In higher education, motivational factors are considered one of "the strongest predictors of academic performance" (Honike et al., 2020, p. 1). A meta-analysis of face-to-face (f2f) courses (Richardson et al., 2012) supports these claims, finding a strong correlation between performance self-efficacy and academic performance (r = 0.59),…

This quantitative study explored the relationships among student-instructor connectedness, learners' anxiety, and motivation in online higher education courses. Research has shown that student-instructor connectedness can affect student motivation in online learning. Utilizing the connectedness and anxiety items of the Student-Instructor…

The effects of COVID-19 remained significant on university students' social and academic well-being. The pandemic raised various mental and psychological challenges for the students, and had the potential to deteriorate their academic engagement and performance in online learning environments. The emotion regulation theory hypothesizes that…

This correlational cross-sectional study was conducted with 60 graduate students to explore their perceived social experiences with the use of synchronous videoconferencing in the online learning environment. By applying the theories of social presence and media richness, this study investigated the perceived relationship between social presence,…

While the benefits of active learning to student experiences are well documented, less is known about active learning in online education, especially regarding the development of 21st century skills (e.g., communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity). Specifically, open questions remain concerning the contribution of different…

Instructor leadership is widely recognized as essential for facilitating meaningful online learning in higher education. While previous studies have applied organizational leadership theories to the study of instructor leadership, fewer studies have investigated online instructor leadership. This predictive correlational study detailed the…

As online enrollment increases in the United States, it is important to understand the impact of course modality on student outcomes. In particular, there has been limited research on the effect of course enrollment at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSI). The current study evaluated the effect of online course enrollment on student grades and on…

The COVID-19 pandemic required educators and learners to shift to emergency remote instruction, often with little prior notice. To understand how teachers managed the transition, from April to September 2020 we surveyed nearly 1,500 instructors from 118 countries. Using cluster analysis, we have detected two readily distinguishable groups of…

Nonterm, direct assessment competency-based education (CBE) represents a significant reimagining of the structure of higher education. By regulating students' progress through the program based on their mastery of tightly defined competencies rather than on the time spent learning them, this learning environment affords students far greater…

Servant leadership has the potential to improve student satisfaction within online learning. However, the relationship between servant leadership and student satisfaction in an online environment had not yet been understood at the level of the individual instructor. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to evaluate the…

This study sought to describe the correlation of academic, financial, and social supports to the persistence of a military student population: veterans, active duty and their families. The study also contrasted these relationships with those of nonmilitary students and looked at the results of both groups together to determine how supports…

The purpose of this study was to develop an effective instrument to measure student readiness in online learning with reliable predictors of online learning success factors such as learning outcomes and learner satisfaction. The validity and reliability of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) instrument were tested using exploratory factor…

This paper utilizes a case-study design to discuss global aspects of massive open online course (MOOC) assessment. Drawing from the literature on open-course models and linguistic gatekeeping in education, we position freeform assessment in MOOCs as both challenging and valuable, with an emphasis on current practices and student resources. We…

This study explored the interaction between student characteristics and the online environment in predicting course performance and subsequent college persistence among students in a large urban U.S. university system. Multilevel modeling, propensity score matching, and the KHB decomposition method were used. The most consistent pattern observed…

Being actively engaged in a task is often associated with critical thinking. Cultivating critical thinking skills, such as purposefully reflecting and analyzing one's own thinking, is a major goal of higher education. However, there is a challenge in providing college students opportunities to clearly demonstrate these skills in online courses.…