Millions of students experienced increased levels of stress and worries about their college pursuits as they were forced to abrupt pivot to online and hybrid learning due to the global pandemic. Drawing from the theory of human needs, this study examined the extent to which COVID-19 influenced the relationship between financial well-being, needs…

The COVID-19 virus pandemic limits the movement of activities and learning is carried out online, followed by blended. After returning to normal offline. The research objectives are i) to analyze satisfaction, interest in learning and academic performance with online, blended and offline learning and ii) to differentiate between study programs in…

This article provides evidence of critical factors of student retention in Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs). The study used multiple sources: tracked retention data (n=43,000), survey data in correlation with tracking data (n=400), and qualitative data (174 informants) from a survey (Friðriksdóttir, 2018, 2021a, 2021b). The data came…

As higher education has made the transition from elite to mass enrolments, the student body has become more diverse and online and blended learning have become more common. This study aimed to examine the impacts on attrition of admitting a more diverse student body with the shift towards online and blended learning. A hypothesised path model of…

Flexibility is typical of open universities and their e-learning designs. While this constitutes their main attraction, promising learners will be able to study "anytime, anyplace," this also demands more self-regulation and engagement, a cause for student dropout. This case study explores professors' experiences of flexibility in…

Productive "Third Spaces" are often an afterthought when designing learning environments, both in a physical sense and online. These areas, properly mediated by technology and designed around humans, can often be a key facilitator for student success. The STAC Model is designed to provide a framework for understanding what makes these…

The purpose of this study was to identify the potential factors that could predict college students' success in a large-size undergraduate hybrid learning course. Predictive values of students' demographic and academic background variables were examined to establish standardized models of contribution toward final grades. Next, patterns of student…

Blended learning, which combines online and face-to-face pedagogy, is a fast-growing mode of instruction as universities strive for equitable and alternative pathways to course enrollment, retention, and educational attainment. However, challenges to successfully implementing blended instruction are that "social presence," or students'…

This review-specific protocol guides the review of research that informs the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide "Using Technology to Support Postsecondary Student Learning." The review-specific protocol is used in conjunction with the "WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook (version 3.0)." This practice guide is…

Online learning continues to grow at post-secondary institutions across the United States, but many question its efficacy, especially for students most at-risk for failure. This paper engages that issue. It examines recent research on the success of community college students who take online classes and explores similar comparisons using 656,258…

The demand for online courses and programs continues to rise as more learners are looking for flexible learning options to meet their needs. Despite declining levels seen in overall enrollment, distance education enrollments are steadily growing (Seaman, Allen, & Seaman, 2018). Along with this demand and increase, however, comes a concern of…

The purpose of the paper is to examine whether the sub-constructs of self-determination, that is, learners' perceived level of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, predict learning flow, persistence, and achievement in a blended learning context. Participants are 102 adult learners who voluntarily registered for a Chinese language learning…

Communications technologies have been continuously integrated into learning and training environments which has revealed the need for a clear understanding of the process. The Community of Inquiry (COI) Theoretical Framework has a philosophical foundation which provides planned guidelines and principles to development useful learning environments…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Moving from Technology Optional to Technology Essential: Alliance President Testifies Before Michigan Senate…

With students spread across 47 states and a dozen countries, the University of Illinois at Springfield faces a significant challenge in promoting student persistence. The expansion of higher education into online venues faces many of the same issues with student success and retention as encountered on campus. While many colleges and universities…