CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

CAES1000 Core University English

Writing Task 2 Essay – Topic and Question

Task 2: Writing a Well-structured and Well-argued Essay

(Assessed – Writing 25%; Annotations 5%)

The aim of this task is to give you practice applying the academic writing skills learnt so far in the
course. These skills include: (i) expressing a clearly argued and critical stance and (ii) using the
ideas of others to support your stance through citation and referencing.

Submission Deadline:
13 Oct, 2021 (Wednesday 5:00pm)
(Upload your work to Turnitin
on the Central Course Moodle)
Submission Guidelines:
• You must submit a soft copy to Turnitin on the Central Course Moodle by 5:00pm on the
due date of the assignment. Your teacher may require a hard copy of your submission. Please
check with your class teacher.
• Following CAES rules, assignments which are handed in up to four days late without any
medical/legitimate reason will have one full letter grade deducted each day (e.g. a B-
becomes a C- after one day late). If the assignment is submitted four days after the deadline
without a medical certificate/a legitimate reason, it will be treated as a non-submission (N
= 0 mark) and will not be marked.
• Students who do not submit an assignment at all or miss an assessment without a medical
certificate should be given an N (= 0 mark).
• If students are sick and unable to hand in an assignment, they must contact their teacher
immediately to work out possible solutions. No work after the deadline will be accepted
without a legitimate reason.

Note:
The four reading texts provided have been adapted for assessment purposes. Their information has
been substantially modified. It is advised that students should not refer to the original texts and
make any comparisons.

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

Instructions:

1. You should write 800-1000 words for this assignment (including all in-text citations). Anything
beyond 1000 words will not be read. Write the number of words for your essay at the end of
the text. This does not include the words in the reference list and the words in annotations.
2. You should cite and reference the reading texts given to you (4 in total) in your essay and you
have to also find at least ONE or a maximum of TWO sources of your own choice to support
your stance. Your reference list should include a maximum of 6 entries only. All extra or
additional entries will be ignored.
3. Include a reference list at the end of your writing which conforms to the CUE Citation and
Referencing Style Guide (7th Ed), which you can find at the end of this task paper. Whenever you
have any doubts about citation and referencing, this style guide should serve as your first and
major reference point.
4. Complete the Turnitin Independent Learning Task (a video on how to check for plagiarism)
on the Central Course Moodle using the essay you have just written. Keep doing the task until
the document is plagiarism free.
5. Once the text is plagiarism free, write 8-12 annotations on your text using insert comments.
These annotations should highlight where you have applied your learning from this course. Each
annotation must relate to a different feature of academic writing. You have to provide clear
and enough details concerning what skills you have applied and the reasons for doing so in
each annotation. Any one-word answers or very short phrases will not be sufficient.
6. Upload your work to Turnitin on the Central Course Moodle before the deadline. All other
channels or forms of submission (e.g. email submission, submission to an online drive) to your
class teacher will not be accepted and will be treated as non-submission (N = 0 marks).

Notes about submitting your assignments to Moodle Turnitin:

• Do not submit an individual assignment to different Turnitin accounts. This will lead to
self-plagiarism and result in grade deduction.
• A Turnitin receipt should be sent to your HKU email after your submission. Please keep
a copy as it is the only piece of evidence indicating a valid submission of your
assignment. (Note: If you do not receive any Turnitin receipts, it means that your
submission is not successful.)
• Your teacher will only mark your Turnitin submission to the CAES1000 Central Course
Moodle. Any submissions via email, a Google/OneDrive shared link, or any other non-
Turnitin channels will not be accepted and will be treated as a non-submission.
• If you have any Turnitin problems, please contact Information Technology Services
(email: ithelp@hku.hk). For course information, please contact your class teacher.

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

Assessment Criteria:
You will be assessed on the quality of your essay which is worth 25% of your final grade. The
assessment criteria are on the Central Course Moodle.

You will also be assessed on the quality of your annotations. This will be worth 5% of your final
grade. The assessment criteria for this are as follows:

Standard Expectations of student performance

The majority of your annotations show a good understanding of the
Satisfactory
academic writing skills being practised in the course. You have
(5%)
provided clear and enough details for each annotation.
You will be given an unsatisfactory grade if one or more of the
following is true:
▪ Only a few or none of your annotations show a good understanding
Unsatisfactory of the academic writing skills being practised in the course.
(1.5%) ▪ You have made fewer than 8 annotations.
▪ Each of your annotations is not related to separate aspects of
academic writing.
▪ Most of your annotations are unclear and without enough details.
▪ You have copied your annotations from another student.
Non-submission You did not annotate your Task 2 Essay.
(0%)

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

Academic Honesty
HKU expects all students to display a high level of integrity when completing course assignments.
Any form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated, and failure to observe the rules and conduct
of academic integrity will result in negative consequences. As such, you should complete your course
assessments honestly at all times. Examples of basic principles of academic honesty include: (i)
completing the entire assessments yourself; (ii) NOT submitting the same assessment more than once
unless specified otherwise by the course teachers concerned, and (iii) not colluding (i.e. cooperating
with others secretly with an intention to deceive) with anyone when producing your work.

