Question and answer (case study analysis)

 Case Analysis Assignment

A Model Answer is available for this assignment, but it will be released only after you have submitted, since otherwise your answer could be too similar to it.     

Word length: 750 words                                                     

Before you begin, read Writing your Case Analysis in Thinking about Writing (in TEXTBOOKS, in the left-hand menu, ). In the TEXTBOOKS tool, you can also read How to Write Your Case Study: Step by Step. 

Submission: 12-point font, default margins. When submitting on OWL, submit BOTH as a WORD attachment AND cut and paste your essay as an inline document.

Topic: students and the reading requirements of a Year 1 Writing course. (Do NOT do the topic which was discussed in the Lesson--the Dr. Cohen case on plagiarism.)

Characters: Dr. Sara Khan, course instructor; and 25 multilingual students who are taking the Writing course.

Writing 1002 is a half course taken by international students at Erewhon University in Ontario, Canada.  The course’s goal is to help students who use English as a second language, mainly for academic purposes, master two sets of skills key to university success in the Canadian context:

1. Critical thinking skills as defined by Canadian academics, that are not only applied to the Writing course tasks, but can also be transferred to other courses the students are enrolled in.
2. Writing skills, which include narrowing down a topic, choosing reliable academic research sources, making research notes, creating a strong argument, drafting a well-structured essay, using matter from the research sources to provide support for the main idea, and revising, editing, formatting, and submitting the essay on time.

There are multiple sections of the course. The common course outline given to students in these sections does not mention the importance of reading, or explain how reading skills interact with the thinking and writing skills that are put in the foreground. However, the course has a mandatory textbook with about 40 pages of academic essays, which students are expected to read. Another mandatory text is a writing handbook that describes the essay writing process, explains how to do research, how to cite sources in APA style, how to edit and format essays to prepare them for submission, and so on.  The readings are sequenced to support the writing skill that is being developed in each class: for example, if the writing is a reflective essay, the reading for that day provides a model of a reflective essay, and also tells the students how to brainstorm for their own essay, write a strong outline for it, and format it in APA style.

Dr. Sara Khan is in charge of teaching a section of this course. She is a seasoned instructor who has been teaching classes with multilingual students for over fifteen years. As she gives the second lecture of the term, and asks questions about the reading for that day (a short personal reflection essay), she realizes that more than half the class has not read the assigned reading. This slows down her lecture, since she has to explain or read out passages from the textbook that the students would be familiar with if they had done their reading. She is unable to complete the lesson she had planned for the class.

That evening, Dr. Khan reads the short written assignments that students submitted.  She realizes that since many students did not read the model essay, they have done a very poor job on the assignment. For instance, they have not understood what was meant by “reflection.” Their vocabulary is limited, and there is no paragraphing. Some sections of the assignment, in the case of five students, sound very strange; Dr. Khan infers that these students have done their thinking in their native languages (Hindi, Mandarin, Korean, and Arabic) and have used electronic translation apps (like Google Translate) to fill in these sections. Three students have also committed serious plagiarism: instead of talking about their own experiences, they have described experiences they could not possibly have had.  Dr. Khan feels upset as she realizes that if she were to give the students the marks they deserved, around 50% of the class would fail the assignment. 

Dr. Khan reflects that in recent years, students in general seem to be more distracted by electronic media. They are less willing to read the assigned texts. When she calls on them in class, they don’t seem to feel embarrassed by having to admit that they haven’t read the textbook. She finally asks the students individually why they read or didn’t read the textbook. They respond as follows:

• “I find English too hard. The words are difficult to understand.”
• “I enjoyed the readings about international students’ lives! The stories sound like mine.”
• “I am stressed out because my parents say they cannot pay my second term fees.”
• “I am on academic probation. I’m worried about my Business courses. The Writing course is not my priority.”
• “I like to read the essay model that I have to imitate—it is better than essay instructions.”
• “The textbook is so boring.”
• “I don’t think I need to know how to write an essay.”
• “I am interested in Social Work. I have to write a personal reflection for that class, so the reading was useful.”
• “I am homesick and just want to talk to my family on Skype. I can’t concentrate.”
• “Why should I read? I think the teacher’s job is to explain the textbook during class.”
• “I want to read, but my friends keep visiting me, and I don’t have time.”
• “I am addicted to video games. I play until 2 AM, and then I’m too sleepy to read.”
• “I’m going to read the textbook just before the exam, like I always did in my home country.”
• “In Delhi, I always did my reading with my friends. I have no friends here.”

