The work of instructional design in community college settings is woefully understudied. This study documents that work in three community colleges in the southeastern United States while placing it in the theoretical context of neoliberalism, and in line with that theoretical context, takes a post-structuralist stance in its methodological…

The purpose of this proposal was to examine how User Experience (UX) design principles can enhance traditional instructional design techniques in an online learning environment. Much of traditional instructional design methods come from a pre-internet era in an age in which online learning is growing exponentially (Troop et al., 2020).…

Due to the ever-increasing leveraging of technology in learning and human performance, multimedia e-learning continues to see rapid adoption as an instructional method for both business and formal education environments. Cognitive load theory (CLT) and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) provide prescriptive strategies to optimize…

Though the number of instructional design models has increased, the usefulness of an instructional design process (linear or iterative) when making design decisions for e-learning solutions remains uncertain. This basic qualitative study was used to explore the perspectives of corporate instructional designers who were mandated to move from a…

This capstone is an exploration of an online learning environment for teachers to receive professional learning at any time, anywhere. The focus of this capstone was to design a series of self-paced, asynchronous learning courses to help teachers implement one-to-one Chromebooks in the Fayette County Public School District. Additionally, the…

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to investigate the impact of instructional design elements on cognitive load for adult neurodiverse learners in online learning environments. For the utility of this study, cognitive load will be generally defined as the working memory and mental resources needed to perform a task. This study is…

Rapidly increasing demand for online graduate education in our globalized, post-pandemic, "flat" (Freidman 2007), digital age has coalesced globally dispersed and culturally diverse learners into virtual classrooms, amplifying a multiplicity of voices. Social learning theory (Bandura 1977) emphasizes that knowledge is constructed between…

Instructional design is commonly referred to as the systematic process of creating consistent and reliable learning experiences (Branch & Merrill, 2011). Built on a foundation of learning theory and instructional design theory, instructional design relies heavily on various process models to guide design practice (Stefaniak & Xu, 2020) and…

Massive open online courses provide virtually unlimited numbers of learners with access to instructors and course materials from high-status institutions. These courses are technologically intensive in ways that traditional online courses are not, which invites an examination of how the work to create these new forms may or may not work within…

Enrolling in an online program has become an increasingly popular choice for graduate students, as this format allows the flexibility to balance personal, academic, and professional commitments. However, this flexibility alone does not guarantee that an online program will contribute positively to students' lives. In this qualitative action…

The online learning environment demands the ability to self-regulate, set up learning goals, monitor progress, and self-reflect on the learning process. Self-regulated learning (SRL) is an approach to learning where students actively have control over their behaviors. This student-centered, iterative process demands learners exhibit certain…

The globally shared pandemic experience forced schools to shut their doors and required communities to examine their education systems. An important part of that examination is the evaluation of online learning education options. Online K-12 learning continues to grow, so examining how it can work better for students is important. This…

The goal of this qualitative study was to answer the question: How do educators make sense of learning in virtual reality? This study utilized multimedia learning theory and cognitive load theory to explore how educators understand virtual reality in education. Pre- and post-interviews as well as a VR experience were conducted with 13 educators…

This research assesses the extent to which asynchronous online STEM courses at a public university integrate Merrill's First Principles of Instruction. Through a quantitative content analysis of thirty unique online courses within the College of Arts and Sciences, the study investigates the extent, if any, to which these courses embody principles…

The rapid proliferation of online learning in higher education has accentuated the need for a deeper understanding of attentional distractions that affect learners. This study explored how doctoral students experience and manage attentional distractions in asynchronous online learning environments. Drawing on the Community of Inquiry framework,…