The present study investigated the experiences of educators who taught in the virtual world Second Life®. Second Life has shown promise in the field of higher education but identified gaps exist: the identification of a set of best practices, a foundational theory, and educators' experiences using Second Life in higher education. Using a single…

Guided by both the interactionist and sociocultural learning theories, this study investigates the interactive communications in text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) and face-to-face (FTF) oral communication environments and the impacts they bring to subsequent L2 Chinese speaking. Learners' perspectives on using…

This study examined various online communication platforms and explored their potential to enhance the online learning experience for college students. As the landscape of education continues to evolve towards digital platforms, understanding the effective utilization of online communication tools becomes increasingly crucial. This study analyzed…

Having discussions and working together in groups with other learners is the indicator of the collaboration aspect of engagement. Collaborative engagement can be fostered through active learning approaches, since they provide more opportunities for interaction among learners. In Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) classrooms, small…

School counselors are challenged to identify, address, and eliminate unwanted behaviors to ensure a safe environment for students to learn and grow. Cyberbullying is an unwanted behavior that is considered a growing phenomenon among middle school students causing negative outcomes on youths' mental health, academic performance, and…

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) presents postsecondary educators with a conundrum: how to design and support small-group activities without stifling deep and meaningful learning. The literature indicates that students are not consistently practicing higher-order cognitive activities, educators are not reliably designing or…

Nontraditional college students comprise a growing majority of college students with a unique set of needs and some of the highest attrition rates. Collaborative learning practices, such as peer review of writing, have been linked to improvement in students' academic, social, and professional skills necessary in the 21st century, global market.…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how elementary teachers, who use flipped teaching, describe low-achieving math students' engagement in central North Carolina. Two data sources, with 12 individual interviews and three member- checking focus groups, were conducted. The collaborative learning skills taxonomy of…

The problem was the lack of SEL and social presence practices in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused student engagement to decline. The purpose was to explore educator perceptions of how SEL social presence practices affect student engagement during the transition from traditional learning. Grounded in social constructivism…

This dissertation examines the interaction patterns that happen in an online learning environment. While many studies look at online learning through the lens of the learner or the learning environment, few studies look at the interaction patterns that happen through the digital traces captured by computational tools. Based on the conceptual…

The goal of learning analytics is to optimize learning and the environments in which it occurs. Since 2011, when learning analytics was defined as a separate and distinct area of academic inquiry, the literature has identified a need for research that presents evidence of effective learning analytics, as well as, learning analytics research that…

The outbreak of COVID-19 forced the world population to find new ways to improve their productivity. It also significantly changed the course of education and instruction entirely. Like many students worldwide, adult English as a Second Language (ESL) students have been dramatically impacted by the sudden switch to online courses due to the…

This modified e-Delphi study sought to gain consensus from a group of K-12 educational professionals on the intersection between essential components of connectivism, the next-generation digital learning environment, and the substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition model. Twelve participants, each having a minimum of five years…

This case study explored the ways that aspects of a high school blended learning program (pseudonym: BL High) encourage or discourage personalization. For K-12 learners a major concern exists in the increasingly rigid dominion of the programmatic over the personal, which leaves many students disengaged and disconnected. Having expanded the ways in…

This mixed methods study aimed to explore the effects that parental involvement and student online learner efficacy have on student achievement and perceptions of parents and exceptional education students in the traditional and virtual education settings. The study participants included parents and exceptional education students in grades K-12th…