Category: Hybrid learning

Blended learning refers to an approach that combines online learning with traditional in-person learning (think lectures, workshops, and training sessions) and independent study. Blended learning is sometimes also referred to as blended learning.

The blended e-learning market has the potential to grow by US $ 19.59 billion in the period 2021-2027, and the market growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of + 17%.

Blended learning that uses measurable apps, games, or programs to teach concepts allows students to use the material at their own pace. It helps to balance a classroom that contains both fast and slow learners. … It can promote deeper learning, reduce stress and increase student satisfaction.

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Report Consultant Released a new report on Blended E learningMarket, the analyst also focuses on economic and environmental factors, which have an impact on the growth of the company. Both primary and secondary investigative methods have been used by scientists to fully understand business. Difficult developments and mechanical advancements were presented in the research report. The report provides major industry figures and is a valuable leadership and resource base for companies and individuals interested in the Blended Online Learning market is explained in detail across many areas and sections of the report. ‘industry.

Main players covered in this report:

• Linguarama
• General assembly
• Apex learning
• Rocket
• Nexus Academy
• Lexie
• Cisco ISD
• IEEE
• Telania, LLC
• Khan Academy
• MindCross training and advice

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Segments by type:

• Offline learning
• Online learning

Through Application:

• Educational institutes
• Company training
• Public education
• Others

By region

• North America
• Latin America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• LINE

This concentrate also covers organization profiling, item details and photo, offerings, part of the global industry and contact data of various local, global and near global market vendors. The resistance of the market is regularly more noticeable with the rise in power of logical development and mergers and acquisitions exercises in the company.

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A massive research report on the global blended online learning market has been presented by Research Trades in its extensive repository. The base year considered for the study is 2021 and the forecast period is 2027. Researchers highlight key changing trends as well as advancements in technology platforms. It has been summarized with a mixture of primary and secondary research techniques.

Main report offerings:

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Latest Stuff and Guess: In-depth investigation of the most recent models, advancements, and gauges for the next two years to make the next advancements.

Sector survey: each part review and driving items, as well as income gauges and a development rate review.

Territorial Analysis: Thorough investigation of each location helps highlight players who design expansion systems and take a leap.

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Point-by-point table of contents of the research report

• Introduction and Market Overview
• by application
• Industrial chain analysis
• by type
• Industry Manufacturing, consumption, export, import by regions
• Industry value ($) by region
• Market Status and SWOT Analysis by Regions
• Large region of the world market
• Global sales
• Global income and slice of the pie
• List of large companies
• Conclusion

In addition, it takes a closer look at various standards, government policies, rules and regulations. This research was carried out with proven research methodologies such as qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Different infographics have been used in preparing the report on Global Blended Online Learning Market. The report profiles some of the companies operating in the global blended online learning market.

North America, Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Europe Inspected for Global Blended Online Learning Market Portfolio. According to research occupations, the global blended online learning market is expected to grow by + 17% CAGR during the forecast period. The market has been elucidated with different case studies as well as feedback from various professionals. When it comes to different attributes like Blended E learning, the global market has been explained accurately and professionally. Progress projections for different market segments are also highlighted in the research report.

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Since the switch to distance and hybrid learning environments at the start of the pandemic, UNM Information Technologies (IT) has continuously worked to keep digital classrooms safe. Starting November 11, UNM will offer new security options to protect the privacy of faculty and students.

The new default when scheduling UNM Zoom meetings will be “Authentication Required to Join” – meaning hosts can restrict meeting attendees and webinar attendees to logged in users only. Additionally, hosts can further restrict meetings to Zoom users whose email addresses match a certain domain. All scheduled meetings will require at least one security option.

All previously scheduled meetings without a security option will have a waiting room added to the meeting. If needed, security options can be changed per meeting in the organizer meeting settings before scheduling. These changes will apply to all UNM Zoom meetings, including “personal meeting rooms” in UNM accounts. Changes will not apply to meetings scheduled through HSC Zoom accounts.

Lobos with UNM Zoom accounts are encouraged to familiarize themselves with security options and schedule new meetings with at least one security option enabled. If an option is selected in advance, it will eliminate the need to update security options later. Users should review the following instructions:

• Security options when scheduling a new UNM Zoom meeting, see Quick Info 7892.
• Add external participants to UNM Zoom meetings that require authentication, see Quick Info 7897.
• Update security options on a previously scheduled meeting, see Quick Info 7893.

