As the sole librarian responsible for online instruction, there are many challenges and opportunities when developing a program almost from scratch. This case study will examine how an individual online instruction librarian developed a tool to conduct an environmental scan of a dormant online instruction program and utilized this tool to begin…

Visual scaffolding, a type of scaffolding provided in a visual format, is considered to have potential in web-based learning environments as it naturally includes tacit information, highlights the critical features of tasks and promotes learning through the spatial organization of tasks. However, systematic approaches to visual scaffolding design…

The paper is a sequence of methods to inform competent online video conferencing (webinar) teaching resources for universities rushing to meet learning effective provision in the current COVID crisis. The authors consider Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance (1970), with the focus of the theory on developing autonomy in the learner, may still…

COVID-19 changed not only the way we live but also the way we teach and prepare pre-service teachers. The purpose of this paper is to describe the shift from a conventional STEM fair to an online teaching environment prepared by elementary pre-service teachers after the closure of the educational system in Cyprus as of March 2020. We describe a…

In this essay, we discuss how a Connected Learning (CL) approach to education can offer students and teachers a democratic framework to follow when designing instruction, especially with the recent shift to online and hybrid instruction due to the global pandemic. We present literature on the opportunities and challenges of transitioning to online…

This case study evaluates the process of developing modules for inclusion in a learning management system that are informed by the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education (2015). A replicable, transparent process was used to match more task-oriented topics suggested by librarians and…

In the 1980s, online education was the purview of academically based initiatives. These were largely peripheral to mainstream universities, freeing them from the managerial agendas and practical constraints that often guide innovation in large institutions. They were exploratory, involving the creation of an original pedagogical model and the…

This commentary reconsiders the description and assessment of the design and implementation of "German Tutor," an Intelligent Language Tutoring System (ILTS) for learners of German as a foreign language, published in 2001. Based on our experience over the past 15 years with the design and real classroom use of an ILTS, we address a…

The UCF Libraries are continually developing new forms of library instruction to meet the needs of a growing student body with the same number of librarians. These efforts attempt to find the balance between impersonal online tutorials and time-intensive embedded librarianship. The pros and cons of each model employed at our growing university are…

Teacher professional development and course work using asynchronous online environments seems promising, yet little is known about how mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) develop practices for such spaces. Research has shown that views of learning impact design of online learning spaces, enabling and constraining particular student action. More…

Technology can enhance teachers' practice in multiple ways. It can help them better understand patterns in their students' thinking, manage class progress at individual and group levels, and obtain evidence to inform modifications to curriculum and instruction. Such technology is most effective when it is aligned with teachers' goals and…

The area of online K-12 education is experiencing rapid growth, yet practice has greatly surpassed the research. This article looks to add to the field by examining special education students enrolled in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There were over 2600 students in the state that were identified as special education students and enrolled in…

As the practice of e-learning continues to proliferate, online educators, especially in the computing disciplines, are facing special challenges, due to the lack of relevant literature, the technical nature of the courses, and the perceived need for direct student support mechanisms. This paper presents a constructivist instructional approach to…

In recent years, a number of models concerning problem solving systems have been put forward. However, many of them stress on technology and neglect the research of problem solving itself, especially the learning mechanism related to problem solving. In this paper, we analyze the learning mechanism of problem solving, and propose that when…

Purpose: This article aims at presenting a conceptual framework which, theoretically grounded on complexity, provides the basis to conceive of online language courses that intend to respond to the needs of students and society. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is introduced by reflections on distance education and on the paradigmatic view…