We would like to draw your attention to two common forms of academic misconduct which result in
severe consequences.

1. Plagiarism and self-plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as “the use of another person’s work (including but not limited to any materials,
creations, ideas and data) as if one’s own without due acknowledgement, whether or not such work
has been published and regardless of the intent to deceive” in the Policy on Student Plagiarism in
Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Curricula (116/1080).

Some common types of plagiarism include:

• paraphrasing and/or quoting without acknowledgement;
• inappropriate paraphrasing and/or quotation of sourced content, and
• inaccurate citation and/or reference list that mislead the readers/listeners as to the
accuracy of the source materials.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea of some common types of plagiarism cases
in students’ work.

Self-plagiarism is defined as “the reuse of one’s own work without acknowledging that such work
has been submitted elsewhere” in the Policy on Student Plagiarism in Undergraduate and Taught
Postgraduate Curricula (116/1080). Students should not submit the same piece of work for different
courses (except for adjunct English-in-the-Discipline courses and with teachers’ permission). They
should always check with the teacher if they are unsure.

Examples of plagiarism:
You are strongly advised to visit the following links about the University’s Policy on Plagiarism:
https://tl.hku.hk/plagiarism/how-to-avoid-plagiarism/

Learning resources to help you avoid plagiarism:

https://tl.hku.hk/plagiarism/learning-resources/

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

Consequences of plagiarism
At the University of Hong Kong, plagiarism is a disciplinary offence. If a submission contains
plagiarism, only the unplagiarised parts will be marked. This may result in the work being considered
incomplete, unstructured, lacking content and organization.

The link below contains information about consequences and disciplinary procedures concerning
students who have committed plagiarism:
https://tl.hku.hk/plagiarism/consequences-of-plagiarism/

2. Ghostwriting and its consequences

Ghostwriting, also known as ‘contract cheating’, is when a student gets someone (paid or unpaid) to
complete part of OR all of an assignment. It is serious academic misconduct.

CAES takes ghostwriting very seriously and when such cases are confirmed, severe penalties will
apply. The assignment concerned will be treated as a non-submission (i.e. 0 mark). Such cases will
also be reported to students’ Home Faculty for disciplinary action.

If such cases are further reported to the University Disciplinary Committee, the student who is found
guilty is subject to various forms of punishment, details of which can be found in section 4 of Statute
XXXI of the University’s Statutes and the Disciplinary Committee Regulation:
https://www4.hku.hk/pubunit/calendar/2020-2021/1580-university-ordinance-and-statutes.

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

Topic: Coronavirus: From face-to-face learning to online learning in

secondary school education

WRITE AN ESSAY

TASK DESCRIPTION

Discuss and evaluate the extent to which online learning is more effective than face-
to-face learning in secondary school education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Identify arguments and evidence from your own readings and the source texts below
to support your position.

Please read the following notes before you attempt this question:
• Two of the four selected source texts given below are related to situations in Hong Kong
and Austria. You may also include other places as examples of evidence to support your
stance and argument.
• Analyse the key words of the question thoroughly. Do not simply describe face-to-face
learning and online learning. Compare and contrast these two different learning modes and
argue to what extent online learning is more effective. Try to present balanced arguments
using multiple sources.
• The four reading texts provided have been adapted for assessment purposes. Their
information has been substantially modified. It is advised that students should not refer to
the original texts and make any comparisons.

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

Text 1 – Authored by V. Gherhes, C. Stoian, M. Farcasiu and M. Stanici / From an article

titled Online learning vs. face-to-face learning: Analyzing students’ preferences and
behaviours. / In a journal titled Sustainability / 2021 / Issue 13 / Volume 2 / pages 42-48

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Background

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school suspensions since the beginning of 2020,
education across the globe has been forced to make a significant shift to online teaching and
learning. The preference for and/or the necessity of online learning has brought into question the
dichotomy between this form of education and the face-to-face one. Online learning is a broad
concept that is generally defined by the literature as “those specific teaching activities and
information transfer mediated by electronic and digital platforms facilitated by the Internet”
(Gulbahar, 2012, p. 36). Face-to-face learning, on the other hand, as suggested by Schumann
(2018), is “an instructional method where course content and learning material are taught in person
to a group of students” (p. 65), and is considered to be the most traditional type of education.

Differences between online learning and face-to-face learning

The dichotomy of online learning vs. face-to-face learning and all that it entails has been given the
attention of researchers for a while. Experts in the fields of education and technology have studied
this topic from various perspectives, such as the differences between online learning and face-to-
face learning, the advantages and disadvantages of one over the other, students’ attitudes towards
one form and/or the other, their emotions, whether positive or negative, and their sense of
belonging, to mention just a few. For example, Oye et al. (2021) point out that online learning is
more student-centered, compared to face-to-face learning which is more teacher-centered, as it does
not only focus on instructions and guidelines coming from teachers, but it is individually adjustable
to students. For instance, since senior form secondary school students (e.g. F4 to F6) are more
ready for active learning, teachers will produce more teaching videos, hold virtual group
discussions, and conduct real-time teaching. However, lower form students (e.g. F1 to F3) may
prefer direct teacher instructions, so teachers will prefer distributing learning and teaching materials
to students via emails or the Internet.