The problem: What should Dr. Khan do, given that she really wants her students to succeed in the Writing course, and given the Canadian university’s norms for academic excellence?

There is no “correct answer” to this question. Your response can discuss measures to change student attitudes, or measures to change the course, or both.

Resource for theory: (you can read this article on OWL, in the TEXTBOOKS TAB, or simply use the summary below): The article is also attached below. 

Al-Hoorie, A. H. (2017). Sixty years of language motivation research: Looking back and looking forward. SAGE Open, 7(1), 1-11. doi:10.1177/2158244017701976.

 

Summary of the research in Al-Hoorie (2017), along with psychological theories of motivation:

Writing research shows that motivating students is key to getting uptake on academic tasks. In general, there are at least four different types of motivation:

• Intrinsic motivation: when a person does something because they find it interesting and enjoyable for its own sake. Researchers Boo et al. (2015) found that a key motivator in learning a new language is the image of the ‘ideal speaker’ in the learner’s head—the person s/he wants to be.
• Extrinsic motivation: when a person responds to an outside incentive like money or a bonus mark.
• Integrative motivation: when a person seeks the reward of inclusion in a group or community if they do something. R.C. Gardner observed that learners found it easier to learn a new language when they liked the people who spoke it, and wanted to associate with them. 
• Instrumental motivation: when a person does something in order to achieve a goal (graduation, a job, further study, etc.). Dornyei et al. have found that long-term goals are a key motivating factor for many language learners.

References

Gardner, R. C. (2010). Motivation and second language acquisition: The socio-educational

model. New York, NY: Peter Lang.

Boo, Z., Dörnyei, Z., Ryan, S. (2015). L2 motivation research 2005–2014: Understanding a

      Publication surge and a changing landscape. System, 55, 145-157.

doi:10.1016/j.system.2015.10.006

Dörnyei, Z., Henry, A., Muir, C. (2016). Motivational currents in language learning:

      Frameworks for focused interventions. New York, NY: Routledge.

            Case Analysis: How to motivate students to read

                          Summary of Background

    In writing 1002, the first-year course for international students at Erewhon University in Ontario, more than half of the students did not complete the assigned reading—the course’s first assignment. To make students learn writing essays and prepare for the next class well, Dr. Sara Khan prepared several materials for students. The first one is a textbook with lots of academic essays and another one is also a textbook that teaches the students the process of writing essays. Although Dr. Sara Khan provided these fodders for students, they were not willing to finish the assigned homework and they behaved badly in their assignments.

             A problem for both students and the university

Because the majority of students did not read the model essay, they showed very bad performance on their assignment. Some students made errors that could be considered as the poor performance of their assignments because they did not read a model essay. Others did not aware of the importance of reading and they also ignored the purpose of this course is to develop critical thinking skills and writing skills. Dr. Sara Khan could help all students achieve the course learning outcomes by motivating them. He could guide students to set their long-term goals, which can make students study independently (Instrumental motivation, Al-Hoodie, 2017). Moreover, he could prepare a quiz to examine the degree of completion of assigned reading and count the mark in the final score, which Al-Hoorie (2017) would describe as Extrinsic motivation. Besides, he could divide the class into several groups to discuss the assigned reading and make students choose their partners by themselves, a strategy that motivates students integrally (Al-Hoorie, 2017). The combined responses of allowing students attach importance to the assigned reading through Instrumental motivation, Extrinsic motivation, and Integrative motivation, as it would motivate students to finish their assignments and aware of the importance of reading among the study.

                      Integrative motivation

 Setting groups would be beneficial, addressing the following response from one of Dr. Sara Khan’s students: “In Delhi, I always did my reading with my friends. I have no friends here.” Al-Hoorie (2017) indicated that it is easy to learn a new language when people talk with a person that they like. If setting the groups, Dr. Sara Khan should make students choose partners by themselves.