Information on attending meetings requiring authentication:

• UNM students, faculty and staff joining a Zoom UNM (non-HSC) meeting requiring authentication with your UNM NetID as a participant, see Quick Info 7891.
• Students, faculty and HSC staff joining a Zoom UNM (non-HSC) meeting requiring authentication with your HSC ID as a participant, see Quick Info 7894.
• HSC instructors using UNM Zoom through UNM Learn must authenticate using their UNM Zoom / Learn (non-HSC) credentials.

For UNM Learn specific support, including Zoom integrations with UNM Learn, please feel free to contact the UNM Learn 24/7 support team at 505-277-0857.

For assistance with UNM IT services, please contact UNM IT Customer Support at 277-5757. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mary Watkins of Campobello began looking for other educational opportunities for her 8-year-old son Ethan after learning that District 1 would be starting their 2019-20 school year on a hybrid schedule due to the pandemic.

“We loved Campobello-Gramling, but the hybrid schedule wouldn’t work for our family,” said Watkins. “And Ethan learns best when he’s in class.”

She found the GREEN Charter School (GCSS) in Spartanburg. GCSS opened in 2019 with only 250 students. Due to the small class sizes at the school they did not operate on a hybrid schedule but were face to face 5 days a week except for a few weeks the school had to go virtual by due to the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases.

Following: SC students experienced learning setbacks last year. Experts and parents fear this will continue.

During this time, GCSS teachers taught with virtually no loss of instructional time for their students.

The 2021 state report card released earlier this month showed several upstate districts topped the state average. But GREEN scores topped many local school districts, including SC State, Spartanburg District 5, Spartanburg District 6, Spartanburg District 7, SC Public Charter School District, and overall averages of the Greenville County Public School District on their ELA and math scores.

In ELA for primary and middle school:

• GCSS surpassed the SC State average by 21%
• GCSS outclassed the public charter school district SC by 14.6%
• GCSS outperformed Spartanburg District 5 by 17.2%
• GCSS outclassed Spartanburg District 6 by 27.4%
• GCSS outclassed Spartanburg District 7 by 26.6%
• GCSS outperformed Greenville County Public Schools by 13.6%

In mathematics for primary and middle school:

• GCSS surpassed the SC State average by 19.65%
• GCSS outclassed the SC Charter Public School District by 19.05%
• GCSS outperformed Spartanburg District 5 by 11.45%
• GCSS outperformed Spartanburg District 6 by 24.95%
• GCSS outperformed Spartanburg District 7 by 23.65%
• GCSS outperformed Greenville County Public Schools by 12.75%

These comparable data were collected here. While the overall negative impact of the pandemic is apparent, the data indicates that students at GREEN Charter School of Spartanburg have experienced much less learning loss compared to other similar settings.

Family approach to student learning

Principal Fatih Kandil attributes the school’s family-centered approach to the student’s passing tests. Attending GCSS is a choice as it is a charter school. Kandil says parental involvement is a key part of a child’s educational success.

“Our parents help with club activities. They volunteer in the classrooms, ”Kandil said. “It’s not just about the teacher to the student. It strongly involves families in the learning process. It makes a huge difference in our opinion.

Brianna Walker, grade eight social science teacher, credits parent involvement and administrator support to the learning atmosphere at GCSS.

“It’s such a great environment and the kids love it here,” Walker said. “Parents have chosen to put their kids here, and they really provide an incredible level of home support. So we can then connect with that and give the kids the best education they can get.”

GCSS used a unique learning environment as the 2020-2021 school year approached. Their goal was to have as little wasted learning time as possible. The GCSS administration felt that the best way to tackle this obstacle was to have teachers teach face-to-face and virtually, synchronously, meaning that teachers instruct students in their classroom at the same time. time than virtual students.

“I give all the credit to our amazing teachers. Kandil said. “They didn’t want the kids to fall behind and with our small classes, we thought this plan would be possible. ”

This involved the added expense of new headsets so that teachers could move around the classroom while teaching virtually. It also required training for teachers, students and parents, who attended a pre-school training session on what virtual learning would look like for their students.

Reducing quarantines and positive cases has been at the forefront of conversations between administrators at schools upstate. GCSS’s goal was to be as proactive as possible to protect their students while using the technological tools at their disposal.