The difference between online learning and face-to-face learning has also been pointed out in
relation to the main sources of information, as well as the evaluation and quality of learning. In
face-to-face learning, students are evaluated exclusively by teachers, who represent their main
source of information, and the quality of learning is strongly dependent on teachers. Yet, in the
mode of online teaching, students can access information from various sources, apart from teachers,
such as documents uploaded onto the electronic learning platforms or the Internet, and the quality
of learning is strongly dependent on both the teachers’ level of digital training and their exposure to
resources for online teaching. For example, some digitally competent teachers would feel more
confident and be willing to diversify their online teaching strategies, such as use of various
electronic platforms (e.g. videoconferencing software like Zoom, Learning Management System
like Google Classroom), pre-recorded videos, discussion groups, to name but a few.

(p.43)

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Benefits and drawbacks of online learning vs. face-to-face learning

Most of the studies carried out in the field focus on the advantages and disadvantages of online
learning vs. face-to-face learning. Naved et al. (2017) argue that, unlike face-to-face learning,
online learning has its advantages, such as flexibility, no need to travel to school, and requiring
only an Internet connection. However, this does not mean that online learning does not have its
shortcomings, such as inequities in accessing technology or learning computer skills, or even a lack
of physical space for this teaching and learning process. Online learning is dependent on
technology, the Internet, and various devices (e.g. audio and visual tools) that not all potential
beneficiaries can access, especially students from low-income class.

Students’ experience of quality learning is not only related to the teachers’ skills and abilities to
capture attention during the online learning process but also to the students’ own training, learning
preferences, and digital skills. Some studies have shown that online learning does not have the
same impact as face-to-face learning (Lincoln, 2020). For example, online students may lose their
focus and miss deadlines for different tasks. Over time, both teachers and students may experience
various negative effects from online learning, such as sight problems (due to long periods sitting in
front of the screen) or back pain, and, at the same time, they may feel anxious and stressed due to
the lack of activities in open spaces (Narzarlou, 2013).

Students’ attitudes and emotional states

Another researched topic in the field of online learning and face-to-face learning has been the
students’ attitudes and emotional states. Some studies describe students as being less satisfied with
online learning and preferring traditional face-to-face class (Tratnik, 2019). The students
accustomed to face-to-face learning and who subsequently enrolled in an online platform have
developed high levels of negative emotions, such as fear, anger, or helplessness. On the other hand,
some studies have shown the students’ preferences for online learning, especially those of
introverts (e.g. students who feel shy are relieved that they are not required to interact with teachers
and classmates in online classes) as well as of those who find public speaking a burden (e.g.
students who lack confidence in expressing themselves or asking questions feel safer and more
comfortable in online classes) (Stern, 2004). Interestingly, in some communities of online learning
(e.g. online chat or discussion group), students develop feelings of belonging and connections with
other peers, which could gradually become a resource for knowledge if students were willing to
speak to their peers and learn from each other (Carrol, 2021). Thus, despite the fact that the
presence of students on online platforms can be quite difficult to perceive, the sense of belonging of
the communities studying in online education is an important factor in the learning process.

(p.44)

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Text 2 – Authored by M. Sadeghi / From an article titled A shift from classroom to online
learning: Advantages and limitations from secondary school students’ and teachers’
perspectives. / In a journal titled Research in English Education / 2019 / Issue 4 / Volume 1 /
pages 80-88

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Advantages of online learning

Students’ perspectives

Online learning is playing an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve the goal of
“suspending classes without suspending learning” in most secondary schools across the globe (Ali,
2011, p. 28). From a student’s perspective, the major advantages of online learning are definitely
no commuting and studying from anywhere and anytime. All learners need is a computer with an
Internet connection at home. Students can receive resources of texts, figures, audio and video, and
interpersonal interaction through hyperlinks and online inquiries (Chen, 2010).

Teachers’ perspectives
Teachers could have embraced the change of teaching mode during the pandemic as an opportunity
for exploration and innovation in teaching and learning. This is valid for those who have been able
to position themselves to best meet the current (and future) needs of students. Some reported
common methods of online teaching include recorded (70%) or live online lectures (20%), using
television and various applications such as Google Meet, Zoom, WhatsApp, YouTube, Microsoft
teams, and WebEx (Selvaraj et al., 2021). Teachers can also diversify their teaching strategies by
fully utilizing different online learning platforms or resources to create online activities, such as
collaborative discussions, interactive polling, and screencasts to connect with students for more
engagement throughout this uncertain time. There are also opportunities for teachers to rethink how
they perform their roles and to try new teaching approaches to what they may have been doing the
same way for years. Online teaching also drives teachers towards creativity in establishing different
forms of interactions between teachers and students that might not have existed in the face-to-face
learning context before the pandemic.
(p.82)

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Disadvantages of online learning

Students’ perspectives
High chances of distraction
Lack of direct interaction between students and teachers remains one of the biggest challenges that
the online mode of education faces. It has been shown that inadequate individual attention and the
delay in response from teachers might also be contributing factors to negative experiences
encountered by students in online classes (Mansour & Mupinga, 2007). It was also found in another

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recent study that over 92.1% of students believed that direct student-teacher interaction is essential
for proper learning (Selvaraj et al., 2021). According to Bijeesh (2017), it is very likely for students
to get distracted or lose track of deadlines since they do not have teachers/classmates around for
face-to-face interaction. Secondary school students need to keep themselves motivated and focused
if they want to successfully complete the homework. Thus, online learning could be hurdles for
secondary students who tend to procrastinate and have difficulties in sticking to deadlines. They
may have difficulties in actively seeking help from their teachers or friends in an online learning
context (Nagrale, 2013). Online learning could only be beneficial if one is self-motivated and
focused to be able to complete their studies successfully (Brown, 2017).

