Teaching Organic Chemistry at the American University of Beirut Through the COVID-19 Pandemic
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 6, December 2020
Pages:
133-138
Received:
22 September 2020
Accepted:
9 October 2020
Published:
11 November 2020
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has single-handedly overturned a traditional lecture-based educational system at universities on a global scale. The required abrupt move to an online platform for education has caused tremendous challenges for educational systems in general and specifically also in the chemical sciences. In Lebanon particularly, the COVID-19 pandemic raked havoc on a country entrenched in popular uprising and riddled by an economic collapse observing unprecedented devaluation of the national currency. In this situation, the move to online education had caused tremendous stress and burden for faculty and students raising the need to develop mitigation strategies by embracing reduction in material and a careful consideration of students’ mental health. This commentary presents the author’s experience of delivering undergraduate Organic Chemistry courses at the American University of Beirut (AUB) through the COVID-19 pandemic, during the spring and summer 2020 semesters. While the author’s pre-recorded lectures of Organic Chemistry I were vital to the online delivery of course material, this commentary particularly highlights the inclusion of supplementary online assignments that include: videos to illustrate a covered organic chemistry concept, instructional videos to explain a multiple choice question (MCQ) of their creation, a cartoon to exemplify an organic chemistry concept, a cartoon to reflect on studying organic chemistry during the COVID-19 pandemic and a group assignment that allowed students to assume social responsibility.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has single-handedly overturned a traditional lecture-based educational system at universities on a global scale. The required abrupt move to an online platform for education has caused tremendous challenges for educational systems in general and specifically also in the chemical sciences. In Lebanon particularly, the COVID-19 ...
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An Assessment of Factors That Affect <Writing Performance of English Language and Literature Regular Students’ at Kebri Dehar University>
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 6, December 2020
Pages:
139-146
Received:
30 December 2020
Accepted:
13 January 2021
Published:
25 January 2021
Abstract: The main objective of this study was to assess the factors that affect writing performance of English Language and Literature regular students at Kebri Dehar University. The study used a mixed method that involves quantitative and qualitative methods. Questionnaire, interview and document review were used to gather the necessary data for the study. Four writing instructors and seventy English language and literature regular students were the subject of the study; and they were chosen in purposely and comprehensively in respectively. Thus, descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were employed in analyzing the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed in sentence description. Researcher used primary data sources to collect the data. A primary data source is an original data source which is one in that the data are collected firsthand by the researcher for a specific research purpose. In the analyzed data the findings of the study indicated lack of interest in writing, lack of wide reading habit, lack of writing background knowledge, fear of making mistake are some of the factors that affect students’ writing performance. Based on the result of the study recommendations have been made to solve the failure of students’ writing performance particular focusing on English language and literature regular students at Kebri Dehar University.
Abstract: The main objective of this study was to assess the factors that affect writing performance of English Language and Literature regular students at Kebri Dehar University. The study used a mixed method that involves quantitative and qualitative methods. Questionnaire, interview and document review were used to gather the necessary data for the study....
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