Perspectives of Hybrid Performing Arts Education in the Post-Pandemic Era: An Empirical Study in Hong Kong

Abstract

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been raging across the continents, performing arts educators have unlearned and adjusted their pedagogies in course delivery to surmount the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Subject to the COVID-19 pandemic situation easing in Hong Kong and around the world, the whole education sector seems to be bouncing back to normal gradually. Meanwhile, there are effective lessons and insights to be learned from the hybrid pedagogy during the pandemic, which could further benefit the new normal period (post-pandemic) of performing arts education. To examine the current practice of digital learning among students and faculty (attitudes towards hybrid, online, and face-to-face learning and preferences about learning mode for professional development/training workshops), this empirical study looks at 408 students and 17 faculty members at a leading performing arts institute in Hong Kong. This study locates the key issues for performing arts educators regarding online/hybrid teaching and learning. It presents lessons and insights for quality insurance and improvement. Findings can inform the future development of digital teaching and learning for the performing arts as well as for other practice-based subjects.

1. Introduction

Performing arts teaching and learning activities are usually conducted in a face-to-face setting. For decades, the “sage on the stage” and “learn from the master” were the only ways of learning. However, the pandemic has turned all activities into various online-learning models. To enable a smooth virtual teaching and learning environment, a wide array of initiatives has been implemented in performing arts education. That includes the use of technologies in teaching, learning, production, and professional development.

To surmount the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, a hybrid learning pedagogy was first proposed and implemented in performing arts education in Hong Kong [1]. To validate this hybrid learning pedagogy and explore the space for further improvement, a survey study was conducted at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). HKAPA is one of the best performing arts institutions in the world. The Academy is ranked No. 10 in the world and No. 1 in Asia in 2022, in the Performing Arts category, by QS Ranking (QS, 2022). The Academy offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to approximately 1000 students. It has about 120 academic members in six schools: the school of Chinese Opera (CO); the school of Dance (DA); the school of Drama (DR); the school of Film and Television (FTV); the school of Music (MU); and the school of Theatre and Entertainment Arts (TEA).

The survey was conducted among students and academic staff between September and October 2021, to validate the hybrid learning pedagogy and investigate the following four research questions (see Figure 1): (1) What are the current digital practices in performing arts teaching and learning?; (2) What are academic staff and students’ attitudes towards hybrid, online, and face-to-face learning based on their past learning experience?; (3) What are their preferences for professional development and training workshops?; and (4) How would the expected technology infrastructure improve teaching and learning quality. Furthermore, this study presents evidence on whether or not the virtual environment is beneficial for teachers’ teaching and students’ learning. It also reveals their readiness, preferences, and recommendations for further improvements.

This paper, firstly, recapitulates the recent research on learning pedagogies in performing arts education. Section 2 reviews the recent research in the area of hybrid learning pedagogy and current trends in the literature on performing arts education. Section 3 describes the instrument and research methodology. The findings and discussions are described in Section 4. We conclude with the contributions of this study in Section 5.

2. Literature Review

Technology has created a major impact on performing arts teaching and learning, which has intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic started [2]. The fast pace of computer advancement and the quick development of digital technology suggest that this trend will continue. Digital technology and mobile devices are available tools for many people, particularly those living in affluent countries, to interact with and share information through. They have become an essential and required element in performing arts education when students and lecturers are unable to conduct face-to-face schooling [3].

Like many other sectors, performing arts education has experienced catastrophic distractions due to the pandemic. Facing the urgency and intricacy of dealing with the problems brought by the campus shutdown, a variety of measures have been implemented in the performing arts education [4]. In face of the closure of the campus, Edmodo-based online learning has been implemented to teach a Performing Arts Education Study Program in Indonesian [3]. Recent studies have pointed out that Edmodo and Google Classroom are two online platforms that have been used massively as digital classrooms in the performing arts education world during the COVID-19 pandemic [5]. In other research, the use of social media as a platform for performing arts education has been proven to be an effective way to overcome limitations of space and time, where teachers can still interact with students without meeting face to face [6].

