Factors Affecting Online Teaching and Learning Amidst Covid-19 in College of Science and Technology

COVID-19 had an enormous influence on students, teachers, and educational institutions all over the world, as it did on so many other aspects of everyday life. Schools and colleges were closed across the world to comply with social distancing initiatives. In order to ensure education continuity, the traditional mode of face-to-face learning has been replaced by online learning. This paper sets out to determine the factors affecting online teaching and learning amidst COVID-19 in College of Science and Technology. The research is based on a mixed methodology consisting both qualitative & quantitative approach which is used mainly to gain more in-depth understanding of the factors that affect online teaching and learning for both tutors and students. Firstly, the quantitative approach is applied whereby an online survey will be carried out in order to see the   core factors in the bigger picture. The survey was conducted via Google form for the students and collected the data from 297 respondents. It was then followed by the qualitative approach whereby four teachers and nine students were interviewed (semi-structured interview) to validate the findings collected from the survey and consequently find the recurring factors. Then, to get a true integration of data and the relations between the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the data sets, the Dedoose software is used to analyze as a whole rather than two different components that must be pieced together. It was found that network connectivity, equipment availability for practical classes, nature of student and tutors, data insufficiency, favorable environment, module content and how adaptive student and tutor were to online platform were the factors identified affecting online teaching and learning at CST during Covid-19. Keywords:Online teaching and learning, Factors, Equipment availability, Network connectivity, Student characteristics, Tutors characteristics, Data insufficiency, Favorable environment, Module content DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-20-03 Publication date:July 31st 202

Dog Bites in Humans and Estimating Human Rabies Mortality in Rabies Endemic Areas of Bhutan

Dog bites in humans are a public health problem worldwide. We conducted a hospital based questionnaire survey and described the incidence and risk factors for human dog bites in Bhutan. We also estimated the human death rate attributable to rabies in two rabies endemic areas of south Bhutan. Our study shows that dog bites incidents in humans are common in the survey areas. There were significant gender and age differences in bite incidents; males and the children are affected the most. The majority of the victims were bitten by stray dogs, increasing the risk of rabies infection if not treated in time. Our decision tree model predicted 2.23 (95% CI: 1.20–3.59) human deaths from rabies/year, equivalent to an annual incidence of 4.67 (95% CI: 2.53–7.53) deaths/100,000 in the two rabies endemic areas of south Bhutan. In the absence of post exposure prophylaxis, the model predicted 19.24 (95% CI: 13.69–25.14) deaths/year in these two areas. The public should be encouraged to visit hospitals for post exposure prophylaxis following dog bite injury in south Bhutan

Enhancing EFL Students’ Autonomous Learning of English Conversation During COVID-19 Via Language-in-talk Log Assignments

This one-group pre- and post-test quasi-experimental study endeavored to investigate whether learner autonomy was developed with implementing language-in-talk log assignments as a monitored self-study task in a university English conversation course (890-020 English Conversation). Eighty-eight Thai second-year undergraduate accounting majors at Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Hat Yai, Thailand took part in the study. The participants completed 10 language-in-talk log assignments over 10 weeks. A pre- and post-questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention to examine the effect of the log assignments in developing participants’ learner autonomy. The reflective log was also used to gather participants’ perceptions of using the log assignments in a conversation course. The results showed that the language-in-talk log assignments aided in enhancing the students’ learner autonomy to set learning goals, select appropriate learning materials, take responsibility, and evaluate their learning. Seeking social assistance, however, did not have a significant difference in mean scores, and participants expressed dissatisfaction over not being able to interact with their peers as in classroom learning. The findings further highlighted the significance of teachers’ presence in scaffolding learners to achieve full autonomy. Overall, the results from this research supported the use of the log assignment as a potential pedagogical tool to enable learners to be responsible for their own learning in a language course.</jats:p

More than one bridge is built: Building ECCD in Bhutan

I vividly remember my childhood days in Bhutan, my muddy hands and feet soaked in water, tirelessly engaging in nature play. One of our favourite games was to build bridges over a creek near my house. We would collect wood and rocks and spend hours creating stronger and stronger bridges. We went back the next day to try again using bigger planks and rocks to strengthen the bridge. We would cross it on our way before and after school and it became a very important place for me and my friends . During the winter, the frozen creek fascinated us. We were proud that: our little bridge covered with ice remained strong. We would take our homemade dolls and boats and slide them down the creek

Comparison of knowledge and practices about rabies prevention based on the response of dog bite victims attending three hospital areas (Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral hospital, Phuentsholing General hospital, Gelephu Regional Referral hospital) in Bhutan, 2009–2010.

<p>Comparison of knowledge and practices about rabies prevention based on the response of dog bite victims attending three hospital areas (Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral hospital, Phuentsholing General hospital, Gelephu Regional Referral hospital) in Bhutan, 2009–2010.</p