Admins knew the kids would be traveling over the Christmas holidays in 2020, coming into contact with family and friends. Again, Principal Kandil and Deputy Principal Melissa Hester wanted to be proactive in protecting their students and staff.

“Everyone was traveling and visiting family,” Hester said. “Rather than waiting for something to happen, we used our virtual learning technology and all of the students attending school virtually for the first two weeks after the Christmas break.

Their plan worked. The students returned to the school for face-to-face learning and according to Kandil, the school had no quarantines or positive students until the end of the school year.

Less autonomy for administrators this year

However, Kandil and Hester say decisions they may have made for their school last year, such as when to go virtual and require masks, were taken away from them this year by legislation in Colombia.

“Last year it was a team decision,” Kandil said. “This year, we don’t have that power. If the decision-making was left to the administrators on site rather than at Columbia, I think we would be able to accomplish much more.

Rita Allison of the District 36 House of Representatives says the state’s current provisions are not lasting legislation and are only valid for this school year. She believes districts should have the flexibility to do whatever they need to do in their schools to keep their students safe.

“By the time these conditions were put in place, COVID had kind of subsided. Allison said. “We were at the bottom, and I think the people who sponsored the reserves in the budget took that into account. Now we’re in a different situation with the delta variant.”

Ashley Dill is from Spartanburg and has been on the staff of the Herald-Journal for 14 years. She covers community news and can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @ashleydill_shj.

THROUGH TALIA ABRAHAMSON

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Aiming to allay student fears of the pandemic, the Columbia College Student Council is developing a series of new proposals designed to improve college and campus life. While some ideas are pending administrative approval, CCSC hopes to improve its outlook on student life, which is inseparable from pandemic concerns this year.

At the second meeting of the academic year on September 19, the SBCC passed an internal reform to encourage members to accomplish even more project-based initiatives. With COVID-19 positivity rates making each week as unpredictable as the next – for example, causing a sudden return to the Zoom screen after an inaugural general meeting in person – representatives are formulating plans for the semester around this uncertainty.

“COVID is going to inform everything we are working on this semester and possibly this year,” said President Rads Mehta, CC ’22. “It’s not necessarily something that is parallel or separate. It really is part of everything.”

As the liaison between the Columbia College student body and administrators, CCSC strives to advocate for student concerns. One issue that many students have reported to SBCC is their confusion over how to take classes if they are quarantined, either because they have been found or have tested positive for COVID-19.

The confusion arises from the University’s policies for a return to face-to-face teaching. Columbia has a policy in place that “faculty members cannot decide to teach remotely if they have concerns about campus safety,” so many faculty have not implemented blended learning or classroom recordings on Zoom.

All members of the Columbia community who test positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate for at least ten days, regardless of their vaccination status. Undergraduates have isolated themselves in community dormitories of special interest and, according to CCSC, due to fears of overcrowding, Columbia has started temporarily housing students at the Beacon Hotel.

Students were asked to “work with their instructors to develop a plan to receive instructions” if they were to miss classes or classes due to COVID-19-related absences, including quarantine and isolation .

In a meeting with Dean of Academic Affairs Lisa Hollibaugh, Mehta learned that the University claims it is currently unable to offer a solution beyond this basis on a case-by-case basis due to the autonomy granted. to teachers in class.

“It was a little disappointing, just because we want to be able to reassure students that if you miss your course you won’t actually run out of material,” she said.

As a potential solution, CCSC is proposing a university-wide expansion of note-taking facilities, which are supported by disability services. Currently, Disabilities Services pays one student per class requested to provide anonymous grades, but CCSC hopes to nominate one student per class for as many classes as possible, in combination with classes that already have a designated grade-taker.

As of September 13, 116 affiliates have tested positive for COVID-19 either through symptomatic testing from campus medical services, asymptomatic testing at Lerner Hall, or outside testing sites. Although it remained at a “yellow” or low risk level, the University imposed a limit of 10 people at indoor gatherings and restricted access to the residence in recognition of the recently increased transmission of COVID-19 among students on campus.

The goal for CCSC and administrators, according to Vice President of Policy Krishna Menon, CC ’22, is to reach the “green” risk level with the fewest restrictions over the next two weeks. They are feeling the pressure to enjoy outdoor student life before the weather turns cold and cases of COVID-19 have an even greater potential to increase. The University was at “yellow” risk level since the start of the academic year.