                     Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation through bonus marks or money can effectively make students study independently (Al-Hoorie, 2017), indicated by the response, “ I am going to read the textbook just before the exam like I always did in my home country.” Mark is important for students because it is related to their graduation. Thus, If Dr. Sara Khan uses the mark to motivate students, students are more willing to learn.

 Instrumental motivation

Dr. Sara Khan should also have a lesson to guide students to set long-term goals and make them form their schedules, indicated by the response, “I am addicted to video games. I play until 2 AM, and then I’m too sleepy to read.” and “ I want to read, but my friends keep visiting me, and I don’t have time.” According to Dornyei et al. (2016), “Long-term goals are a key motivating factor for many language learners.”

                       Recommended Solutions

Dr. Sara Khan should combine Instrumental motivation with Integrative motivation. From the responses of the majority of students, they indicated that they were influenced by external factors when they want to study and they wanted to communicate with other people about homework. If Dr. Sara Khan just uses outside incentives like money or bonus mark, the effect is just temporary. When this course ends, students will return to the original state. Therefore, students need to make their own short-term goals and long-term goals and schedule. Additionally, students should be given a chance to talk with others to express their thought.

               Conclusion: Some Notes about Implementation

  To implement the solution effectively, Dr. Sara Khan should have a lesson to explain how to set own schedule and goals by providing examples. After students set their own goals and schedules, Dr. Sara Khan should paste it on the wall, which can mention students to implement it. Besides, he also can build a group for students to share their daily life and progress of learning. Dr. Sara Khan should play the role of supervision and provide some awards for well-behaved students. Even if it is hard to change the habit, once changed, students can benefit from the rest of their lives. Moreover, divide the class into several groups would promote students to participate in class and finish homework well. Every group should be responsible for different functions of assigned reading. Then they are allowed to discuss in the class. When students discuss, Dr. Sara Khan can transfer a student from one group to another group and make this student explain to the group. This method can examine if students complete the assigned reading well and promote students to talk with others.

After discussion, students can understand the content well, then Dr. Sara Khan can provide a supplement for students based on their discussion. These ways can promote students to finish their assigned homework well and participate in the class actively. The most important thing is that students can aware of the necessity of reading and form their healthy schedule, which also can apply to lives and other university courses. 

 

Role of Trade in the World’s Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Introduction

Should governments have restricted trade to enhance domestic supply of personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic?

During the early days of the coid-19 outbreak there were massive disruptions in the supply chain that caused a global shortage in the supply of protective equipments. Countries like china which are huge exporters of the products like surgical masks, respirators, gloves and hospital gowns reduced exports and also began importing. The United States also having major companies that supply these products worldwide also began experiencing shortages. Notably, many companies resorted to their domestic supplies to meet the rising demand of the medical products due to the increasing number of Covid 19 patients (Bown, 22). Most developing countries did not have many established manufacturers to produce this product since they initially relied on imports. Hence, medical research companies, private investors and the government had to develop the medical equipments locally by combining resources. The post Covid 19 period indicates that many nations across the world have increased their production capabilities in the medical field and hence domestic supply almost meets the demand. Therefore, during the Covid 19 period governments should have adopted restricted trade to meet their demand.

Notably, trade restriction, specifically in personal protective gears would have ensured that the major exporting countries like chain and United States would meet their local demand. On the other hand, the restriction would have enabled countries that import such products to develop their manufacturing capabilities to meet their demand. It is evident that the Covid 19 period influenced numerous policy making decisions across the world, majorly because the pandemic had significant social and economic impacts. This was a necessary measure to boost the supply of the medical equipments because major suppliers like china did not have the capacity to export. The corona virus began in Wuhan china, and the outbreak became a huge health concern that the country had to shut down some parts of the economy (Magablesh, 2021). The rising numbers of causality meant that the country could not export the personal protective equipment (PPE) as usually. Nations that dependence on china had to find alternative sources of supply, but the supply chain network for the PPE was significantly affected when the virus spread across the world. Therefore, an effective measure that some nations took included promoting local production. There nations that adopted trade restrictions in as way of promoting domestic supply and also because they could not get enough supplies from the international markets.