Digital (in)competence
Young teenagers, whether they are studying in secondary schools or universities, generally vary
greatly in their competency in digital technology. Network connectivity issues (76%) were the most
opted cause of occasional impedance to students’ online classes (Selvaraj et al., 2021). A five-year
study led by a research team at the University of Hong Kong in April 2021 showed that digital
divide widens even more after the pandemic (Law, 2021). The study revealed vast economic
divides, with some local families in Hong Kong unable to afford the large screen digital devices,
such as laptops and tablets, or the broadband technology needed to facilitate online learning. The
study also found that ‘older’ students are more likely to claim mastery of essential digital skills
(e.g. accessing information with a computer, organizing information obtained from Internet
sources, or working out whether to trust information from the Internet). These students may have
learned the digital skills themselves or developed the skills during senior primary schools.

Overreliance on technology
On the other hand, Brown (2017) observed that a majority of secondary school students had
limited exposure to and experience of online learning. These students, when participating in
online learning during the pandemic, were therefore required to invest in a range of equipment
including computers, webcams, and stable internet connection to learn in an online context.
Moreover, there is absolutely no physical contact between students and teachers during ‘face-to-
face class suspension’ as class instructions are delivered over the Internet. This overdependence on
technology is a major drawback to online learning. In case of any software or hardware
malfunction, the class session will come to a standstill, interrupting the entire learning process.

Absence of social interaction

During the pandemic, learners will often be studying alone at home and so they may feel isolated
and miss the social and physical interaction that comes with attending a traditional face-to-face
lesson. Brown (2017) held the idea that learning in a brick-and-mortar school presents students
with the opportunity to meet and interact with ‘humans’ from different locations and backgrounds
on a personal level. Online learning during the pandemic only limits students to classes and
learning materials that are based online. Although students can interact with each other through
chat rooms, discussion boards, emails and/or video conferencing software, the experience cannot be
compared to that of a traditional school context. Hara and Kling’s study (2000) also found that the
difficulty and distress experienced by students online might not be adequately understood. Selvaraj
et al. (2021), however, found that the majority of students had a relaxed schedule with fewer
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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

amounts of class hours compared to regular face-to-face classes, and only 18% reported having
physical and mental discomforts which include severe headache, strain, lack of concentration, and
irritation in the eyes.

Teachers’ perspectives
Discomforts in conducting online classes
To adapt to online teaching, teachers are likely to invest more time and effort in class preparation
and ‘virtual’ teaching. A majority of teachers reported having physical (e.g. headache, neck pain,
numbness of hands, strain in eyes) and mental discomforts (e.g. lack of satisfaction due to the
absence of direct contact with students) as a consequence of conducting online classes (Selvaraj et
al., 2021). Their unpreparedness for the situation and the extra work they need to put in to teach
online took a toll on their health, making them vulnerable to the mentioned discomforts. The
surveyed teachers were also concerned about the influence of their online lessons among students
since there was a complete absence of immediate feedback from students. Such dissatisfaction
might be reflected in the quality of online education the students receive (Hutt, 2017).

Level of technical proficiency

Before the outbreak, online learning played only a minor role in the school system, so most
secondary school teachers have been notoriously slow to adapt to the Internet (Law, 2021). Since
traditional face-to-face teaching was the predominant mode of teaching in secondary schools before
the pandemic, a demand gap has appeared for teachers to fill. Some secondary school teachers
have expressed their concern on the quality of online teaching and the reason behind is obvious,
which is the level of technical proficiency required to make use of widely used software. Law also
found that a majority of secondary school teachers in Hong Kong seem to lack the confidence to
teach online, especially in the case of ‘older’ teachers. Even though they have long years of
teaching experience, they are out of touch with digital technology.

Evaluation of online information

The surveyed secondary school teachers in Hong Kong placed the least emphasis on the evaluation
of the relevance and credibility of digital information (Law, 2021). It seems that teachers do not
understand the consequences of making information publicly available on the Internet and
assessing the relevance and credibility of online information for producing digital work products or
developing online class materials. Such a low emphasis among secondary school teachers
highlights a potential problem. ‘Fake news’ or inaccurate information through social media would
have a significant impact on the quality of online teaching. It is also noteworthy that younger
teachers reported more emphasis on the evaluation of online information than older teachers (Law,
2021). This indicates a possible need for digital literacy related professional development among
secondary school teachers, particularly those who did not grow up with digital and social media.
(p.86)
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Text 3 – Authored by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) / From an online report
titled CUHK study reveals that local secondary school students face great challenges and
pressure in online learning under the pandemic. / 2020 April / The Chinese University of
Hong Kong / https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press/cuhk-study-reveals-that-local-secondary-
school-students-face-great-challenges-and-pressure-in-online-learning-under-the-epidemic/

