Social presence is one key factor for successful learning in socio-constructivist learning environments, such as in online-courses based on the Community of Inquiry Framework. Teachers need easily interpretable and pedagogically relevant information to monitor social presence and to intervene if needed while a course is running. Social network…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, education systems policymakers realized the importance of being able to communicate using technology and to fulfill their academic obligations. As a consequence, a different approach to education followed: blended learning. A literature review revealed a lack of psychometric tools related to blended teaching readiness…

Instructor participation plays a crucial role in asynchronous online discussions, as the approach taken can potentially impact student performance. This study compared two instructor participation approaches: replying to student posts on public discussion boards and commenting on student posts on private grade pages. It examined the impact on both…

Within the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, cognitive presence has been central to success in higher education settings. This systematic review examined 24 articles published between 2008- 2020 that empirically analyzed cognitive presence in online courses. We share the patterns that emerged regarding the interplay between teaching and…

Online collaborative learning (OCL) based on the community of inquiry (CoI) framework is often implemented in the form of an online discussion activity for teaching subjects that require learners to revise their understandings and invent ways to solve problems. However, implementing OCL is challenging due to the difficulty of fostering…

In this article, we focus on the cognitive presence element of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. Cognitive presence consists of four categories: Triggering Event, Exploration, Integration, and Resolution. These categories have been described as phases following an idealized logical sequence, although the phases should not be seen as…

The idea of social capital as the value obtainable from an individual's social relationships has been used to study many organizational and social settings, but rarely virtual environments. We used data from an online higher education institution to examine how an individual's social capital derived from her position in the social structure…

Online education has grown and continues to expand, driven by innovative information and communication technologies that facilitate effective interactions both within and outside the online classroom. Post-traditional students with diverse and complex identities face unique challenges in establishing connections within online learning environments…

This systematic review examined research on moderators in asynchronous online discussions (AODs) through a review of 52 sources published over the past four decades. Areas of interest included conceptual frameworks cited in research, publication trends, instructional contexts, research methods and characteristics, and descriptions of the role of…

This study involved the creation and validation of a self-rated social presence measure. Study 1 utilized focus groups to create items. The focus group participants were presented with a set of items based upon past literature; through discussion of these items, a preliminary measure was created. Study 2 involved an exploratory factor analysis on…

Without a strategy in place, online discussions in asynchronous courses rarely rise above the level of information sharing. As a result, it is important to design discussion strategies that push students further in their interactions with both the content and each other. In this case study, the role-play strategy was examined to determine whether…

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that being able to learn online is now a crucial life skill and cannot be left to chance. Pedagogical interventions are critical to support students in building their digital skills and confidence, given identified links between online learning readiness and academic success. Based on this premise, the purpose…

Over the last decade, the prevalence of online courses has continued to grow, and students in higher education are being offered increased access to technology and communication tools in online learning programs. This action research study analyzed the impact of two distinct types of online course instruction (100% asynchronous and weekly online…

We compared discussion posts from a data science ethics MOOC that was hosted on two platforms. We characterized one platform as "open" because learners can respond to discussion prompts while viewing and responding to others. We characterized the other platform as "locked" because learners must respond to a discussion prompt…

This scoping review summarizes studies on passive participation in collaborative online learning activities that used computer-mediated communication tools in school settings. A total of 42 articles spanning about 20 years were explored. ERIC and three main journal indexes from Web of Science were used to locate articles. For each year searched,…