It is believed that online studying affords challenges and possibilities for students and lecturers [7]. With fast-paced advancements in mobile and wireless technologies, completing studies anywhere and at any time becomes feasible, allowing students to perform their learning activities in multiple behavioral settings, unlike the traditional campus-based teaching and learning model [8]. Self-regulated learning enables students to be more productive about practicing, self-efficacy, and communication [9]. That sense of ownership in learning gets strengthened in the virtual learning environment [10]. The use of digital technology has meaningful connections in developing students’ autonomy in learning [11], making studying convenient [12], improving technical skills [9], and fostering creativity [13].

Online learning provides instruction led by the teacher. It can be delivered synchronously (communication where participants interact in the same time-space as video conferencing) or asynchronously (time-separated communication such as e-mail or online discussion forums) [7]. Handling synchronous learning activities is relatively simple for performing arts students [10,14]. The use of technology provides more options for students in a face-to-face setting [15]. It offers synchronous learning options and creates more opportunities for both teachers and students in the virtual environment [16]. The prevalence of mobile devices and their affordance has enabled students to videotape, edit, remix, and share various formats of data [17]. In such a learning environment, students can actively engage in performance practice and rehearsals, especially when social media is involved [18]. Students are motivated to share their projects via social media and, consequently, feel accomplished [13]. During the pandemic, YouTube, Tik-Tok, WeChat, and Instagram have become an alternative “stage” for performing arts students to showcase their accomplishments [19].

Compared to synchronous learning, asynchronous teaching is more effective [20]. Asynchronous teaching improves critical thinking because it gives students more time to process learning materials [21]. Students can access the most updated resources whenever and wherever via the Internet. Meanwhile, asynchronous teaching allows learners more space and freedom to edit their creative projects [19]. Asynchronous and synchronous communications among teachers–students and students–students have increased learning engagement [22]. A learning management system (e.g., Google Classroom or Canvas) is important in managing and supporting both the asynchronous and synchronous learning formats. It plays a critical role in course updating, resource dissemination, and learning-community development [23].

Few studies have examined performing arts teachers and students on asynchronous, synchronous, and hybrid models, likely because of the nature of how it has been done in the past: in person and via a “sage on the stage” and “learn from the master” model. Research focusing on how asynchronous and synchronous teaching and learning have taken place in performing arts during the pandemic is even more scarce. As a survey indicates, teachers are concerned for those students who became ‘invisible’ under the e-learning model and for the ‘invisible’ aspects of the face-to-face learning that were difficult to replicate online [24]. Certain subjects, such as music, dance, and film, were investigated. Miksza’s research team investigated the well-being of music educators [25] during the pandemic. Akpınar focused on the mental-health concerns among students who were isolated from peers and familiar learning spaces (studios and concert halls) [26]. Several studies on relevant topics were further explored by [13] on dance, [27] on film, and Suwartono’s research team on drama [28]. Nonetheless, these studies are subject-specific, and there is a lack of a holistic approach to comprehend the whole performing arts education. This study aims to bridge the research gap by analyzing a large volume of data to understand performing arts teachers’ and students’ perspectives, preferences, and visions on teaching, learning, and professional development.

3. Hybrid Learning Pedagogy and Methodology

To surmount the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a novel hybrid learning pedagogy was firstly applied in the performing arts education at HKAPA in early 2020 [1]. As shown in Figure 2, the pedagogy integrates traditional lectures, regular webinars, innovative performance projects, traditional e-learning, and synchronous online learning (facilitated by technologies such as Microsoft Team, Zoom, Cisco Webex, Google Class, Panopto, etc.). The webinars, innovative performance projects, and synchronous online learning are new for the performing educators, to surmount the challenges. For the purpose of validating the hybrid learning pedagogy in the new normal period (post pandemic) and presenting findings on lessons and insights for quality assurance and improvement, researchers launched this quantitative research. It is based on two online surveys, which were conducted between September and October 2021, for both teachers (Appendix A) and students (Appendix B) at HKAPA. Both surveys investigated the current practice of digital teaching pedagogy among faculty members as well as the virtual learning experiences among students.