“There is a lot of planning that depends on whether we are green by October,” Menon said. “I think it’s a reassurance that the numbers won’t skyrocket, we won’t see yellow, and we won’t go orange.”

Unlike the yellow level, the green level allows for a return to indoor meals and no capacity limits for academic, administrative, social and extracurricular gatherings. Achieving that level of security would not only bring the campus closer to pre-pandemic conditions, but would also help Mehta achieve her goal of imparting Columbia’s traditions and institutional knowledge to the elderly.

“There are a lot of people who run clubs who have never had the club experience in person,” Mehta said. “A lot of clubs lost a ton of members last year. A lot of clubs didn’t recruit members last year. And for me this fall semester is the last time for us to reorganize our clubs before. to lose the seniors, who are the only people who know what the culture of the club was like. “

Elsa Chung, CC ’23, vice president for campus life, said the CCSC had to cancel events, such as a singer-songwriter showcase called Fall Fest, due to the yellow status of the ‘university. In keeping with the restrictions on outdoor gatherings, she hopes instead to organize a “Lit Hum” night on October 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. for students who have taken literature and humanities classes virtually last year. The sections would meet in person, in three phases to reduce clutter, to solidify relationships between classmates.

“We try to focus on both optimism and realism, so we shift our attention to events that are more focused on a specific group of students,” Chung said. “We want campus life initiatives to provide that safety net as well as a great way to COVID-aware socialization on and around campus.”

Depending on the success of the Lit Hum night, the SBCC could replicate the event for contemporary civilization classes.

Chung leads the Community, Clubs and Traditions Working Group, which is one of the five working groups that make up the SBCC. The board passed a motion on Sept. 19 to dissolve its four major – campus life, politics, communications, and finance – into task forces, which include student welfare; Identity & Diversity; Communications; and Academics, Alum and Carrière, and an ad hoc committee on financial policy. Once the representatives of the SBCC are divided into working groups, they will undertake their own projects. Student Wellbeing, for example, plans to work with the Engineering Student Council, administrators and faculty members to develop preventative rather than reactionary resources for mental health.

“For communities, clubs and traditions, COVID and COVID policies are certainly going to be hugely considered as we want to make sure we follow all guidelines and keep the community safe,” Mehta said. “But at the same time, it’s also something that we want to revamp and make as strong as possible due to the loss of community during COVID. I would say COVID informs all of our decision-making and our vision. “

Associate Editor Talia Abrahamson can be reached at [email protected] Follow Spectator on Twitter at @ColumbiaSpec.

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Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is Columbia University’s independent undergraduate newspaper, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem and beyond. Read more on columbiaspectator.com and donate here.

U.S. financial authorities have launched a lawsuit against a cannabis-related investment program that is believed to be the first case involving crowdfunding regulation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against three people – named Robert Shumake Jr, Willard Jackson, and Nicole Birch – and Texas firm 420 Real Estate in Eastern Michigan District Court, claiming the trio had been involved in the sale of nearly $ 2 million in unregistered securities through two crowdfunding programs.

The SEC also accused the registered funding portal that hosted the offerings – TruCrowd – and its CEO Vicent Petrescu (name spelled as indicated), of violating Section 4A (a) (5) of the Securities Act and of having violated crowdfunding rules, alleging that they “served as gatekeepers and, as such, were responsible for taking action to reduce the risk of fraud.” “

In papers filed yesterday [PDF], Shumake, Jackson and Birch have been accused of marketing the two offers as “opportunities for investors to share the abundant profits of the cannabis industry, by acquiring real estate and leasing it to companies engaged in the cultivation of the cannabis industry. cannabis”.

However, the complaint filed by the SEC claimed that none of the funds raised were used to “acquire or improve cannabis-related real estate,” as reported.

“None of the investors in either of the crowdfunding offerings received any return on their investment, and few investors got back the funds they invested,” the watchdog said.

Shumake, Birch and Jackson are all accused of violating anti-fraud and registration laws, with the SEC alleging that “they embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars of the proceeds of the offering for their personal gain.”

The watchdog asked for financial sanctions and injunctions preventing them from exercising their duties as corporate officers.

