Browsing by Author "Hammad, Aaidha"

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    Enhancing virtual learning during the crisis of COVID-19 lockdown : a case study of a higher education institution in Maldives
    (2021-11) Shareefa, Mariyam; Muneez, Mohamed; Hammad, Aaidha; Shihamaa, Mariyam
    Regardless of whether educational institutions had experience of using online teaching, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden switch to fully virtual delivery mode, which presented challenges at both institutional and instructional levels. At the time, not much information about these experiences was available to guide education during lockdown. This study, therefore, explored the virtual learning experiences of a Maldivian higher education institution that had practiced virtual learning before and during the pandemic. Data was collected from 52 participants–a senior management member, four lecturers, and 47 students-through conducting semistructured interviews, studying students’ reflection journals, doing lesson observations, and reviewing documents. Thematic analysis of the data revealed several changes had occurred in the teaching process of the college. Significant modification of the instructional setup, structural arrangements, and the psychological readiness of students had both positive and negative impacts. This study endeavors to be of value to other higher education institutions who adopt virtual learning.
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    Open education practices : a meta-synthesis of literature
    (Frontiers in Education, 2023-07-03) Shareefa, Mariyam; Moosa, Visal; Hammad, Aaidha; Zuhudha, Aminath; Wider, Walton
    Introduction: Most of the recent reviews of literature on open education practices (OEP) seem to be limited in their scope, inhibiting their capacity to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the concept of OEP. Hence, this systematic literature review was conducted with the purpose of analysing past research on OEP in an effort to identify how OEP is theorised and defined in the existing literature. Methods: Employing a systematic protocol, the literature search was conducted using the Dimensions database. A total of 30 publications were considered for the qualitative analysis, which engaged a thematic approach. Results: The findings indicated that the concept of OEP can be explained with a combination of three major components: open education resources, an open teaching and learning process, and open research and scholarly practice. The findings also showed that these components should be grounded in six principles: accessibility, flexibility, shareability, affordability, innovation, and academic freedom. Discussions: The findings imply that, in order to meaningfully execute open education practices, each of the three components must be given equal importance and that these practices be well grounded in the identified six principles.