International Students’ Perspectives on e-Learning During COVID-19 in Higher Education in Australia: A Study of an Asian Student

Abstract

Given that online higher education shows no sign of abating during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, understanding the nature of e-learning and e-learners in this particular setting is much needed. However, little is known about the e-learning approaches that international students apply, or about how they experience the process of e-learning. This article is a critical reflection on the misalignment between an international student’s (Author 1) e-learning behaviours and the expectation of online education. It outlines the autoethnographic method and employs self-study to explore why Author 1 behaves in a certain way with particular reference made to the Biggs’ 3P model. In so doing, the study attempts to shed light on the values and interests of international students that have been silenced in the discourse of e-learning design in Australian universities. With the aim of obtaining a profound insight into the effectiveness of e-learning, the present study challenges the notion that the virtual university is a means of achieving educational equality; it suggests the potential of online education in undermining the social inclusion agenda of internationalised universities. The findings show that while the participant could engage with the curriculum to some extent, there are signs of disconnection, isolation and emotional instability associated with the establishment and development of the e-learning environment. Illustrations of these emerging issues could help educators better understand the downside of e-learning and e-practice by identifying various influential elements, including individuals’ socioeconomic status, cultural heritage and environmental learning settings. The study points out that international students’ education outcomes could be compromised, and expectations could be unfulfilled via e-learning. Thus, there is a further need to prepare learners for e-learning environments.

Schema and emotion in memory retrieval following video-based learning: An artificial intelligence study

“…During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, digital learning reached a whole new level as the default learning strategy (Sá & Serpa, 2020). Despite the benefits digital learning provided when deployed on a smaller scale in the past, the rapid adoption during the pandemic failed to improve teaching practices and even created a negative mindset among students towards video-based learning (Lin & Nguyen, 2021). Moreover, according to Inan et al's (2010) study, one primary reason for the failure in digital learning is that instructors used technology as a content delivery platform rather than as an actual learning tool.…”

Working Toward Becoming Doctoral Researchers: A Collective Autoethnography of International Students in Australia

“…According to transformative theory, learning is driven by the demand to understand the world (Dirkx, 2012;Mezirow, 2012). Throughout Covid-19, all students have experienced confusion due to changing study modes from face-toface to virtual learning, while searching for solutions and endeavoring to normalize their situations (Eschembacher & Fleming, 2020;Lin, & Nguyen, 2021). Students are then prompted to question, critique, grow, negotiate, and adapt to a 'new normal' (Eschembacher & Fleming, 2020).…”

“…The development of international students can be seen as the practice of transformative learning (Chwialkowska, 2020;Nada, 2018). It has been found that studying overseas can promote personal growth in a way that the home country cannot offer, such as developing intercultural understanding (Lin & Zhang, 202;Jiang, 2020) and academic skills (Lin & Nguyen, 2021). These developments have been attributed to advanced education and learning opportunities in the host country, as social and material environments have proven to promote the development of consciousness (Simon, 2014).…”

“…To do so, these students need to critically review their existing meaning perspectives and selectively transform learned skills (Chwialkowska, 2020), as knowledge of the environment and social contexts of home countries may not be applied as frames of reference (Nada, 2018). However, studies have found that prior meaning perspectives are still applied by international students (Lin & Nguyen, 2021;Lin & Zhang, 2021). For example, China conducts meritocratic selection by using competitive examinations and promoting a hard-working culture (Lin & Chan, 2021).…”

“…These understandings constitute Chinese students' primary technical and dialectical knowledge toward learning. It has been found that Chinese students are likely to use extended time to prepare themselves for pedagogy, assignment requirements, and social and cultural norms (Lin & Nguyen, 2021;Lin & Zhang, 2021).…”