“China monthly export and import volumes of PPEs (million kgs) from 2018 – 2020”

Covid affected the international markets for PPEs adversely, for example china imported more than it exported which led to a huge disruption in supply chain networks. As per the figures above china exported plummeted in February 2020 which mimicked a similar seasonal reduction that occurred in 2018 which was associated to the Chinese Lunar Year. Notably, this is a huge i9ndication that the Covid 19 pandemic was enough justification for governments to adopt restricted trade to promote domestic supply both in the pandemic period and after (Bown, 2022). This could help countries cushion themselves against shortages of PPEs that come about due to supply chain disruption that occur due to pandemics. The development of the domestic manufatciri9ng sector due to governments adopting restricted trade in the production of PPE is also essential in economic recovery.

Is re-shoring the best approach to deal with shocks like Covid-19 or similar events?

Nations across the world have adopted off-shoring as s trade strategy whereby they move migrate manufacturing plants from developed economies to developing or underdeveloped economies. The aim is usually to enjoy the low cost production whereby they get to enjoy cheap labour, availability of raw materials and lower production cost. Notably, this was an effective trend up until the covid-19 pandemic occurred. The interruption of trade supply chain networks were adversely affected due to lockdowns, trade restrictions and partially closure of businesses. This meant that nations could not even get their product that they have produced in other nations, hence leading to shortages while the demand continued to increase (Vaughn & Weldzius, 2021). Notably, Covid 19 disruption in the supply chain networks has led many nations to rethink this trend, and the result is that some nations have begun re-shoring their manufacturing plants that have been offshore. The occurrence of the Covid pandemic exposed major vulnerabilities in the supply chain system, and this is because the effects touched on many nations. Hence, this is wake up call for nations in terms of policy making and preparedness for unexpected shocks of any magnitude.

Re-shoring is a response to the possible vulnerabilities that exists in global supply chain systems; hence it is an effective government policy that can get implemented to help in absorbing future economic shocks. The initiates can vary in nature, for example, re-shoring can include provision of information, and technical advice to organizations. It can also include provision of financial assistance to the re-shoring exercise, for instance, subsidies, tax credits and reduction of statutory deduction imposed on organizations. This is an approach that is effective and has been effectively utilized by some nations and the results have been encouraging. A look at the Germany’s industrie 4.0 initiative indicates that it is designed to develop and strengthen the domestic manufacturing sector (Magablesh, 2021). This program indirectly promotes off shoring, hence this proves that re-shoring is an effective approach that nations can adopt to enable economic recovery in the post Covid period. It is also a good policy to prepare nations for any economic shocks and supply chain disruption similar to the resulting effect of covid-19 pandemic.

There are many reasons that can make a country adopt the re-shoring policy, but the major one is the vulnerabilities in the supply chain network. Off shoring leads to overreliance on some trading partners, hence when a disruption occurs, the nations get affected significantly (De Ruyter, 2020). Re-shoring promotes diversification in the domestic market, hence there reduced reliance on external trade partners. It also ensures that the supply chain networks are shorter, unlike when a country has off shored most of its major manufacturing industries. Notably, a shorter supply chain implies reduced vulnerability and in the case of an economic shock, it is easier for the government to navigate because the government is only dealing with domestic trade partners (Vaughn & Weldzius, 2021). Studies also indicate that there is a huge correlation between the probabilities of countries adopting the re-shoring approach and the dependency on single external business partners. For instance, Japan has a high depends on countries like china, United States and Taiwan for its research and development as shown in the figure below. This explains the why there is a high supply chain vulnerability for Japan in the research and development sectors, and thus the need for off shoring.

What other policies should governments pursue to secure access to crucial medical goods during shocks?