In a statement announcing the news, Gurbir Grewal, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said that as companies continue to raise funds through crowdfunding, she will continue to ensure that all those involved are “accountable” and, if necessary, “enforce the protections in place for all investors.”

Last year, the SEC relaxed the rules around crowdfunding limits, raising the cap from $ 1 million to $ 5 million.

TruCrowd said The register: “We believe that we have a good defense against the allegations set out in the complaint, and it should be noted that there is no allegation of fraud against TruCrowd or [Vincent] Petrescu. “®

JAXenter: OpsRamp today announced the release of its platform for summer 2021. The highlight seems to be advanced predictive alerting capabilities. What does this mean and why is it important to your customers?

Michael Fisher: Alerts let you know when you have an issue or potential issue with your IT infrastructure and services. Our new predictive alerting capabilities put some intelligence behind these alerts by anticipating which alerts recur regularly and turn into performance-impacting incidents that are primarily noise.

We can identify seasonal alert patterns and reduce downtime by anticipating when alerts will increase. And we can reduce incident volumes by scheduling repetitive alerts, freeing up your ITOps teams for more strategic tasks.

SEE ALSO: 8 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Cloud Enterprise Technology For Your Organization

JAXenter: Digging deeper into your new release, it looks like OpsRamp has expanded its monitoring capabilities to include auto monitoring, Alibaba cloud monitoring, and data center monitoring. What is happening to IT operations professionals today that has made you focus more on these areas?

Michael Fisher: The hybrid domain is growing, so we are expanding our monitoring capabilities. Alibaba Cloud may not be that popular in North America, but it’s the # 1 public cloud platform (by market share) in Asia and it’s a $ 300 billion internet economy. by 2025. So if we want to support global customers and global business operations – and we do – we had to add support for that.

But not everything is moving to the public cloud. Data center technologies continue to advance and enable data center operators to deliver cloud functionality. So we’ve extended support for data center infrastructure like storage, networking, and hyperconverged infrastructure from vendors like Hitachi, VMware, Dell-EMC, and Poly.

JAXenter: One last question. What advice do you have for IT Ops professionals who want to move from being responsive in tracking and resolving incidents to being proactive so they don’t happen in the first place? Can you give us / them 2-3 good practices?

Michael Fisher: We advocate for a service-centric approach throughout the incident lifecycle. It starts with hybrid monitoring – a tool to monitor your entire application infrastructure wherever it is, on-premises and multi-cloud – with a mapping of business services to that underlying hybrid infrastructure.

From there, add intelligent event correlation with machine learning, so you don’t get drowned in alerts, but instead can identify when the same event triggered multiple alerts. You need to be able to route these alerts to the right people who can respond to them. And not all of these alerts require human intervention.

You should be able to initiate automated IT processes that can resolve incidents without human intervention, for example by automatically patching a vulnerability on the compute instance or by invoking an incident resolution policy.

Two-way integration with your ITSM tool is another good practice, so you can create, update and close incidents in your ITSM tool as incidents unfold and gain better context to deal with future incidents. .

We know the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet, with the delta variant increasing among our communities. Unfortunately our schools have opened provide in-person learning only.

Are our district schools equipped to follow all COVID protocols? Many districts are struggling to do so, despite claims that they are doing everything to ensure the safety of students and staff.

In the Edison neighborhood, within four days of the school opening, there have been 10 cases of COVID, leading to 34 people in quarantine. The trend is the same elsewhere. Schools and buses are crowded and little social distancing is maintained between children. Additionally, districts are struggling to find drivers for some bus lines, forcing parents to drop off and pick up children.

Add that the school population includes a mix of children who are not old enough for vaccination and older students who are eligible – but may not be vaccinated – and a perfect storm is brewing. When community transmission is high, it allows schools to become potential sites for super spread.

Even parents who understand the benefits of face-to-face learning are afraid to put their children in a place where the risk of infection is high. But, New Jersey districts don’t have a distance learning option this year. Forcing children to be sent to school in person by households with high-risk residents puts these families in a very vulnerable position. Some parents will be forced to choose private home schooling.

Many other states still offer virtual or blended learning.

Giving parents the choice of having children to learn in their neighborhoods from the safety of the home is the best course of action. To act as if the pandemic is over is premature.

