A Quick Shift from Classroom to Google Classroom: SWOT Analysis

Abstract

COVID-19 caught everyone by surprise, and the situation quickly escalated from epidemic to pandemic. By February 21, 2020, the first positive case was reported in Lebanon, and following that, by March 12, 2020, the decision to close all educational institutes was put into effect. Online learning is not an approved form of education in Lebanon, which meant that none of the Lebanese universities was prepared to make a complete shift from face-to-face learning to online learning. Immediate actions were taken at the Lebanese International University starting at the level of the University Council, all the way to the level of individual departments. The approach of the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences is best described as “break barriers, build bridges, and launch transitions”. An initial assessment of strengths and weaknesses helped the department develop a model of online learning that took advantage of the readily available online tools (e.g., Google Classroom) while modifying the format of content delivery and assessment with the minimal potential for disruption by inadequate Internet, interruptions in electricity, and limited access to expensive hardware and software. A SWOT analysis of the model was done based on the survey that was given to the chemistry instructors in the department while taking into consideration the emails and comments received by students.

Enablers and Barriers to Online Learning among Medical Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Explanatory Mixed-Method Study

“…Synchronous OL can be conducted through applications such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and Telegram. Asynchronous OL can be conducted through a broader range of applications that include Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), Moodle, Blackboard, pre-recorded PowerPoint presentation, audio files, YouTube, and e-mail [2,3].…”

Sudden challenges in teaching ecology and aligned disciplines during a global pandemic: Reflections on the rapid move online and perspectives on moving forward

“…Although online learning has previously opened up opportunities to many students worldwide and increased accessibility (Appana, 2008), this particular shift exacerbated inequalities among students in many cases. Students who had not planned to study at home suddenly no longer had access to university spaces and may have faced challenges such as increased care responsibilities, work, or competition for technological resources (e.g., only one laptop shared between multiple users in the home) as well as unequal access to good Internet depending on their resources and home location, these issues have also been found by Burnett et al (2020) with students studying in USA and Hallal et al (2020) teaching students in Lebanon. For ecology and aligned disciplines, the move online had additional challenges.…”

“…(2020) with students studying in USA and Hallal et al. (2020) teaching students in Lebanon. For ecology and aligned disciplines, the move online had additional challenges.…”

Software preference for online learning of science and biology teachers under COVID-19 pandemic

“…In the other hand, Google Classroom is a non-paid LMS with simple interface that is easy to be mastered and can be accessed by everyone. Google Classroom has also been used by Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences in Lebanese International University to shift from classical to online learning in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic (Hallal, et al, 2020).…”