The occurrence of the covid-19 pandemic acts as a learning moment for many governments, and this is in terms of policy development regarding supply and availability of medical equipments.  Shocks, such as Covid 19 had a large-scale effect across the world, and many nations had not prepared to meet the demand for the PPEs. There are number of polices that government can pursue to mitigate such shocks in the future.  These include increasing supplies in the strategic national stockpiles (Cohen & Van der Muelen, 2020). Medical related shocks often bring about unforeseen market failures whose immediate effect the breakdown if the supply chain system for international trade. This implies that governments will not be able to get supplies, especially PPEs to help contain the spread of viruses or bacteria. Having enough stock in the national stockpile will ensure that the medical sector get enough short-term supplies to keep the health sector sufficiently supplied before getting additional supplies. Notably, this should be part of the preparedness strategy that the government needs to make it a policy. Projection could be used determine the amount of supply to be kept as stockpile, for example, is 30% of Americans become ill with influenza, there would be a need to about 3.5 billion N95 respirators. The PPEs in the national stockpile should be effectively maintained to reduce cases of expiry before use.

Notably, another major policy that government need to adopt providing incentives for the production of PPEs through the utilization of the existing technology, but encourage the development of better reusable ones. This can get attained through research, testing and design of better quality medical products to develop capacity for future production. In essence, this is a policy that empowers domestic production which ensures the increased demand is met even if the supply chain networks for international produce has been disrupted. Allowing local producers to use available technology to make the PPEs also ensures that the private investors can get enough cash flow during early stages of the manufacturing process that they can use to fund research and development. In the long run, the policy will reduce overreliance on external trade partners who cannot meet the PPEs demand due to supply chain disruptions.

References

Bown, C. P. (2022). How COVID‐19 medical supply shortages led to extraordinary trade and industrial policy. Asian Economic Policy Review, 17(1), 114-135.

Magableh, G. M. (2021). Supply chains and the COVID‐19 pandemic: A comprehensive framework. European Management Review, 18(3), 363-382.

Vaughn, A., & Weldzius, R. (2021). Reshoring Global Supply Chains.

de Ruyter, A. (2020). Reducing the fragility of our supply chains after Covid-19: time for a policy rethink.

Cohen, J., & van der Meulen Rodgers, Y. (2020). Contributing factors to personal protective equipment shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preventive medicine, 141, 106263.

How does new technology transform education in higher-education in Australia

 

Abstract

In Australia every 15 year old can access a computer at school and more than 90% uses computer for school work.  However, Australia do not do enough to engage children with STEM concepts, therefore they anticipate that digital technologies will be central to development for the skills for the future.  However, during Covid-19, lockdown forced the education system to adopt e-learning as an alternative to halted face-to-face learning. The essay develops the transformation of digital learning in Australia universities by exploring on its opportunities. They include but not limited to promotion of the technical skills, reducing costs, fostering connections, improvement feedback, booster collaboration, enhancing student fan and improving adaptability. These aspects are detailed described using online learning theories and models that include but not limited to cognitive load theory, RAT model and online collaborative learning theory. The essay recommends that in order to improve these opportunities digital learning should be implemented fully and constantly be improved in accordance to rapid changes in technology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

One of the government researches has indicate that 46.6% of the online students completed their qualification over a period of more than half a decade compared to 76.6% for internal, face-to-face students (Stone, 2019). Higher education is significantly transformed by the growth in online learning, with ballooning number of the universities worldwide offering degrees programs in online, digital mode of learning. Australian education possesses a long history of ‘distance learning’ fundamentally offered by the regional universities.

Digital learning, an emerging technologies are impacting the education sphere deeply. This technology are transforming and enabling the paradigm shift in high education in Australia. In a broad view, technology in education is considered a bizarre problem and a conundrum. Precisely, it is central to an unbearable disturbance to education. Thus, it is difficult to amass an opposition to lure and the illusion of technology’s potentialities in the education sector. Furthermore, for the education stakeholders, technology are classified as a ubiquitous problem since it is perceived as the agent of change in society. In this review, the curriculum and schools are viewed as the inhibitor and instigators of change (Lobo et al., 2022).  . Rapid changes and emerging of digital learning in the contemporary world have resulted in intense discussion, research and myriad claims on its potentialities. This in turn has spurred the stakeholders to make statements claiming digital learning is a game changer in the transformation of the education system. This essay, therefore, is designed to help in informing the development of digital learning and their positive impact on the transformation of higher-education in Australia.

