Teachers are generally focused on optimizing the teaching-learning process and fostering high levels of student engagement, participation, and motivation. To address this challenge, this work presents a gamification experience implemented to teach content related to family involvement and educational programs in two courses--one at master's degree…

Despite the growing body of studies on gamification, there is a paucity of research investigating the specific emotional outcomes of gamified experiences. Most gamification studies have focused primarily on positive emotions such as enjoyment. In addition, most gamification studies in educational contexts have been conducted with undergraduate…

Although collaborative-learning as an instructional method has shown promising results since the 1970's, a number of significant problems within collaborative learning environments have been encountered. These problems relate to aspects of group dynamics including group cohesion, participation, communication, collaboration, and trust. Although the…

In this study the authors conducted an empirical, bibliometric analysis of current literature in learning analytics. The authors performed a citation network analysis and found three dominant clusters of research. A qualitative thematic review of publications in these clusters revealed distinct context, goals, and topics. The largest cluster…

Though it is well-accepted that Task-Technology Fit theory is a useful framework for examining university student success in online courses, the effectiveness of the theory has rarely been studied with graduate-level students or with a sample representing more than a few universities or programs. The current study investigated learners' perceived…

This study examined the potential of utilizing the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the Online Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (OSLQ) as instruments in predicting academic success as measured by overall grade point average (GPA). These instruments were of particular interest because the MSLQ was designed to measure…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate whether blended learning increased student achievement in middle schools at a public charter school system. Qualitative data was gathered through classroom observations (N=8), teacher interviews (N=8), and student focus groups (N=6). Quantitative analysis involved a…

Instructor social presence involves instructors establishing their presence as "being there" in terms of frequency of communication and interaction with students as well as supporting students throughout the learning process (Lowenthal 2015). Instructor social presence can be constructed and maintained through the design and facilitation…

This study investigated the effects of precommitment on college students' goal setting and academic performance, and students' attitude towards precommitment-related activities. Precommitment refers to a procedure in which students set up learning goals, possibly with a time limit at the beginning of a learning phase, then report the comparison…

This study examines the impact on student performance after interactive and non-interactive tutorials using a 2?×?2 treatment-control design. In an undergraduate management course, a control group watched a video tutorial while the treatment group received the same content using a dynamic tutorial. Both groups received the same quiz questions.…

Despite the relatively large number of students enrolled in Ohio's virtual schools, it is unclear how virtual schools compare to their traditional school counterparts on measures of student achievement. To provide some insight, we compared the school performance from 2007-2011 at Ohio's virtual and traditional schools. The results suggest that…

Inventor Thomas Edison once famously declared, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." If that's the case, then the students the author witnessed at the International Student Media Festival (ISMF) last November in Orlando, Florida, are geniuses and more. The students in the ISMF pre-conference workshop…

Cyber charter schools (CCS) and cyber schools may soon become the most "disruptive innovation" in the education system (Christensen, Horn & Johnson, 2008) so the author urges educational technologists to take up the imperative to develop new administration knowledge among the students along with educational technology skills to support future…

Knowledge about technology is an expectation for classroom teachers in today's schools. Technology is fundamental to the teaching process, supporting student learning and improving instruction. Instructors of pre-service teachers should not only promote the use of technology but also provide future teachers with effective models of instruction.…

To provide highly qualified teachers and continue the development of their classroom practices, first-rate professional development is needed. E-learning modules were created to provide quality professional development to in-service teachers, enhance instruction without time constraints, and offer a common knowledge base of instructional…