The purpose of this research was to study how teachers perceive teaching presence, what strategies they employ to create it, and the challenges they face in doing so. This was a qualitative research study with purposeful snowball sampling and semi-structured interviewing technique for data collection. The data were thematically analyzed and…

Project-based learning is a key methodology for the 21st century classroom. The teaching pedagogy is grounded in collaborative learning for students and collaborative teaching practices for educators. When social media and digital technologies are used as aids in the project-based learning approach, it adds a new dimension of learning for students…

With increased improvements to technology for online teaching, synchronous instruction continues to grow. Increasing student interaction has been an important component to enhance a sense of community in online learning and improve student satisfaction. There is a paucity of research on how to effectively manage online interaction and increase…

Purpose: This report explores the notion of signature pedagogies within the field of e-learning for higher education. Methodology: We build on previous work that examined signature pedagogies in education, linking the concepts of signature pedagogies, the profession of education and e-learning as a means to help educators develop their practice…

Instructional designers need to be able to assess the level of knowledge construction generated by participants of a virtual learning community (VLC). Such participants include the learners engaged in threaded discussions within online courses. Assessing the level of knowledge construction enables course revisions that scaffold such knowledge…

This paper reports on a design study conducted within the Egyptian context of pre-service EFL teacher education, which implemented a Community of Practice (CoP) design facilitated by Facebook, to integrate some new forms of online writing. Based on some preliminary empirical results triangulated with literature review, a preliminary design…

Moodle and Blackboard are two of the most famous and widely-known Learning Management Systems (LMS) over the world especially in the universities and other educational organizations. They have lots in common, but also have some key differences which make each one special in its own way. We note these differences below. If you have used any one of…

Language learning, especially second language learning requires systematic practice and repetition. Students are introduced with the new words in class sessions and they practice them via traditional methods such as continuously writing the direct meaning of the word or using flash cards. Computers have the potential to bring more attractive and…

This study examined the International Education and Resource Network Science Technology and Math (iEARN-STM) online professional development course. The study used the constructivist framework as the conceptual model to examine the way in which the constructivist theory has shaped the design and implementation of the course, as reflected by the…

The popularity and rise in online courses have somewhat taken the author by surprise. Starting as a college instructor three years ago, the author has witnessed the tremendous interest in online programming. In fact, it is the fastest growing enrollment at the kindergarten-12th grade and higher educational levels. At the university level,…

Blended learning can facilitate many opportunities about usage of online discussion for different purposes. As a tool in blended learning, online discussions widen the walls of classroom discussions in a virtual manner. Especially, in teacher education programs case based discussions are very helpful for pre-service teachers to practice real-life…

This paper examines the differences that exist between the traditional face-to-face classroom and the online courseroom. Instructors should begin by identifying the epistemological foundation for the course conversion process. During the instructional design phase, courses can be developed from a team approach or by the instructor alone. Issues of…

This study explored rural middle-school students' participation in an online summer reading course. The research question explored the patterns and practices of the student's participation in an online reading course and the instructional moves made by the teacher. Data were gathered from a small group (n = 4) of rural middle school students…

In this paper we focus our attention on the use of social software as educational enablers for use in formal online education contexts. To this end we study the hypothesis that users have to acquire a set of important Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) skills. Such PKM skills are presented in the paper. They are also examined in relation to…

In the education world, it is widely accepted that language learning is one of the pioneering disciplines in the application and use of the information and communication technologies, initially preceded by the widespread use of audiovisual resources which, finally integrated in the digital space, bring about the use of multimedia. Additionally,…