Background

The COVID-19 epidemic has caused schools in Hong Kong to suspend classes since the end of
January 2020. Students have switched to online learning to achieve “no suspension of classes”
under the epidemic. To better grasp the learning needs and feelings and help schools improve the
online teaching model and develop strategies for the resumption of classes, this study conducted a
survey from April to May 2020 to collect opinions of 1,168 secondary school students. It was found
that the surveyed students rated the value of online teaching, as a whole, not very high and reported
they were under huge learning pressure and anxiety after switching to online learning. The survey
results show that schools generally need to adjust online teaching strategies to meet the needs of
students.

Participation and views of secondary school students in online learning

Participation
Among the respondents, 63.0% (734 persons) and 37.0% (434 persons) were junior and senior
secondary school students respectively. When asked about why they participated in online learning,
nearly 80% of the respondents indicated their primary reason was to respond to requests from schools
and teachers (79.8%). Keeping up with learning progress was the next most reported reason (63.7%).

Views
When asked if they agreed that online learning is valuable, the average score among the students
surveyed was only 2.97, which is only moderate (rating from 1 to 5 in the survey, with 5 being
strongly agree). Most of the respondents participated in real-time online lessons (99.4%) and did
homework provided by teachers (75.2%). When asked what kind of online learning method they
liked most, more than 70% of the respondents preferred to learn in real-time online lessons (72%),
while only 20% of the respondents preferred to learn through watching pre-recorded teaching videos
(20.4%). Overall, only around 20% of the respondents felt they could understand the subject content
solely by watching videos (23%).

Moreover, most of the students expected the schools to offer various forms of online learning
resources to support them in finishing the homework. More than 70% of junior secondary
respondents (i.e. secondary one to three) felt a greater need for individual care in learning. They felt
that they can receive individual attention in one-to-one tutorials, and that make-up classes can offer
them with additional support in learning (71%). Interestingly, over 65% in senior secondary (i.e.
secondary four to six) sought more small group learning activities. Senior students may be more
ready to actively participate in small groups (e.g. discussion or presentation) and this form of learning
would allow students to think creatively, learn from their peers, and build strong communication
skills.

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Impact of online learning on students’ mental health development

Emotional and mental health condition

The survey also explored the impact of online teaching on students’ emotional and mental health
condition. The respondents rated a score of 4.05 in terms of stress and 4.15 in terms of anxiety
respectively (on a 5-point scale, the higher the score, the higher level of stress and anxiety).

The three biggest reported worries were stress from homework (81.4%), academic underperformance
(79.1%) and inability to meet and/or interact with classmates (60.0%). During the pandemic, in order
for students to learn, it is likely for teachers and schools to develop more teaching materials and
increase the assignment workload. Consequently, students do more homework and go back and forth
between online classes and homework every week day. Mensink and King (2020) pointed out that
academic performance is the conclusion of student-teacher efforts, and it shows the interest of
students in the studies. Secondly, given the limited face-to-face time between teachers and students,
students in general worried that they could not understand some concepts or would not be able to
invest the time required to complete the assignments. On the other hand, as students are stuck at home
and cannot see their classmates and friends, they are kept busy with schoolwork without proper social
support and interactions. The above results highlighted the importance of mental health support for
effective online learning among students, particularly when society is facing a global public health
crisis (Moore, 2020).

At the same time, 18.6% of the respondents had to borrow digital equipment (such as computers or
internet data cards) from their schools, friends and relatives, and other organisations for online
learning. Having inadequate technical support would induce mental stress on students for attending
online classes during the pandemic. This reflects the need for the education community to pay
attention to the challenges faced by the disadvantaged students (Chan, 2020).

Self-discipline and diverse learning

The survey also showed that the students who responded rated their self-monitoring or self-regulated
learning ability at a moderate level of 3.3 (rating from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score),
indicating that they were not well prepared for online learning. Online teaching is typically less
structured and therefore relies on learners to autonomously regulate and organise their learning
processes. Zimmerman and Martin (1990) suggest that younger students need more support in
regulating their learning.

Our survey results also showed that although teachers actively provided online teaching to students
during the epidemic, feedback from students indicated that the overall effort did not achieve the
expected results. The main reason is that most of the current online teaching focuses on students’
behavioural participation (such as whether students turn on their camera or respond to teachers’
questions in online classes), which fails to achieve diversity of learning via online mode (such as use
of chats, audios, and videos to promote responsive communication). At the same time, it is difficult
for students to adapt to the change of teaching mode in such a short time. Careful exploration of
appropriate online teaching tools (such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Blackboard) is needed to give
students additional opportunities to express themselves and find their way of learning.

