Background: Online interaction in blended learning is leveraged through social presence and convergence. However, little systematic work currently exists on how researchers have explored these challenges in higher education institutions and no studies have synthesised these challenges. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to give a novel…

Background: Video conferencing technology has moved online education into a new stage of real-time video interaction. However, shortcomings such as students' lack of concentration and substantive engagement during video conferencing greatly limit the improvement of online learning effectiveness. According to social presence theory and the…

Background: This research paper presents a cross-sectional study that examinefs the preferences of students for hybrid teaching and learning scenarios. Unlike previous studies that merely describe hybrid scenarios, this research prioritizes them, offering evidence-based findings for informed policy decisions. Methods: The data collection method…

Background Study: Asynchronous online discussions are vital venues for collaborative knowledge construction. However, the lack of appropriate instruction designs poses challenges in promoting deep and substantive engagement with the core subject matter. This paper explores how to enhance adult students' knowledge construction in the context of…

Background: Online Collaborative Writing (OCW) has been reported to be useful to improve writing quality in higher education. However, challenges emerge during the collaborative processes, mainly centering on how to sustain active interactions and communications in order to complete a high quality of writing. Objectives: Using the design-based…

Background: Online discussion is one of the commonly used tools to enhance students' interactions and engagements in online courses, but it is not clear how social presence in online discussions impacts students' learning and what kinds of interactions we should encourage. Social network analysis provides a new methodology to investigate how…

Background: Deep discussions play an important role in students' online learning. However, researchers have largely focused on engaging students in deep discussions in online asynchronous forums. Few studies have investigated how to promote deep discussion via mobile instant messaging (MIM). Objectives: In this study, we applied learning…

Background: Technological innovations such as Learning Management Systems (LMS) are becoming more and more prevalent in the learning environments of students. Distilling and acting on knowledge gathered from these systems, the field known as learning analytics, allows educators to hone their craft and support students more effectively by providing…

Project-based learning (PjBL) engages students in knowledge acquisition, application, and construction through artefact development. Based on the Community of Inquiry framework, this study characterized college students' social and cognitive presences in online PjBL and examined how presence was related to their academic performance. Twenty-four…

Background: Tele-collaborative projects serve as invaluable platforms for students from diverse countries to engage in cross-cultural communication and exchange cultural knowledge. These projects offer immense benefits in terms of fostering intercultural competence among participants. However, one challenge arises when participants engage in…

In this study, we examined the role of leadership styles and multi-dimensional learner engagement in how students emerge as learning leaders in asynchronous online discussions. Grounded in the conceptual framework of two dominant leadership styles of transformational and transactional leadership, this study applies the two leadership…

Reflective judgement is crucial for medical-related practitioners in dealing with controversial issues. However, the conformity phenomenon is likely to occur and interfere with reflective judgement learning during interactive activities. Effective strategies are required to moderate the conformity behaviour tendency (CBT) and improve reflective…

This study is to examine the attitudes of students towards the case studies based on mobile messaging in a pharmacotherapy introduction class. Case studies were divided into 4 groups, with 30 pharmacy students each group. Each group was required to share pharmaceutical care plans on WeChat by posting messages. A post-activity survey was conducted:…

An asynchronous online discussion (AOD) is one format of instructional methods that facilitate student-centered learning. In the wealth of AOD research, this study evaluated how students' behavior on AOD influences their academic outcomes. This case study compared the differential analytic methods including web log mining, social network analysis…

With the steady development of online education and online learning environments, possibilities to support social interactions between students have advanced significantly. This study examined the relationship between indicators of social presence and academic performance. Social presence is defined as students' ability to engage socially with an…