This research project surveyed college students about their experiences with online learning in the aftermath of the move to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). Specifically, students reported on strategies they appreciate in an online instructor. While students shared varied advice for best practices, their responses confirmed what previous studies…

Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning (FTSL) is an instructional strategy that provides an effective framework for (re)designing course learning experiences to achieve student-centered learning goals. Originally developed for in-person courses, little research exists around its application to effectively design distance learning (DL) courses.…

This systematic review examined research on moderators in asynchronous online discussions (AODs) through a review of 52 sources published over the past four decades. Areas of interest included conceptual frameworks cited in research, publication trends, instructional contexts, research methods and characteristics, and descriptions of the role of…

Over the last decade, the prevalence of online courses has continued to grow, and students in higher education are being offered increased access to technology and communication tools in online learning programs. This action research study analyzed the impact of two distinct types of online course instruction (100% asynchronous and weekly online…

Online learning has traditionally relied on asynchronous text-based communication. The COVID-19 pandemic, though, has provided many faculty members with new and/or additional experience using synchronous video-based communication. Questions remain, though, about how this experience will shape online teaching and learning in the future. We…

Student attitudes towards distance learning can affect both the acquisition of knowledge and the motivation to learn. This study explores student attitudes towards the following four topics: (1) technological and environmental impediments towards distance learning, (2) asynchronous versus synchronous course preferences, (3) online versus in-person…

This study reviewed evolving research trends in online, distance, and blended learning over the past ten years through co-citation analysis. Related peer-reviewed research articles in the Web of Science were obtained and the references in the articles were analyzed. The result showed that literature review and meta-analysis studies on distance…

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…

Asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools, such as asynchronous online discussions (AODs), are widely used in higher education. The organization of AODs is of pedagogical importance, particularly for online-only classes, as these discussions are one of the major opportunities for participants to develop understanding of course…

Student engagement increases student satisfaction, enhances student motivation to learn, reduces the sense of isolation, and improves student performance in online courses. This survey-based research study examines student perception on various engagement strategies used in online courses based on Moore's interaction framework. One hundred and…

This study examined graduate students' desired and experienced levels of connectivity in an online, asynchronous distance degree program. Connectivity was conceptualized as the students' feelings of community and involvement, not their level of access to the Internet. Graduate students enrolled in a distance degree program were surveyed on both…