Uma Srinivasan, Edison

Maintain virtual access to public meetings

I was happy to read the Star-Ledger editorial from September 20 with the print headline “Virtual Meetings Help Strengthen Democracy.” Do not pull out the plug, NJ “

I am concerned that this access will be lost as many public bodies return to face-to-face meetings. I am convinced that there should be a virtual option for those of us who cannot, for whatever reason, attend in person.

In my case, these are ongoing health hazards due to my severely immunocompromised status. Others may have logistical issues such as transportation or childcare issues, or other types of disabilities. Whatever the nature of the challenge, it is clear to me that a hybrid system of in-person and virtual access is the most democratic. The technology is already available and there are additional issues that can be addressed to make public meetings open to more people.

I support and will work for legislative action to protect the rights of those of us who, like me, will be harmed by a return to a system of exclusively in-person town halls. Expanding access by developing the technology necessary to operate during COVID-19 has been one of the unexpected benefits of this tragic pandemic.

Tina Weishaus, Highland Park

Fear, anxiety accompanies the breakthrough infection

I thank Julie O’Connor for sharing her family experience with a groundbreaking COVID-19 case “(As the virus rages, those unsuccessfully trying to contain it” rage on September 19).

Unfortunately and against all odds, I also had the dubious honor of being “1 in 5,000” to become infected after being fully immunized. For me, the physical medical issues were manageable compared to struggles with anxiety, fear, and looming depression.

More than several times a day, I took my temperature and checked my oxygen saturation levels, and did deep breathing exercises to manage the fear and regain some composure.. Internet research has been read avidly on all aspects of COVID-19. Reports of recovery, short and long term effects, and possible treatments haven’t done much to relieve my stress. I would check for loss of taste or smell by licking a dab of salt or sugar, or trying to smell a coconut scented hand soap. It lasted three weeks.

I tried not to be angry at the thought of possible activities that I participated in that may have been the source of my exposure, although there is no certainty. One of the suspects is an indoor yoga class in which all unmasked participants were reportedly vaccinated. Now I have doubts if this was true.

However, I am thankful that my 81 year old partner, who tested positive like me, remained asymptomatic the entire time. His underlying health issues could have caused a very serious medical problem if he had fallen ill.

When it comes to the unvaccinated, they have a responsibility to themselves and to the rest of us to get vaccinated – either voluntarily or through a government mandate. Quite.

Michael Francaviglia, Maple wood

Fed up with anti-vaccines

To all the anti-vaccines: I had some with you!

By selfishly deciding that they will not get the COVID-19 vaccine, they are ignoring the public health and safety of our citizens and threatening the lives of our children.

They keep our economy captive, preventing a robust recovery. They create additional expenses for their employers when they catch the virus, miss work and are hospitalized. Insurance companies are paying untold amounts of money to recover, if they are lucky.

Unvaccinated people increase the number of hospitalized patients. In some parts of the country, intensive care units are full, medical staff are on the verge of blackouts, and other patients have to travel hundreds of kilometers to find a hospital that can admit them.

This situation is out of control again, and the unvaccinated people are largely to blame! Hang in, pull, and get on with it!

Chris Bulava, Washington (Warren County)

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As a freshman in an introductory chemistry class sits down for his semester, which could be his first stepping stone to a career in academia, research, or medicine, a thought may swirl through his mind. Head next to valence numbers, molar masses and oxidation states — an anxiety that turns into a guess: “Maybe people like me don’t belong to this class.

This thought is called uncertainty of belonging, a feeling of social insecurity linked to a person’s identity. New research from the University of Utah shows that insecurity of belonging in a STEM course, especially a freshman chemistry class, can affect a student’s midterm scores, which can then have repercussions on the student’s uncertainty of belonging. For students from groups that are under-represented in STEM, there is a risk that such a feedback loop will cause them to decide that science is not for them, deterring potential scientists from even entering a STEM field.

“Students in these first STEM courses face many struggles and challenges, such as learning to adjust their study strategies, which are normal for this period of academic transition from high school to college,” says Gina Frey, chemistry teacher. “The problem is that a student with a high degree of uncertainty of belonging has a less stable sense of belonging and will believe that the difficulties they encounter in these courses are due to their identity rather than a normal part of the transition. academic experience that everyone is faced with in their early days. years in college.

The research is published in the Journal of Chemical Education in a special issue on diversity, equity, inclusion and respect in the research and practice of chemistry education.