 The essay is divided into three segments. The introduction part briefly discusses the potentialities of digital technology in relation to transformation of Australian higher-education.  The segment is followed by the digital learning opportunities that further develop on the potentialities of digital technology using various relevant theories and data. The third and concluding segment highlights the key points and recommendations.

Key ideas and terms

The “e-learning” concept is classified as part of the technology movement, especially with the advanced evolution of technology in the contemporary world.  Therefore, digital learning refers to students utilizing technology as a part of the instructions in formal educational sphere (Harju et al., 2019). Australian schools are adopting the concept in their learning and teaching to enable teaching and effectively satisfy students’ needs concerning academic assessments teacher's notes, discussion forums and awarding of grades.

Digital learning theories and models help to understand the manner in which the design principles can be integrated in instructions to enhance effectiveness in learning.
Context (reasons for digital learning)

Educational technologies represent a wide range of digital tools that cut across all departments of the education system in Australia. With the advent of the 21st century, technology has been significant in enhancing quality in the education realm. Digital learning due to technology is a prerequisite for teachers to teach, students to learn and administrators to manage learning institutions. While it is salient to consider the developments of educators and schools made to the evolution of technology and it is also right to factor in its ripple effect on higher education in Australia. In addition, the outbreak of COVID-19 impacted negatively the Australian education calendar (Onyema et al., 2020). During the pandemic, schools were closed and institutions were forced to devise mitigation strategies that will combat the adverse effects of the pandemic that threaten to paralyze completely education system. Blended learning and online learning were some of the approaches that were used to ensure schooling is still going on (Burns, 2021). While digital studying required students to remain at home and learn through the digital space. Blended learning is the combination of face-to-face and online learning.  Precisely, digital learning transformed the education sector and they are expected to develop further and integrated deeply even during the post-Covid-19 era.

Issues (Educational Technologies Opportunities) 

 

Digital learning has therefore improved education in Australia in various spheres that include but are not limited:

ü  Promotion of the technical skills- the skills are necessary to navigate through the platforms and for professional success

ü  Increased collaboration and engagement – learning becoming more intense from both ends for appropriate clarification and reliant feedback

ü  New ways of learning- using modern effective ways of learning to build on student and teachers competence

ü  Changed roles of teachers and students in classroom- shift from the traditional roles to modern roles that demand more engagement and interactions from both parties.

Digital opportunities factors

Promotion of technical skills, improve efficiency and efficiency 

 The integration of digital learning in higher universities in Australia is central to the development of a myriad of skills.  Digital technology as a modern technology strives to build knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that students succeed individually and as a team. The instructive and exciting functionalities of the digital learning form the bedrock for the promotion of technical skills. In Australia, technology skills are sharpened through a wide range of technology-related subjects that include but are not limited to technical studies, computing, and industrial arts and business studies (winter et al., 2019). The above elective subjects work collectively to achieve the outcome for technology education. Precisely, the technological solution should enable the students to have the necessary skills to navigate technological solutions to solve problems facing society. Implementation of digital tools in school impart students with technical skills expands the learning opportunities for the students. For instance, the introduction of digital learning using the cloud computing system will prompt students to understand the cloud computing technical skills to comfortably navigate through the system. On the other hand, teachers have leverage on technology to achieve high levels of productivity and efficiency. Teachers with technical technological skills can use their skills to improve the overall learning process in the classroom.  The teaching productivity is enhanced by utilization of the technological aids a prerequisite for a better planning, better and practical learning better digital resources. According to Dr. Joan Hughes, RAT model helps the teachers to self-assess their integration of technology in the classroom. Therefore, digital learning can be used as replacement, amplification or transformation undergoing in the classroom. The transformation aspects take place when the digital technology reinvents aspects of instruction, learning or curriculum in news and innovative ways.  