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Text 4 – Authored by R. Pelikan, M. Luftenegger, J. Holzer, S. Korlat, C. Spiel, & B. Schober

/ From an article titled Learning during COVID-19: The role of self-regulated learning,
motivation, and procrastination for perceived competence. / In a journal titled Motivation
and Learning / 2021 / Issue 24 / Volume 3 / pages 393-418

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Online teaching during the COVID-19 crisis

Simonson and Berg (2016) define online learning as a “form of education in which the main
elements include physical separation of teachers and students during instruction and the use of
various technologies to facilitate student-teacher and student-student communication” (p. 123).
Previous studies on online teaching conclude that it can be just as effective as face-to-face teaching
(Lee & Figueroa, 2012). Online learning in comparison to regular face-to-face lessons is
characterized by greater flexibility in scheduling, the opportunity to individualize learning
processes, the potential for easy distribution of information (Means et al., 2013). However, this can
present both advantages and disadvantages, especially for younger students, as the greater
flexibility available in online teaching places high demands on the learner’s ability to regulate their
learning and motivation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed great challenges for all actors in the educational context. For
example, teachers have to develop new concepts for online teaching (Bozkurt et al., 2020) to ensure
that lessons could continue without disruption. Parents partially took over on the role of teachers in
addition to their work and household obligations (Viner et al., 2020). Students have also found
themselves in a novel situation. While in face-to-face teaching, fixed structures regulated daily
school life and learning time, students now have to organize and self-regulate their learning
autonomously with little time for preparation from one day to the next. Self-regulated learning,
which refers to planning, monitoring and adapting one’s thoughts and actions systematically to
attain a personal goal (Zimmerman, 2000), is considered as one of the important factors for
learning success in face-to-face settings (Fortier et al., 1995). Thus, self-regulatory learning has
gained additional relevance when students face a situation such as online teaching with less
external structure and guidance (Dabbagh & Kitsantas, 2004).

Success in online teaching

Our study sample comprised 19,337 secondary school students with an average age of 14 years and
100 secondary school teachers in Austria. Data were collected with online questionnaires from
April 7th to 24th, 2020. In this study, we separated students based on their self-reported perceived
competence, drawing from the sample of students stemmed from secondary schools in Austria:
perceived with high competence and perceived with low competence. Their perceptions differ in
their use of self-regulated learning strategies and motivation.

Overall, a majority of students reported that there was something positive to gain in online learning.
In more detail, success in terms of the learning process was the most frequently mentioned in the
high competence group (38.1%). These students experienced less difficulties in keeping track of all

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

online tasks to be done, managing tasks and time and adhering to deadlines. Students from the low
competence group who did not mention this category seemed to express difficulties such as
distractions, lack of motivation and self-discipline. The second most frequently mentioned category
in the high competence group concerned success in achieving learning outcomes (34.8%). Students
from the low competence group in general indicated difficulties in achieving learning outcomes,
especially in terms of learning and understanding new topics, such as specific subjects like
Mathematics. Some students stated that tasks in non-core subjects (such as music, arts, cooking and
handicraft) distracted them from completing their work for more important subjects like
Mathematics and languages.
(p.405)

<text taken out>

Self-regulated learning during COVID-19

Our results showed that students with high perceived competence are better able to manage their
time and tasks and plan their goals, and have higher motivation than students with low perceived
competence. All students faced similar challenges in online teaching during the pandemic, such as
understanding specific tasks, subjects and new materials, to name but a few. However, students
who perceived themselves as highly competent more often reported being successful with learning
independently and even enjoying their increased self-reliance. They also actively utilized the
unique characteristics of online teaching (such as completing tasks on the computer) and more
frequently reported receiving better grades than in traditional face-to-face school settings, partly
because they could learn at their own pace and in their own time.

Additionally, students from the low perceived competence group reported less motivation and self-
discipline, stating that they needed support in starting and following through with tasks. This low
competence group expressed the wish for additional time and/or fewer assignments. These results
confirm the importance of timely feedback and communication systems, not only from teachers to
students but vice versa, as well as coordination among teachers so that the students’ cumulative
workload can be assessed accurately.
(p.411)

<text taken out>

Importance of teacher motivation during COVID-19

On the other hand, a majority of secondary school teachers in Austria experienced challenges in
motivating their students to learn in an online context. For example, due to a lack of face-to-face
interaction with students, most teachers felt that they were less motivated to teach as they appeared
to talk to themselves in an online context. Some teachers also reported that they could not
successfully maintain contact with students like what they normally did in the traditional classroom
before the pandemic. In a normal face-to-face class, all what teachers have to do is to juggle
between teaching, checking students’ understanding and answering questions. Now in the

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

pandemic, simple actions like screen sharing and talking to students simultaneously, or switching
on and off the video and microphone, would become stressful challenges for secondary school
teachers who are new to online teaching.

Other reported demotivators include the lack of support teachers receive from secondary school
administration (e.g. provision of technical training for teachers), the work overload they need to
face (e.g. huge demand for utilizing digital skills in creating online materials), and so forth. These
demotivators would also have a negative impact on teachers’ work-life balance and wellbeing
(Barnbrook, 2020), and unexpectedly create frustrating opportunities in which teachers are put
under pressure to learn something new, and may not be rewarding, in a limited time.