Sense of belonging and uncertainty of belonging

The uncertainty of belonging is different from the simple feeling of belonging. A sense of belonging is an individual feeling, says Frey, (that is, “Do I belong here?”), While the uncertainty of belonging is related to the groups in which a person identifies himself.

“The more uncertain a person is about belonging,” says Frey, “the more aware they are of the problems that specific identity groups may have in belonging to a community, and therefore the person may feel that ‘people like me ( that is, a certain identity group) have no place here.

In a study last year at another university, Frey and his colleagues saw how the difference between the feeling of belonging and the uncertainty of belonging played out. The researchers followed the students through General Chemistry 1 and 2 and found that women entered each class with a lower sense of belonging and higher uncertainty of belonging than men, even with the same. academic preparation (as measured by ACT math scores and the pre-assessment test scores). At the end of the semester, women still expressed a higher uncertainty of belonging than men, although their sense of belonging had increased. Both measures of membership, the researchers found, were correlated with exam performance.

But between membership measures and exam scores, what is the cause and what is the effect? Other researchers had previously hypothesized that belonging and academic performance were linked in a feedback loop – higher uncertainty of belonging can lead to lower exam scores, which in turn reinforces the uncertainty of belonging and so on.

In the new Frey study, chemistry graduate student Joshua Edwards and physics and astronomy assistant professor Ramón Barthelemy set out to explore the recursive phenomenon within the confines of a single course: general chemistry 1.

Recursive effects

A total of 725 students participated in the study, which was conducted in the fall semester of 2020 amid blended learning options due to COVID-19 (later on study impact ). With their consent, the researchers compiled student demographics, information on academic preparation, and grades from the course’s three exams (two mid-term and one final). They also assessed membership using a short questionnaire given at the start and end of the semester.

The results showed that membership uncertainty and test performance interacted with each other as assumed. In general, students’ mid-term performance predicted their uncertainty of belonging at the end of the semester. And that uncertainty predicted their score on the final exam.

Frey says she and her colleagues were surprised to see that the benefits of a good mid-point score over membership uncertainty applied differently to men and women. When men scored high on tests (90% or more), their uncertainty of belonging decreased significantly (suggesting greater security in their belonging). But for women, even with the same good scores, the uncertainty of belonging is not lower than the class average.

“This means that, at least for women, there is a limit to what performance gains can improve social belonging,” says Frey. “The ever-higher membership uncertainty we see for women in STEM classes could affect women’s retention and persistence in STEM fields, and improved performance is not the only factor needed to mitigate this gender-based belonging gap in STEM. “

The researchers also found that intersectionality, or belonging to more than one under-represented group, deepens the belonging-academia cycle. For the group of students who were both female and first-generation students, each increase in the standard deviation of membership uncertainty (a statistical term meaning distance from the class average) was accompanied by a decrease of up to 6% in the mid-term average mark.

How to break the cycle

Instructors and students can help break the cycle of membership uncertainty, says Frey.

Instructors can help by implementing collaborative activities to encourage peer interaction. “It is essential that students see that their learning experience and all the challenges that come with it are shared by most of their peers,” says Frey. They can also create a growing mindset and a supportive environment, helping students understand that their abilities can grow with time and practice, and that mistakes are part of the learning process. “This is especially important right after major assessments, such as exams, when students are most likely to make judgments about their own academic ability,” adds Frey.

Instructors can also help by using examples, analogies, and diagrams that are not stereotypical and include different identities. For example, avoiding analogies and references to popular male-dominated media and activities, Frey says, can have a substantial impact on student belonging.

“Instructors should use these teaching practices for all students,” she says, “but also focus on groups that are under-represented in STEM such as women, first-generation students, and people of color. “

Students can do their part by supporting each other, especially in collaborative activities.

“In the qualitative studies that we conduct, we find that students really appreciate the positive and supportive interactions between students during class,” says Frey. “Get to know your colleagues or peers in your classroom, initiate a discussion with them, share your point of view and respect the points of view of your colleagues. You may be surprised to find that many students’ experiences in the course are similar to yours and that you can help each other learn.

Next steps

The researchers conducted the study during the COVID-19 pandemic and mixed learning modalities. With such a high value placed on peer interaction, how did the disruption of traditional face-to-face learning affect the study?