The technological transformation is changing the dynamics of technical skills. Unlike previously where higher schools were teaching traditional skills such as woodwork skills, students in the technological sphere are impacted with modern and digital skills. Thus, Digital sphere do not only avail avenue to promote digital skills but also an avenue where students can practice and sharpen their skills.  Furthermore, the RAT model amplification aspects ensure that utilization of digital learning technology in education increases efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. However, the digital skills are not substitute to the traditional skills but work together to improve on the productivity, sustainability and efficiency. In relation to this argument, the replacement aspects explain that the utilization of the digital learning technology will not change the instructional practices. The technology is providing a different means to the same instructional end.

Increase collaboration and engagement

Digital learning education in universities in Australia has fostered collaboration and communication. This aspect has enables teachers to engage students during lessons and students to communicate with one another. It can be noted that teamwork and communication are essentials attributes that shape a successful professionals. Through, the introduction of digital learning, there is a massive transformation in teaching and learning. Survey has revealed at least 43% of Australian teachers and principals argue that technology improves learning activities and 60% have believed that technology has improved the learning experience of students with disabilities (Tradewind Australia, 2020). In recent times, the integration of technology in the Australian curriculum has been heralded as being able to increase student engagement which is integral in improving academic performance. In the Australian context, the Australian government has recognized engagement in digital learning (Kearney et al., 2020). Students are purported to be engaged when they participate in challenging the learning undertakings and precisely, those that focused on critical thinking and collaboration through digital platforms. Teachers on the other side are expected to use the digital learning platforms to influence student online behavior, orientation, educational goals and discussion topics. Therefore, to improve the e-learning, there must be improvement in e-learning environment, learning interaction and learning design.

Through online lessons and learning games, students have the opportunity to work collectively to solve societal problems. This argument is well explained using the online collaborative learning theory. The online collaborative learning theory enables student with different performance to work together towards a common goal. The students using the digital learning are responsible for each other’s learning and also their personal learning.  Students work together to also solve the ongoing educational challenges using the digital learning platforms. In a nutshell, Hackathons have emerged as an ideal event to find solutions too many challenges. Furthermore, Technology has facilitated one-on-one interaction with teachers despite the geographical distance. Online platforms provide students with the opportunity to ask classroom-relate questions and even seek additional help on subject-related issues that need further clarification (Crawford, 2009). Al-Samarraie et al. (2017) argues that the core factor for a successful e-learning environment is the interaction that should involve both the students and teachers. Further, the vehicle that brings life to digital learning is confined to interactivity. Digital teaching platforms have easy learning activities, precisely, at home students can upload their homework and on the other side, teachers can access and review submitted assignments remotely anywhere. Learning is perceived as an intended outcome of engagement and a precursor to boosting academic performance. According to Zhu (2012) sample population in her study reflected that each member had an opportunity to contribute to group activities during online learning collaboration and in turns help them to achieve more knowledge that those students who studied individually. Thus, the incorporation of technology into student and teacher engagement is a critical factor to improve the learning experience.

New ways of learning

Digital learning has transformed education to the point that teachers can easily create instructional materials to facilitate new ways for students to learn and work collectively. In the contemporary world, there is a wide reach of the internet. Therefore, the ubiquity of small devices can connect to the internet. Furthermore, the school's instrumental designers and educational technologies have device approaches to make the most of the opportunities provided by the technology and progressive changes in education so that it is available to students effectively and efficiently.  To effective implement e-learning as new ways of teaching there is implementation of cognitive load theory. According to David (2015) Cognitive load theory is “the amount of mental effort involved in working memory” during an activity that can be classified into germane, intrinsic and extraneous effort. E-learning theory is casted on the cognitive science principals that demonstrate on the manner of utilization and design of educational technology to improve effective learning. Furthermore, the theory is built based on the cognitive load theory. The cognitive load theory guides the digital learning on the basis of work load. In the narrow view, since an individual working memory has limited capacity and the brain is subjected to distortion from overload if learners are subjected to too much information hence resulting to inefficient learning. It is imperative to maintain balance among these three types of load to promote learning efficiency.