The data are obtained through a student survey for spring 2021 (hybrid) and a teacher survey for spring 2021 (hybrid), which were composed of three types of questions covering various topics. The first group of questions (six for teachers and eight for students) seeks demographic questions such as backgrounds, gender, and experiences, among others. Socio-demographic and academic characteristics allow researchers to gain background information on participants and better analyze their data [29]. The second group of questions (15 for teachers and 10 for students) contains 127 items for teachers and 92 items for students, verifying the participants’ perspectives on hybrid, online, and face-to-face learning. This part helped researchers learn about their academic life and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their experiences with teaching and learning. The third group of questions (12 for teachers and 7 for students) aims to understand participants’ preference on online activity types, software, and platforms such as Zoom or MS Teams. The study also seeks participants’ preferences for professional development and training workshops in terms of subject (e.g., video editing and website building) and format (online or face-to-face).

Quantitative and qualitative research methods employing relevant data analysis are used in this research. It is noteworthy that the survey includes qualitative questions (fill in the blank) inviting participants to elaborate on various experiences they have encountered during online and hybrid teaching and learning. In total, 408 students (251 females and 159 males between the ages of 18 and 41) and 17 teachers (6 females and 11 males between the ages of 27 and 50+) completed the survey. The student participants represented six schools (Figure 3a), with 367 of them from undergraduate (UG) programmes, 38 from postgraduate (PG) programmes, and 3 from post-secondary (PS) programmes. The teacher participants came from Complementary Studies (4), Dance (3), FTV (3), Music (6), and TEA (1) (Figure 3b). The survey findings are presented in the next section.

4. Findings and Discussions

Researchers investigated online/hybrid teaching and learning through the following four research questions: (1) What is the current practice regarding online platforms, resources, and activities adopted in the post-pandemic era? (Section 4.1); (2) What are academic staff and students’ attitudes towards the hybrid, online, and face-to-face learning based on their past/current learning experiences? (Section 4.2, Section 4.3, Section 4.4 and Section 4.5); (3) What are the preferences of teachers and students for professional development or workshop training? (Section 4.6); and (4) What are their expected technology infrastructure in improving and ensuring teaching and learning quality? (Section 4.7).

4.1. Different Groups’ Choice of Learning Platforms

Most undergraduate and post-secondary students have used both synchronous platforms (i.e., Zoom and MS Teams) and asynchronous learning management systems (i.e., Canvas) for learning, while most postgraduate students have only relied on synchronous platforms, and the majority of them have not used asynchronous platforms such as Canvas.

Canvas is the learning management system used at the Academy by all teachers and students. In terms of online-platform use among undergraduate and post-secondary students, 79% (321) of the student participants have used asynchronous platforms, i.e., Canvas. For synchronous platforms, 68% (278) have used Zoom, and 8% (34) have used Microsoft Teams (Figure 4a). For postgraduate students, 95% (36) have used Zoom, and 68% (26) have used Microsoft Teams, while only 1% (1) have used Canvas (Figure 4b). For teacher participants, 53% (9) have used Zoom, 6% (1) have used MS Teams, and 24% (4) have used Canvas (Figure 4c). The low Canvas usage among postgraduate students could be attributed to the fact that these students are new to the Academy and that the survey was conducted towards the beginning of the semester. These students did not use other types of asynchronous platforms or other learning management systems. This demands more learning assistance for the postgraduate students from the Academy to overcome the learning barriers on using asynchronous platforms. This finding further indicates that the introduction of such a learning management system is needed as soon as possible for new students, particularly at the postgraduate level when entering the Academy.