Teacher motivation is closely linked to student motivation (Iger, 2016), which is becoming more
important in online learning during the pandemic. While online learning takes students beyond the
constraints of a brick-and-mortar classroom to connect with the wider world, teachers have the
responsibility to explore new and effective ways to motivate learners (Wolfgang, 2020). Some
suggestions offered by the surveyed secondary school teachers in this study include the use of a
variety of digital tools to keep students interested in an online classroom, and experiencing learner-
centered instruction in the online teaching context (e.g. shifting from a teacher’s chalk-and-talk
show to more learner-focused class activities).

(p.415)

<text taken out>

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)

CAES1000 – Citation and Referencing Style Guide (APA format) [Version July 2021]
In CAES1000, you will be introduced to the APA (American Psychological Association) style of citation and referencing which you can use
in all your CAES1000 assignments.

You should note that different faculties use different citation and referencing styles. CAES1000 students come from all 10 faculties in the
university and we do not aim to teach all different styles within one course. To ensure standardization in assessment and marking in CAES1000,
you should follow the APA style which is commonly used in the Common Core curriculum. In your second year or beyond, you will take an
English-in-the-Discipline course with CAES and in that course you will be introduced to a specific style which can be used in your major.
Please ask your faculty and your Common Core course teachers which style you should use in the assignments you write for their courses.

CITATIONS

Citation Type Example

Single author (Format 1: Integral citation) Single author (Format 2: Non-integral citation)
Author’s surname (year of publication) (Author’s surname, year of publication)
e.g. Smith (2007) found that air pollution levels have risen. e.g. Statistics show that air pollution levels have risen sharply (Smith, 2007).

Joint authors (Format 1: Integral citation for two Joint authors (Format 2: Non-integral citation for two authors)
authors) (Author A’s surname & Author B’s surname, year of publication)
Author A’s surname and Author B’s surname (year of e.g. Rapid population growth has worsened the water quality in Victoria Harbour
publication) (Tong & Lee, 2014).
e.g. Biber and Cortes (2004) define…
One source (Non-integral citation for three or more authors)
(Integral citation for three or more authors) (Author A’s surname followed by et al., year of publication)
(Author A’ surname followed by et al., year of e.g. Air pollution levels have risen drastically (Wong et al., 2011).
publication)
e.g. Chan et al. (2009) argue… • Use the ampersand (&) in the parentheses in a work by two authors.
• In a work by multiple authors (three or above), use the first author's
• Use the word "and" between the authors' surnames surname followed by “et al.” in the parentheses right from the first citation.
within the text in a work by two authors.
• In a work by multiple authors (three or above), use the
first author's surname followed by “et al.” in the text
right from the first citation.
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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)
Citation Type Example
• If the author is an organization, replace the author’s surname with the full name (not the abbreviation) of the organization. If the
organization has a well-known abbreviation, include the abbreviation in brackets the first time the source is cited and then use only
the abbreviation in later citations. e.g. First citation: “The World Health Organization (WHO, 2008) issued…” in integral citation
and “… (World Health Organization [WHO], 2008)” in non-integral citation. Subsequent citations: (WHO, 2008).
• If the author is unknown, replace the author’s surname with the first few words of the article title enclosed in double quotation
marks e.g. ”The Global Credit Squeeze” (2008) in integral citation and (“The Global Credit Squeeze”, 2008) in non-integral citation.

More than one (Author A’s surname, year of publication; Author B’s surname, year of publication)
source e.g. Recent studies (Adams, 2011; Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department, 2012; Smith & Brown, 2007) show that air
This is when you pollution levels have risen dramatically in most developed countries.
synthesize • Inside the citation brackets, arrange the author’s surnames in alphabetical order (Not by the order of the year of publication).
information from
multiple sources.
With a direct Author’s surname (year of publication) (page number when available at the end of the sentence)
quotation e.g. As Baxter and Baker (2007) note, the birth rate has been in "rapid decline" (p. 20).
• Use a paragraph number for sources such as websites that have no page numbers, for example: (Lee, 2020, para. 1).

(Author’s surname, year of publication, page number when available)

e.g. …the birth rate has been in “rapid decline” (Baxter & Baker, 2007, p. 20).
• Put double quotation marks around the direct quotation.
A secondary Author referred to in text (year of publication, as cited in Author’s surname [of the text you read], year of publication)
citation e.g. Johnson (1997, as cited in Smith, 2000) argues that…
This is when you cite • If you use a secondary citation, you should only write a reference for the source that you read.
a source that was • In the example above, Smith cited Johnson’s work. You have read Smith but you have not read Johnson. You want to cite Johnson’s
mentioned in another ideas. In the reference list, Smith, not Johnson, should be referenced.
source.

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)
REFERENCES
List references in alphabetical order according to author (i.e. according to the first author’s surname, or the name of the authoring
organization, or the article title if author is unknown). “The” never counts in alphabetizing i.e. The Hong Kong Government is alphabetized
under “H” but not “T”. The reference list should be labelled as “References”. It should be capitalized, in bold, and placed in the centre. All
entries on the reference list should be double-spaced. Use a hanging indent for all references.

