Arts and Social Sciences Journal

Distance learning is not a new phenomenon. Technology has ensured that learning takes place anywhere at any time by freeing learners from the constraints of space and/or time respectively. Despite of this benefit, there is apprehension among some scholars that distance education compromises the quality of learning. Substantial research has been conducted comparing the academic performance of the conventional face-to-face and distance learners leading to the ‘no significant difference phenomena’. However, a number of researchers have questioned this claim and branded it as inconclusive in that it does not show whether the two modes are equally good or bad. These researchers suggest a shift from comparative studies to evaluation of specific distance education program. The argument for this assertion is that evaluation as a discipline assigns a value or worth of a phenomen based on certain criteria. This criteria may be in terms of fulfillment of outcomes, appropriateness of results (relevance and effectiveness), justification for resources used (efficiency), extent of the change that is attributed to the intervention (impact) and extent of the results lasting beyond the life of the intervention (sustainability). This paper seeks to synthesis program evaluation and distance education literature to recommend a framework for conducting evaluations of distance learning programs. This is because evaluation elements that are used to determine the worth and value of distance learning programs cannot be quite the same terms as the conventional face-to-face teaching that academicians are most familiar with.

A significant claim of CMT, as asserted by Lakoff (2014), is “the centrality of embodiment as the mechanism of meaningfulness.” Peoples’ experiences with their bodies play an essential role in the emergence of figurative thought. Hence, body-organ terms as a mapping process between the two domains are closely connected to the speakers’ conceptual system. This study scrutinizes conceptualizations of ‘foot’ in as many as 10000 Persian proverbs and expressions in the six related Iranian proverb books. Conducting a corpus-based analysis according to schematic's model conceptualization of cultural cognition developed by Sharifian 2011, this study indicates how ‘Pa,’ the Persian equivalent for foot, is conceptualized as being either tantamount to or being in the locality of feelings, thoughts, and memories, and personality traits. In general, it seems that the body part ‘Pa’ provides a conceptual foundation for speakers of Persian to represent their cognitive, emotional, socio-cultural, and linguistic experiences.

Covid-19 pandemic and consequent shut downs to prevent the gatherings has disrupted the structured education programs across the world. In spite of the scare that the students might miss out on learning, this also provided opportunity to explore the possibility of moving classrooms online. As this transformation from traditional classroom education to online mode has been quick and unanticipated, it was challenging for both faculty and students. We conducted a study to determine the perception and preferences of agricultural students for online learning through an online survey of 307 students. In spite of the advantages of online learning such as flexibility, convenience etc., students have reported that poor internet connection, lack of devices and quality content, incompetency of faculty in preparing digital content as the major challenges. Therefore, all these aspects should be weighed while designing curriculum as educational institutes embrace the instructional challenges brought by the COVID- 19 pandemic.

The author exposes an idea of universal sustainability, which capturing on a whole the interconnected pro-cesses of sustainable changes in society. Applying this conceptual idea opens the door for ripen implementation of overall social strategy at global and national levels in the coming decade.

The author exposes an idea of universal sustainability, which capturing on a whole the interconnected pro-cesses of sustainable changes in society. Applying this conceptual idea opens the door for ripen implementation of overall social strategy at global and national levels in the coming decade.