4.2. Online-Learning Practices and Outcomes

Most students reported that their teachers have used online learning resources/activities, while the findings suggest that online platforms tend to be used for content delivery rather than for students to interact or collaborate. In terms of online resources and activities, 83% of students reported that their teachers had used online course materials; 50% have provided URL links to online resources; 39% have used individual learning activities; 36% have provided recorded lectures/classes; 14% have used asynchronous discussion forums; and 30% have participated in online collaborative group activities. For synchronous learning, 47% have had online classes on Zoom or other platforms (Figure 5). These figures suggest a moderate to high adoption of online learning practice, though the online platforms or tools tend to be used for content delivery rather than interactive/collaborative online learning. However, from the perspectives of teacher participants, more than half have provided online collaborative learning opportunities (59%) (Figure 6b); and over 71% of them have encouraged students to use videos for documentation and reflection (Figure 6a). More student engagement is recommended to lead to active learning in various online activities.

The online collaborative learning opportunities take different forms and shapes. Teachers organize forum discussions, group practice, roleplay, show and tell, creative components, and more. Different programmes conduct each collaborative activity in variety of ways. For instance, the creative component in dance requires students to work together to create a screen dance, in which students have to come up with a different movement that is related to the previous movement. It is described as virtual improvisation. For Drama students, they interpret improvisation quite differently. Instead of the fixed order of moving bodies in different Zoom frames, as Dance students do, they are free to conduct monologue improvisations. “All message threads in the monologue have to be correlated”, one drama teacher stated. This is very similar to what they do in face-to-face class teaching. The only drawback is the network delay, which causes longer time for individuals to respond to others. “At times, it was amusing”, as one of the participants expressed. Findings suggest that the online platforms used for content delivery only is not effective. Instead, activities for students to interact or collaborate improve learning outcomes and enhance teaching/learning engagement. Tools and methods are not found in the survey, but specific activities are. It further highlights the importance of how the content is delivered and what methods and activities are utilized in promoting learners’ participation.

At the same time, many teachers, over 71%, have encouraged students to use videos for documentation and reflection (Figure 6a). The feedback from learners is overwhelmingly positive. Music students for instance, indicated that they enjoy the opportunity to practice, record, and self-reflect on their own practice recording before editing their video for class presentation. Similar comments are found among Chinese Opera, Dance, and Drama students. Students are more willing to take creative risks and reflect on their own work more effectively and sincerely. The end product is usually for the entire class to view rather than just for self-reflection. One student writes:

My teacher asked us to do Vlog (video log) and eJournal entries each week. I thought it was boring at the beginning. Yet, once I got into it, it was so much fun. I have learned a lot in video editing, sound mixing, and animation effects. In the end, I have put together my works in one video. Everyone in the class loved my presentation so much and I felt great!

It is proven to be effective, as an asynchronous approach creates an opportunity for students to reflect more thoroughly, hence, creating a better learning outcome. It also provides students with more time to practice and polish various art projects. Multimedia, particularly the use of videos, matches learners’ desires for mobile technology.

4.3. Preferences for Learning Mode

Undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and faculty members prefer the hybrid/online mode of delivery for theory-based courses and face-to-face delivery for practice-based courses. They also prefer the ‘flipped classroom approach’ compared to large public lectures. By contrast, post-secondary students prefer face-to-face teaching for both theory and practice courses.