Type Example
Book Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (Year of publication). Title of book. Publisher. DOI1 (if available)
e.g. Stewart, B., Kwok, A., & Chan, J. (2016). Handbook of psychology. John Wiley.
• If a source has more than one author, then reference it as follows: Author A’s surname, Author A’s initials., Author B’s surname,
Author B’s initials., & Author C’s surname, Author C’s initials. (Year of publication)…etc.
e.g. Smith, C., Jones, T., & Chan, W. (2012). China’s strategic role in Asia. HKU Press.
• List the authors in the original order from the book or journal article (NOT in alphabetical order).
• List surnames and initials for up to 20 authors.
• Italicize the book titles.
• “et al.” is not used in references but in in-text citations only.
• Include a DOI if available.

Edited book chapter Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In Editor’s initials. Editor’s surname (Ed.), Title of
book (page numbers). Publisher. DOI (if available)
e.g. Ma, K. (2000). Is genetic engineering ethical? In H. Brown (Ed.), Ethics in science (pp. 82-96). Oxford University Press.
https://doi.org/12.1087/983-90-382-2
• Write (Ed.) for ONE editor and (Eds.) for TWO or MORE editors.
• Include page numbers for edited books and journal articles.
• Include (pp.) before the page numbers for edited books only. Place the editor’s initials before the editor’s surname.
• Italicize the book titles.
• Include a DOI if available.

1
DOI refers to Digital Object Identifier.
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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)
Journal article Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume Number (Issue Number)
when available, Page numbers. DOI (if available)
e.g. Wong, S. (2009). Public housing: The case for and against. Hong Kong Journal of Real Estate, 71(3), 145-176.
e.g. Rayson, F., & Frost, J. (2000). A study of digital literacies in pre-school children in Vietnam. Educational Technology Journal,
22(1), 1-9.
• Include page numbers for journal articles.
• Do NOT add (pp.) for page range of journal articles in the reference list [but p. or pp. is included anyway for in-text citation].
• Italicize the name of the journal and the volume number (NOT the issue number).
• For journal titles, follow the capitalisation as they are published.
• Include a DOI if available.
Report Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (Year of publication). Title of report. Publisher. DOI or URL (if available)
e.g. Hong Kong Department of Housing. (2011). Public housing for the needy.
https://www.gov.hk/en/residents/housing/publichousing/index.htm
• If the author is an organization, replace the author’s surname and initials with the full name (not the abbreviation) of the
organization.
• If the publisher is the same as the author, omit the publisher name.
• Italicize the report titles.
• Include a DOI or URL if available.
Web page Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (Year, Date of publication). Title of web page. Website URL
(excluding online e.g. American Heart Association. (2009, October 29). Learn your levels. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.html
news/ magazine e.g. World Health Organization. (2018, March). 5 keys to a healthy diet. https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/5keys_healthydiet/en/
articles) • Italicize the webpage titles.

Web page which is Online dictionaries: Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (n.d). Title of web page. Retrieved DATE, from website URL
designed to be e.g. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved May 5, 2019, from https://www.merriamwebster.com/
updated
(excluding online Social media pages: Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (n.d.). Title of web page [Description of media type]. Title of platform.
news/ Retrieved DATE, from website URL
magazine articles) e.g. Centre for Applied English Studies. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved July 22, 2019, from
https://www.facebook.com/hku.caes/
• 'Retrieved …, from' is required for web pages that are likely to be updated or changed, such as online dictionary entries or
social media pages.
• For such pages, it is common that the exact publication date is unknown. For works with no known publication date, write
“n.d.” (“no date”) in brackets.
• The date also appears as “n.d.” in the corresponding in-text citation.
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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)
e.g. (Centre for Applied English Studies, n.d.) or Centre for Applied English Studies (n.d.)
News/magazine Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (Year, Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Newspaper/Magazine. Article URL
article (ONLINE e.g. Brown, S. (2011, March 2). Snow brings European airports to a standstill. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/20110302
version with known
author)

News/magazine Author’s surname, Author’s initials. (Year, Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Newspaper/Magazine, Page numbers
article (PRINT when available.
version with known e.g. Lamb, J. (2010, October 30). HKMA data shows hard times are ahead. South China Morning Post, p. 3.
author)

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CAES1000 Task 2 Essay (Semester One, 2021-2022)
Important Notes:
• When referring to books, chapters, or webpages, capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word
after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. Do NOT capitalise the first letter of all the words in the book or article title.

e.g. Law, K. (2016). Peer assessment in second language learning: Challenges and opportunities. Bloomsbury.

• Do not include publisher location.

• Include a DOI if available.
• If the author is unknown, replace the author’s surname with the first few words of the article title in the references e.g. The Global Credit
Squeeze, (2008).

• If you have to cite the same source multiple times in your text, note the following rules:

All non-integral citations should include the year, regardless of how often they appear in a paragraph.

e.g. It is expected that 50% of the ice in the arctic regions will melt within 30 years (Black & White, 2017). The rise in sea
level because of this will threaten many coastal cities (Black & White, 2017).

For integral citations, after the first citation in each paragraph, you need not include the year in subsequent integral citations as
long as the study will not be confused with other studies in the article.

e.g. Black and White (2017) forecast that 50% of the ice in the arctic regions will melt within 30 years. Black and White
further predicted that the rise in sea level because of this will threaten many coastal cities.

For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (7th ed.)
or the APA webpage https://apastyle.apa.org/.

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