This article is drawn from a dissertation (Holt, 2020) that describes, based on the teaching presence component of the community of inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework, the lived experiences of mathematics instructors while establishing teaching presence in online higher education mathematics courses. Teaching presence is necessary for achieving…

In this article, the author shares her story of teaching in the U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. First, the initial plan to successfully provide online instruction and avoid anticipated barriers that may have occurred is shared. Next, student reactions intervention strategies and observations related to student performance during…

This study examines faculty perceptions of creating learning communities at a virtual university. Through online focus groups with 18 participants, 3 themes emerged: institutional-level community building as creating a learning culture; instructor-level community building as creating respectful interaction; and learner-level community building as…

This article describes a qualitative approach in understanding factors that are evident in effective online class communities. Instructors and students in the same class were asked about their perceptions regarding what constitutes an effective online experience. The analysis was done using both Herzberg's (1962, 1965) motivator-hygiene factors…

Instructors are continually looking for means to improve outcomes for students in online courses. This article examines the instructional design of courses to determine if consistent components implemented in a recently established online master's degree program can produce significant student outcomes. The authors detail the construction and…

This study compares the discussion participation and performance of 7 undergraduate students enrolled in an e-commerce programming course during the spring semester of 2010 to that of 13 students enrolled in the same course during fall of that year. In the former course, the instructor participated in the required discussion only at the very end…

Communication in the virtual environment can be challenging for participants because it lacks physical presence and nonverbal elements. Participants may have difficulties expressing their intentions and emotions in a primarily text-based course. Therefore, the use of visual communication elements such as pictographic and typographic marks can be…

Previous research has indicated that instructor immediacy is associated with learning outcomes, satisfaction, and motivation. However, few researchers have examined instructor immediacy in the context of online learning. This study is the first large experiment (n = 433) to empirically investigate the effects of instructor immediacy behaviors…

This report presents a cross case analysis involving faculty teaching online from off-site international and interstate locations. The study yielded enabling factors, benefits, communication systems, and challenges in the areas of administration, curriculum, communications, and faculty characteristics. The benefits included the opportunity to be…

Online instruction, courses, and degree programs are rising in popularity in higher education and corporations. Novice and experienced instructors face increased demands from administrators and students to teach online, in a higher education environment long noted for face-to-face, residence-based instruction. Viewing the shift from face-to-face…

This study used an extensive online course evaluation inventory to analyze the subjects' perceptions of course effectiveness in the following subscales: flexibility, user interface, navigation, getting started, technical assistance, course management, universal design, communications, instructional design, and content. Survey results compared…

With online education continuing its meteoric rise, some educators continue to debate the efficacy of the medium--in particular, the ability to discuss complex subjects online. However, the online asynchronous discussion environment seems to offer some advantages over the traditional classroom including increased time for students to research and…

There are many factors that affect the e-learning process. Instructor, assessment and evaluation, communication, and technical support are among the leading factors. It is obvious that these factors influence the effectiveness of e-learning and may be related to different expectations of e-learners. Therefore, this study focuses on examining the…

With the increasing number of online courses within many higher education institutions, experienced instructors are facing the possibility of teaching online. These faculty members may face the task of converting their well-established face-to-face teaching strategies into an online environment. To better understand this transition, we analyzed…

A difficulty for faculty new to teaching at a distance is being able to visualize the scope of needed skills and tasks that will be required of them. The purpose of this project was to provide an empirically-based, self-administered skill enhancement guide for new distance education faculty teaching via interactive satellite broadcast. A modified…