As the number of students pursuing asynchronous education and learning experiences in online platforms and forums continues to grow, it is increasingly important to pause and reflect on the nature of language commonly--and often reflexively--used in these online spaces. Because online, asynchronous classroom discussion forums constitute the…

This critical self-reflection is not a success story; rather, it is an effort of decolonial thinking that reckons with the idea, experience, and practice of centerlessness during pandemic-induced online transitions and operations in a graduate writing center (GWC). By tracing the contours of a series of interlocking disruptions the author and her…

A central component of online learning, asynchronous discussions have the potential to positively impact distance learners in myriad ways. For discussion to be most impactful, best practices associated with online discussion should be implemented, yet discernment regarding such practices too often remains elusive or unimplemented. To address this…

Purpose: With the rapid transition of education from the traditional, classroom- or campus-based to the online format, there grows a need for not only taking advantage of online technology but also assessing actual and potential effects it can make on the learners, learning, education, and society. One of the risks inherent in online learning is…

Technology has changed the practices related to teaching and learning mathematics in schools. The demand for learning mathematics in virtual environments is increasing in the 21st-century classroom. There has been widespread expansion of the use of technology in education. This column reviews three types of instruction--synchronous, asynchronous,…

In the words of the philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes, "Cogito, ergo sum," (I think; therefore, I am). Descartes concluded that although many aspects of reality are illusions; what is certain is that one's thoughts indicate one's existence. Understanding the mechanics of reality is fundamental to scientists and philosophers,…

As COVID-19 continues to impact various business sectors, university administrators have steadily pushed for all academic units to resume on campus operations and activities; conversely, faculty and students have expressed increased interest in continuing online teaching/learning. We aim to mitigate this "tug-of-war" between…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to create a "go-to-guide" of best practices in the creation of asynchronous courses. Due to the global pandemic, millions of students around the world transitioned from in-class instruction to online programs, which ranged from completely synchronous classrooms to completely asynchronous classrooms.…

Digital badging has seen widespread adoption within the US higher education sector with continued growth predicted. Might digital badging present an underrealized opportunity for libraries seeking new vehicles through which to deliver information literacy instructional content? This paper offers an analysis of badging in higher education and…

The "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education" posits that the practice of asking questions in order to deepen inquiry and understanding is a key element of information literacy. While the "Research as Inquiry" frame is teachable in library instruction, it can be difficult to scale. Popular instructional design…

The use of online courses has expanded dramatically at institutions of higher education over the last several decades. Appropriate design of an online course is instrumental in determining the quality of the student experience and the amount of material students retain from the class. However, the instructor has a tremendous amount of freedom when…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has disrupted normal activities all over the world. Education at all levels has been particularly hard hit, and this has resulted in the suspension of face-to-face discourse, instruction, and student assessment worldwide, with the necessity of social…

Blended learning can create flexibility for students, more efficiently utilise infrastructure, and can provide high-quality learning at scale. We investigated perceived value and learning gains associated with asynchronous eLearning and synchronous face-to-face (f2f) components of a blended learning experience. We hypothesised that individual…

As schools began the frantic switch to fully remote education while the COVID-19 pandemic escalated in the United States, the Facebook group "Pandemic Pedagogy" rapidly became a worldwide interdisciplinary hub for navigating online instruction. Autoethnographic reflection on the development of that group leads to analysis of key issues…

"Online learning"--learning that involves interactions that are mediated through using digital, typically internet-based, technology--is pervasive, multi-faceted, and evolving, creating opportunities and challenges for educational research in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special issue, we advance an interdisciplinary agenda…