In undergraduate programmes, close to 80% of the students prefer their theory-based courses to be delivered in hybrid or online mode (Figure 7a). In contrast, 70% of them believe that practice courses should be delivered in the face-to-face mode (Figure 7b). Besides data analysis, the survey also collected student comments, which helped researchers better understand students’ needs and their attitudes toward online learning. One undergraduate student commented on hybrid learning, “Pre-recorded lectures and face-to-face tutorials would be the best”. Coincidentally, another student emphasized, “Mass Lectures can be online, but tutorials can be face-to-face”. At the Academy, some classes are taught in a theatre as a public lecture, where hundreds of students attend. After each lecture, students in the big class break into small groups (20 or so based on school, year, and timetable) for tutorial lessons. Then, questions and answers between a tutor and students are exchanged in an interactive manner. Students seem to recognize the importance of face-to-face interaction, particularly for some specific arts-related courses. One student commented:

Online learning is suitable and convenient for language courses, but not for the general education courses such as Approaching Performing Arts. Those courses need class discussion, because we need to hear different voices to look at the same topic. An Opera show could be seen and interpreted very differently from dance, drama, and music students.

Another student added that hybrid learning could “host class events, but a deeper understanding of the concept needs more interactions”.

For practice courses, students overwhelmingly view that face-to-face learning remains fundamental and cannot be done online. One student wrote:

I strongly feel that practical-based courses, such as Dance Perspectives and Anatomy, should be kept in their face-to-face mode. Last year I had all my Contextual Studies lessons online. While it was nice being able to work from home of some sort, it made collaborative work really challenging as we didn’t really get the chance to exchange thoughts and feelings while touching one another’ bone and muscle.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that post-secondary students prefer to have the face-to-face mode over the hybrid/online learning. Two out of three participants (67%) chose face-to-face for theory-based courses, while one chose hybrid learning. All participants prefer face-to-face for practice-based courses. Though, with a limited data sample, post-secondary students are inclined to have theory-based courses online and practice-based courses in face-to-face mode. This finding is quite aligned with undergraduate students.

The findings for postgraduate students are similar to those for undergraduate students: 73% prefer the online/hybrid mode for theory courses, and 27% prefer face-to-face (Figure 8a). Conversely, 77% prefer face-to-face learning for practice-based courses, 19% prefer hybrid, and only 4% prefer fully online (Figure 8b). The survey received similar comments as those of the undergraduate students stated above. In addition, they add that they like the practice of collaborating with undergraduate students in some jointed courses. For instance, in a choreographic workshop for Dance postgraduate students, they usually work with undergraduate Dance students for their final project. They receive separate credits: postgraduate students for Directorship and undergraduate students for Repertory. Such a practice-based project is almost impossible to complete if it were held online or hybrid. Meanwhile, there are postgraduate students who completed their project by engaging friends or previous students in distant locations where schools remain open. It is important for teachers to provide flexibility in terms of whom students could work with and where the project could take place. Graduate students seem to have these options because of smaller class sizes. It is relatively easy for their professors to manage, arrange, and evaluate.

Among faculty members, the findings also show a stronger preference for the hybrid or online mode of learning for theory-based courses (77%) (Figure 9a) but a stronger preference for face-to-face learning for practice-based courses (76%) (Figure 9b). It is evident that teachers also feel the need for changing the way performing arts courses are delivered. While theory-based courses could be taught in an online or hybrid mode, a lot of effort, such as developing relevant skills, are needed. Teachers express their willingness to participate in the associated professional development activities, which is further discussed in the latter part of this study.

4.4. Attitudes towards Face-to-Face Learning

Face-to-face learning remains a preferred option for students and teachers, and such a preference is stronger among postgraduate and post-secondary students. It seems that a blended approach is superior as it provides flexibility and convenience. When planning for hybrid/online learning, it is important to consider students’ access to the space and equipment necessary for the class and also the scheduling of face-to-face and online learning.

When students were not prompted to think in terms of theory-based versus practice-based courses, but were asked about whether online, hybrid, or face-to-face learning is (a) more convenient, (b) useful for knowledge and skill development, (c) providing a good experience for learning, (d) helping them to become self-disciplined, and (e) improving their independent learning skills, postgraduate and post-secondary students show a strong preference for face-to-face learning rather than for hybrid or online learning (

Table 1. Postgraduate students who agree/strongly agree with the following statements.

