Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we were confronted with the transition of a large, on-campus introductory soil science course into an online setting. This created several challenges, such as providing meaningful learning experiences to engage first- and second-year students, and restructuring course content for the online environment. The objective…

As the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a reality during the Spring 2020 semester, faculty were forced to swiftly transition coursework to remote learning with little time for preparation. Course syllabi, schedules, and work needed to be adjusted accordingly, taking into account uncertainty and technological inequities. I…

The unplanned shift to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic challenged many instructors teaching large-enrollment courses to design learning environments that actively engaged all students. We looked at how one instructor used her instructional team--a group of student assistants with diverse, structured responsibilities--to adapt her…

This research used the qualitative multiple case study and phenomenological designs to explore how, without training, university teachers in Ghana managed large student numbers in the virtual environment during COVID-19. The study examined further the challenges the teachers faced in their virtual instructional delivery. Twelve participants drawn…

Extensive research supports the claim that student-instructor interaction is an essential element of successful online teaching. It is less clear, however, whether teaching presence is discipline-specific, or how it may be affected by the personal and professional background of individual instructors. This article describes the quantitative…

In March 2020, Irish universities closed their doors and teaching, learning and assessment moved online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper arises from a Dublin City University (DCU) research study with a three-fold purpose: (1) Examine the sudden transition of large classes (100+ students) from face-to-face teaching and learning to remote…

The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China resulted in the sudden closure of schools, interrupting teaching plans. To prevent the virus from spreading across campuses and ensure the safety of teachers and students, China's Ministry of Education (MOE) closed all educational facilities. However, the MOE mandated that…

The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest turned education on its head this quarter. To keep students engaged, a plethora of techniques were employed, ranging from synchronous lectures and activities via the Zoom platform to the asynchronous online discussion board Piazza. Consideration of students' nonacademic struggles also…

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are the latest online teaching and learning medium through website and are seen as a key factor in future lesson delivery. One well-established and popular MOOC is Coursera which is provided by Stanford University. Online participation and interactions are complex phenomena and the answers to the questions in…

This study investigated the feasibility of using a web-based Student Response Systems (SRS) to promote interaction in an undergraduate class of 239 students. The study was conducted at a tertiary institution in Guyana, a developing country, faced with technological challenges that made it impractical for every student in the class to respond…

The article argues that the ongoing usage of audio visual media is falling behind in terms of educational quality compared to prior achievements in the history of distance education. After reviewing some important steps and experiences of audio visual digital media development, we analyse predominant presentation formats on the Web. Special focus…

This paper describes the design and outcomes of an educational intervention undertaken to improve the quality of delivery of a fourth-year engineering elective course--Industrial Wastewater and Solid Waste Management at the University of Queensland. The objective was to increase the level of active participation of students in planned…

While American students increasingly choose to study online, most professors remain skeptical of its quality. This paper explores the perspectives of history professors at a liberal arts institution regarding their general education classes taught face-to-face (F2F) and online, focusing on interactive communication with students between the two…

The current investigation tested the effectiveness of an online student research project designed to supplement traditional methods (e.g., lectures, discussions, and assigned readings) of teaching research methods in a large-enrollment Introduction to Psychology course. Over the course of the semester, students completed seven assignments, each…

In this third edition of our study of faculty and information technology, EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) has sought to map and understand faculty use and perceptions of these campus and classroom-based technologies and systems. ECAR collaborated with 157 institutions to collect responses from 13,451 faculty respondents across 7…