhathami
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Arulanantham Zechariah Jebakumar
Vice Deanship of Post Graduate Studies and Research, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Science, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Ayadh Yahya AlAyadi
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah S. Alsulayyim
Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah S. Alqahtani
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Saeed M. Alghamdi
Respiratory Care Program, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia
Ibrahim A. AlDraiwiesh
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Musallam Alnasser
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Rayan A. Siraj
Respiratory Therapy Department, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
Abdallah Y. Naser
Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan (AN)
Hassan Alwafi
Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al Qura University, 21514, Mecca, Saudi Arabia (HA)
Saad M. AlRabeeah
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed D. AlAhmari
Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Ami Kamila
Faculty of Science, Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Bandung, Bandung 40264, Indonesia; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Heba Bintalib
UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, UK; Department of Respiratory Care, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Eman M. Alzahrani
Curriculum & Study Plan Unit, Vice Deanship of Academic Affairs, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Tope Oyelade
Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK; Corresponding author.
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.