	Face-to-Face	Hybrid	Online
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) is more convenient for them	74% (28)	45% (17)	26% (10)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) is useful for knowledge and skill development	92% (35)	42% (16)	21% (8)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) provides a good experience for learning	82% (31)	24% (9)	39% (15)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) helped them to become self-disciplined	92% (35)	47% (18)	29% (11)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) improved their independent learning skills	74% (28)	42% (16)	39% (15)

and

Table 2. Post-secondary students who agree/strongly agree with the following statements.

	Face-to-Face	Hybrid	Online
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) is more convenient for them	100% (3)	0% (0)	0% (0)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) is useful for knowledge and skill development	100% (3)	0% (0)	0% (0)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) provides a good experience for learning	100% (3)	0% (0)	0% (0)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) helped them to become self-disciplined	100% (3)	0% (0)	0% (0)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) improved their independent learning skills	67% (2)	0% (0)	0% (0)

). Their initial reaction towards learning remains unchanged when the topic is more general. Students put down these comments: “it (face-to-face) makes me get up early; it is easier to talk to classmates; like to see teachers in front; peer pressure; etc.” Postgraduate students have gone through schooling mostly in the face-to-face model in the past. It would be interesting to look at the same topic in a few years when those students taking online school during the pandemic attend university study later on. Currently, high school students in Hong Kong have gone through three years of intermittent online education, while still going through various qualifying exams for post-secondary study.

On the other hand, undergraduate students and teachers show a weaker preference for face-to-face learning (

Table 3. Undergraduate students who agree/strongly agree with the following statements.

	Face-to-Face	Hybrid	Online
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) is more convenient for them	48% (175)	36% (131)	48% (177)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) is useful for knowledge and skill development	70% (258)	39% (142)	39% (143)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) provides a good experience for learning	55% (202)	38% (140)	43% (159)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) helped them to become self-disciplined	68% (250)	39% (143)	43% (158)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) improved their independent learning skills	59% (217)	39% (142)	49% (179)

and

Table 4. Teachers who agree/strongly agree with the following statements.

	Face-to-Face	Hybrid	Online
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) is more convenient for my students	39% (7)	33% (6)	28% (5)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) is useful for knowledge and skill development	33% (6)	28% (5)	11% (2)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) provides a good experience for learning	17% (3)	39% (7)	22% (4)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) helped them to become self-disciplined	50% (9)	39% (7)	17% (3)
(F2f/Hybrid/Online learning) improved their independent learning skills	28% (5)	28% (5)	28% (5)

). Note that the percentage of teachers agreeing with the statements tend to be lower than 50% (Table 4), as the teacher participants often selected ‘neutral’ for these questions, which suggests that they do not see that those different modes of learning can significantly impact knowledge/skill development, learning experience, student independent-learning skills, etc.

It is also worth noting that while it is commonly believed that online/hybrid learning can provide more convenience for learners, as online learning can learn ‘anywhere’ and at ‘any time’, the survey results do not support this belief. Over 70% of students in postgraduate or post-secondary programmes believe face-to-face learning is more convenient than hybrid or online learning. Undergraduate students are more likely to find face-to-face and online learning to be equally convenient, while teachers are more likely to find face-to-face learning more convenient than online learning.

One explanation for this finding is that during the pandemic, online learning often means taking online classes on Zoom in a less than optimal learning environment without proper space or equipment, making online learning less convenient than face-to-face. One teacher commented, “Hybrid mode with face-to-face instruction is only possible when a timetable/classroom space is available. Some courses are only fully online now because of a lack of physical teaching space and overloaded student timetable/workload”. A number of teachers in this study indicated that they had to spent much more time to prepare for online lessons than if classes were taught in the face-to-face mode. Some of them admitted that they put in personal time and resources (microphone, camera, etc.) to enhance the teaching outcome. Another reason leading hybrid learning to be perceived as less convenient might have to do with scheduling online or face-to-face classes, as one student recommended that if “face-to-face lessons are scheduled together” (separated from online lessons), it might be more convenient. This “convenience” might be interpreted as pressure to get up on time for early morning classes or to discuss projects when others cannot reject in face-to-face environment.