“It’s a good question that we think about a lot,” says Frey. Due to the unique circumstances of the pandemic, the researchers turned to their previous study for comparison. “We can say with certainty that the outcome of differences in sense of belonging and uncertainty of belonging among men and women in STEM courses is robust and widespread,” says Frey. Additionally, researchers are conducting a similar study this fall in an in-person chemistry class, providing another data point for comparison.

“A key difference we’re seeing is that in the online / hybrid learning environment,” she says, “students more often mention the importance of peer interaction.”

The team is also considering an introductory physics course at U to see if the same patterns hold up in other STEM courses.

Since Introductory STEM courses are the foundation of many specializations and careers, helping diverse students feel like they belong enhances diversity in the courses and careers that follow.

“You are not alone in the struggles and challenges you face as a student in your first STEM classes,” Frey said. “Anyone can improve themselves with the right study skills and support. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Seeking help from your instructor, peers, or other academic resources is what you should do what you learn.

Find the full study here.

A difficult year

The workplace has evolved at a rapid pace during and after the pandemic, unlike anything we’ve seen before. As more companies reopen their offices, HR managers are asking: How do we form a hybrid workforce? Going forward, it’s crucial that training adapts and HR teams lead with creative thinking. With reinvigorated training methods, a focus on wellness, and increased flexibility, HR professionals can lead with confidence to ensure their team is on the right track to success. Giving all employees the right tools and resources will allow for a smooth transition to the workplace. And adjusting training methods to support a hybrid workforce format will help employees stay engaged and motivated. Let’s discuss some examples.

Reinvigorate Ways of Training

One of the most difficult aspects of reviewing a learning and development program is employee engagement. With a mix of employees at home and in the office, it can be difficult to bring everyone together. Modifying your training to capture the attention and engagement of employees can stimulate their long-term interest. How can you adapt your training to achieve this? If training videos are an essential part of your training, consider the attention span and intrigue of your employees. It is important that the workout videos are more relaxed, so that the attention does not slip. Monotonous videos simply won’t do the trick anymore. Instead, consider a combination of virtual panel discussions with pre-recorded webinars, in addition to self-guided content for a comprehensive training experience.

Select a training mode

Have synchronous or asynchronous training: why not both? There are several advantages and disadvantages to deploying both modes in your training program, but a combination can have lasting benefits for your employees.

Synchronous drive can be very effective in covering the information and content that the team collectively needs. While this mode can be done in person or hybrid, each employee can benefit from the same questions and answers and other feedback from their peers.

Alternately, asynchronous training can be just as effective in a number of ways. This type of training allows employees to learn at their own pace. Asynchronous training can also allow employees to independently immerse themselves in the content and have the ability to think through the information according to their needs.

Navigate better interactions

Work environments now exist almost everywhere. Whether it’s employees working in the office, home, and anywhere in between, it can be difficult to bring employees and new hires together for onboarding and continuing education. How to bridge this gap?

Zoom and other connectivity platforms within your organization’s technology stack can bridge better interactions in training. All users can learn in the same sessions, and engagement is efficiently streamlined. Interaction and engagement can be enhanced by using engaging quizzes, surveys, and creative videos.

Enhance well-being

The pandemic has offered unique opportunities to improve the culture of work, namely mental well-being. This lapse of time highlighted the importance of having a balance and a solid well-being to fight against burnout and virtual fatigue. HR professionals and managers should consider frequent check-ins for seasoned employees and new hires to support them and mitigate burnout.

Work is moving faster than ever and the need to integrate well-being from the start of training has never been greater. Leaders and HR professionals should consider taking wellness training as part of the onboarding or retraining process to inspire healthy work practices such as mindfulness and establish balanced boundaries between work and personal life. Incorporating mental health initiatives early into training can help employees be more productive and adopt healthier work habits.

Set achievable goals that translate into strong results

We all know that goals are essential to any successful training plan. Leaders want to be successful, but are the goals they set achievable? With any revised training program, you will want to adapt and make achievable changes if necessary. Changes can happen along the way, but that’s not a sign of failure with your program. Revisions within your training plan will only strengthen training for the future. Start with smaller goals and continue to ask employees and managers for feedback to assess what is working with the updated training plan. Ask managers what they want to see with their teams and ask employees what knowledge they hope to learn from a revised or hybridized training.

Evaluating results on the basis of accessible goals and group feedback will result in decisive results. It might not happen immediately, but working towards concrete goals will pave a solid path to success.

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