The convenience and flexibility of online doctoral programs make them popular with working adults. However, online degree programs may lack relationship-building features, making students feel disconnected and isolated. These feelings are more pronounced as students enter their program's dissertation portion as they become responsible for setting…

Schools and universities had to quickly adapt to a distance-learning model when the COVID-19 virus became a worldwide pandemic. In response, teachers found alternative ways to deliver course content and also interact with their students one-on-one to help them learn the material. We present here an inexpensive mirror mount for students to use on…

Unbundling faculty roles has been a trending topic in higher education for many years. One unbundling method BYUIdaho Online Learning is exploring, is unbundling instruction and mentoring from assessment. This model has freed up more time for faculty outreach to students, led to greater job-satisfaction for our online adjunct faculty and teaching…

In this essay I concentrate on a distinct aspect of teaching courses online postpandemic: concrete steps both to ease workload burden and to increase student learning efficacy. There are ten lessons that can facilitate moving instruction online: 1. Organize the Course in Weekly Modules; 2. Communicate on a Regular Schedule; 3. Post Key Lectures;…

"This is very scary. Everybody be safe, social distance, and wash hands please." "This has definitely been an odd semester. I'm very nervous for how the rest of the semester is going to go!" "I am trying to not to be too afraid. I work in the medical field. It can be so scary." These are statements taken directly from…

Undergraduate student misuse of mobile technology (e.g., smartphones, laptops, tablets) for non-class purposes (e.g., texting, scrolling social media, playing games) has become ubiquitous in college classrooms across the globe. In addition, research has suggested that these digital distractions can negatively impact learning and performance. The…

Humans are inherently social creatures. Socialization and connection with a learning community is a central aspect of learning. Although cultivating social presence and connectivity may seem like an afterthought compared to other aspects of course design, the truth is that social connection with other learners can be a key factor in a student's…

Feedback is an essential form of communication between the student and teacher. Research has documented the importance of feedback in advancing student mathematical and critical thinking, with renewed recommendations to provide and use feedback in mathematical instruction during the era of COVID-19. Giving personalized feedback in an online…

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought great changes to classrooms and students around the world. As the virus swept into cities and communities, students were swept out of their routines--experiencing many sudden and profound losses. In one urban school district in the United States, elementary students lost the writing communities they had…

The world of education, like every other aspect of life, was changed probably forever by the experiences of teaching and learning during COVID-19. As educators and students return to some form of normal in which teachers and students have a relatively clear understanding of what it means to attend classes at the university, I believe that we can…

Online education programs are on the rise and institutions of higher learning are utilizing Learning Management Systems (LMS) to facilitate online learning. The Community of Inquiry (CoI; Garrison et al., 1999) framework identifies three categories of cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence to guide the development of online…

This commentary provides insight into teaching in the online learning environment for new and/or novice instructors. Two experienced online instructors discuss what they wish they would have known when they first began teaching online. These practical suggestions provide insight into online presence and communication as well as organizing course…

In response to the interruption of all levels of education following COVID-19, we start by underlining the difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Next, we inquire into the question of presence in physical and virtual classrooms, and offer a discussion of presence as "being-here-now," a "movement toward…

One of the pedagogical benefits that emerged from the pandemic period for adult learners was that teachers, in addition to supporting institutions, were more willing to consider and introduce technological innovations to the learning experience. For 2 years, teachers and institutions had no choice. Unanticipatedly, some of these innovative…

The pandemic provided a natural experiment to test an alternative approach to teaching a traditional classroom-based research methods course; as teachers, we should not wait for such interventions but try out various strategies for effectiveness. Remote mentoring is entirely feasible for successful undergraduate research experiences. This is a…