Overall, students and teachers value face-to-face learning. One student commented that in a face-to-face setting, they “can learn effectively and build friendship and memories of students. The experience of learning should also be considered, not only the result of learning”; and as another wrote, “As a non-local full-time student, the face-to-face mode can bring wonderful experience of the course”. In the performing arts landscape of Hong Kong, the subject is narrow, and the field is small. It is critical for students to build friendships early on. The Academy is among one of the best tertiary institutes specialising in performing arts, and the majority of artists in Hong Kong are associated with the Academy.

4.5. Faculty’s Perceptions of Canvas

Faculty views the learning management system as a useful tool for organizing course materials and grading assignments. Canvas is the learning management system at the Academy for all teachers and students. However, the tool itself is not well-utilized. Canvas features such as quizzes, forums, or peer evaluations are not used. Such features provide interactive opportunities for teachers and students to evaluate, communicate, and foster deeper learning. Teachers tend to see Canvas only as a useful tool for organizing course materials or grading assignments. In other words, Canvas is used as an information center. Researchers gather that teachers’ less-than-enthusiastic views on Canvas could be derived from two reasons (

Table 5. Faculty’s perceptions of Canvas.

	Strongly Agree/Agree	Neutral	Disagree/ Strongly Disagree
Canvas helps me organise my course materials	100% (4)	0% (0)	0% (0)
Canvas is useful for receiving and marking students’ works	75% (3)	25% (1)	0% (0)
Canvas assessments/quizzes helps my students to learn	50% (2)	50% (2)	0% (0)
Canvas discussion is useful for students learning	25% (1)	75% (3)	0% (0)

). Canvas is used as an information center as teachers disseminate assignments, reading resources, and grades. Students, on the other hand, use Canvas to upload homework, download files, and check their marks. The other reason is that Canvas is not mobile-friendly. It is less convenient for students to read academic journals on a mobile device. The forum-discussion feature is far from user-friendly, accordingly to some students’ feedback. “We can easily discuss a project over social media such as WhatsApp or Line. Why do we bother Canvas?” one student said.

4.6. Preferences for Workshop and Related Skills

Students express interest in training workshops related to digital skills and study skills, while teachers are also interested in digital skills and online/blended learning pedagogy. Undergraduate and post-secondary students are interested in workshops on video editing (53%, 199) and graphic design (43%, 159), followed by effective learning skills (31%, 115) and the digital portfolio (31%, 114) (Figure 10a). Similarly, among postgraduate students, 68% (26) of the student participants are interested in video editing, 42% (16) in study skills, 39% (15) in mobile-app development, and 37% (14) in graphic design (Figure 10b). Among training for teachers, more teachers are interested in video editing (70%, 12) and blended/online learning pedagogy (59%, 10) as well as website development (41%, 7) and the digital portfolio (35%, 6) (Figure 10c).

The data show that there is a strong desire to develop digital skills for both teachers and students. The pandemic has fast-forwarded the evolution of online and hybrid learning models, as other options were not available due to the campus shutdown. Graphic design and videomaking are no longer as a pastime or hobby, as they have become a powerful and necessary tool to enable effective teaching and learning. In the field of performing arts, this is even more evident when teachers and students exchange performances of all kinds. Due the pandemic, all these shows are edited, shared, and promoted in digital forms. Face-to-face interactions and presentations in the theatre were not possible. It is anticipated that such a trend will continue, as social media plays an increasingly important role in our society. This will certainly create a huge impact for how future performances are promoted, staged, and reviewed/shared.