The adoption of e-learning has been enabled on the demand end by accessibility levels of computers and the internet, with more than 60% of the population have used computers and accessing the internet ( Morris et al., 2006). A private research firm argued that by 2001, 67% of Australian internet subscribers  has been on the internet constantly for about two years and more than 83% used the internet a week before the survey ( Gaynzev, 2005). The increase in access to and use of ICT, facilitated by most of the universities in Australia investing in ICT resources have facilitated learning in the digital model. McCann et al. (1998) highlighted the number of factors that may be the cause of the rise in demand for e-learning “the growth of the online economy and the consequent move from old to new economy; the growing demand for skills and ongoing education; the developing global market in education; and, the developing acceptance by teachers of the value of e-learning as a teaching method”. The new ways of learning facilitated by these technologies in universities in Australia enable lecturers to develop a higher level of interaction, improving the understanding of students’ attitudes and behaviors in a more transparent manner.  Therefore, to make the most of the technology opportunities, there has been massive growth and development of the e-environment. E-environment has been upgraded by integration of wide range of digital learning technologies such as development of mobile applications, connection with social media forums and discussion forums and artificial intelligence.  In nutshell, the new way of learning is still improving and in the future it may become the main technique of teaching.

  Changed roles of teachers and learners in a classroom 

 The roles of learners and teachers have changed with the adoption of technology in learning. Traditionally, the role of teachers, similarly to what is depicted in de Valvoline’s illustration, teachers in the classroom were the primary source of information and the students passively received it. The model of the teaching “sage on the stage” has been entrenched in education for a long period and also it is still much in evidence in the contemporary world education curriculum (whitten, 2007). Nevertheless, since the introduction of technology, education has changed its dynamics on accessing information and educational opportunity. Currently in many classrooms, teachers' roles are shifting to the ‘guide on the side’ as learners are taking more responsibility for their learning using the integrated technology to gather relevant information to improve their achievement academically. Many universities across Australia have embraced the revamped education curriculum that focused on redesigning the learning spaces to facilitate new models of education emphasizing more on interaction and collective responsibility and utilization of technology as an enabler. On one side, teachers described comprehensive and multifaceted changes in their teaching roles that include but are not limited to lesson design and materials, pedagogy and even assessment. These changes fundamentally have strong workload implications. Although, the majority of the teachers considered workload demands so challenging; technology, especially during the COVID-19 period help in easing the workload (Oliviera et al., 2021). With teaching roles adjusting, most of the teachers have reported that they value the opportunity availed by technology to learn and implement new IT skills, platforms and activities. On the other hand, for students, digital platforms provide a better way of approaching their learning role. Precisely, during covid-19 higher schools in Australia ceased face-to-face learning and instead adopt digital learning. Unlike in the in-person classroom where most of the research work was conducted by the teachers, in online learning students were required to intensify their research work a prerequisite for tackling assignments and effective participation in the group discussions. 

 

 

Conclusion

Australian higher-education education curriculum is currently undergoing significant changes that will affect the future. Amongst the changes is the incorporation of technology in the curriculum. Arguably, technology is changing the dynamics of every sector from business to education. Thus, with technology fully incorporated into the education sector, the sector is bound to experience massive transformation. Currently, technology is only partially included in the education sector. However, they are drastic changes already experienced associated with partial integration. Digital education promotes the skills and abilities prerequisite for an individual to be successful and effectively traversing. The skills are not meant to replace traditional skills, such as woodwork skills but only complement them and improve efficiency. The education transformation has been slowly since some of the education sector stakeholders have been reluctant to embrace new technology. However, the unprecedented outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic increases the speed of embracing technology in education because digital learning was the only mitigation strategy to deal with the lockdown. In a nutshell, though technology has transformed and improved education in Australian higher schools, some areas need to be improved.  Therefore, this essay recommends the following ways that will maximize on the digital learning opportunities:-

The development of better assessment tools will be a necessity to deal with the problem and help in improving the quality of digital education.

With the complexity of managing time and heavy workload, many students become unmotivated concerning their studies hence facing the risk of poor performance academically, therefore, digital learning should ensure appropriate workload to students.

With a poor internet connection, universities students in Australia will unable to access electronic materials easily and effectively, In turn, it makes some of the students unmotivated to engage themselves in online libraries. Thus, improving on the internet connectivity will enhance accessibility of digital libraries.

 

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