4.7. Implications for Technological Improvement

For faculty, access to Wi-Fi and students’ access to devices remain barriers to teaching and learning at the time of the survey. The poor network is another reason that causes unstable communications in lectures. The inequality of affordance for network connection among students creates another challenge for online classes. As presented in

Table 6. Faculty’s perceptions related to online learning.

	Strongly Agree/Agree	Neutral	Disagree/ Strongly Disagree
The Wi-Fi on campus was fast enough for online teaching	12% (2)	47% (8)	41% (7)
Students’ lack of access to computers/mobile phones disrupted their learning	47% (8)	41% (7)	12% (2)
I would like more training on how to teach online effectively	35% (6)	41% (7)	24% (4)
My students needed more training to learn online effectively	35% (6)	41% (7)	24% (4)

, 41% of the teachers believe that the campus Wi-Fi is not fast enough for online teaching, and 47% agree/strongly agree that students’ lack of access to computers/mobile phones jeopardizes learning outcomes. One teacher commented, “The Wi-Fi connectivity was terrible last year. That was a big problem considering that we were teaching online and showing video and audio clips constantly”. A student wrote,

The stability of Wi-Fi often is poor, the lecturer should be aware that the bandwidth of the Wi-Fi is not enough to support the transfer of data because of large size images and videos. They should either comprise the files in a smaller size or distribute them ahead of the class to ensure that learning experience is not affected.

As students and faculty prefer face-to-face learning for practice-based courses, the development of digital learning in these courses would involve different types of technology, including augmented/virtual reality, VR simulators, artificial intelligence, motion capture, etc. The results suggested a general prevalence of video technology in teaching and learning. Many teacher participants reported having asked students to use video to record themselves for documentation and reflection. The Academy is, at the moment, considering phasing out the use of Panopto (automatic video recording and archiving) in August 2022, as such alternative solutions and support for teachers and students to share or store videos would need to be provided. In terms of subjects of training, students and teachers are generally interested in learning video-editing and graphic-design skills. These workshops could be provided in conjunction with developing digital portfolios for students and teachers. The use of videos could also be linked to online/blended pedagogy and portfolio development. Finally, at the time of the survey, the Academy’s Wi-Fi system was being upgraded to Wi-Fi 6 (the most advanced Wi-Fi technology available). Continuous improvement on the campus Wi-Fi and financial support for students who lack access to devices could further help remove the barriers to online/digital learning.

5. Conclusions and Limitations

In this study, various responses about the challenges experienced by performing arts teachers and students are reported. Besides, the positive and negative impacts of online teaching/learning, economic conditions, anxiety during the pandemic are studied.

Overall, there is a moderate-to-high level of acceptance of online teaching and learning practices. Both students and faculty members express interest in multimedia workshops and would like to participate in these activities as professional development or training activities. However, students carry different views on theory-based and practice-based courses, with some seeing their teachers as inadequate to utilize technology for effective teaching and, more importantly, for critical thinking, interaction, and collaboration. Notably, current use of online platforms tends to be used for content exchange (dissemination and submission) rather than fostering collaborative activities. In addition, the present survey shows mixed results on whether online/hybrid learning provides more convenience for learners. This work also points out that access to space, equipment, and Wi-Fi poses further barriers to hybrid and online teaching and learning, which deserves further attention.

The disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social, cultural, political, economic, and educational landscapes has been profound. This study presents some insights and highlights the urgent need for developing effective blended/online programs. Policymakers in related fields can refer to this study to identify solutions and prepare for the future of performing arts education. However, this study faces certain limitations: while the student sample size is larger, only three students are from post-secondary programmes. The results cannot represent all performing arts teachers and students, hence, they should not be generalized. Further study could examine the reasons why post-secondary or postgraduate students tend to prefer to have face-to-face learning over hybrid/online learning. As frequently pointed out, during the pandemic, lots of courses offered online to students do not represent quality online learning but were an emergency remote-teaching option. Understanding the underlying reasons behind students’ preferences is key to developing effective blended/online programs in the future.