Previous research has suggested that bachelor's and master's students seem to experience challenges with thesis writing, and the need for support might be greater when studying at a distance. To further develop supportive practices for thesis writing, this study points to a need to acknowledge materialities and spaces as active and necessary…

During the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, instructors at a southeastern university had one week to convert their current face-to-face courses to an online format, under a time frame that did not allow for a "well-designed" online course. The current study investigates how some instructors were able to maintain social presence in…

Purpose: Teaching and learning online during the COVID-19 pandemic has forced university instructors to consider online alternatives to the classroom. It is possible to facilitate students' learning in the digital environment in similar ways to the traditional face-to-face classroom. The inclusion of e-guests in the digital learning space presents…

Expectations for online distance delivery of higher education courses and programmes are increasing globally, begging the question, 'Does modality matter?' Pedagogic research comparing online and face-to-face learningdemands more examination, particularly synchronous delivery. The purpose of this empirical study is to determine whether the quality…

This design-based research aims to improve the quality of graduate supervision using a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The Quality Graduate Supervision MOOC brings interdisciplinary faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and expert supervisors together in an online learning community to discuss and consider effective supervision practice, strategies…

This study investigated faculty members' perceptions of program community and what they do to support it in online graduate programs. Researchers developed and administered an online survey to ascertain perceptions of program community among education and engineering faculty members at United States, land-grant, research-extensive universities.…

Discussion forums are often a primary tool used for teaching and learning in asynchronous online courses. In this article, the author shares her experiences using discussion forums to promote learning, teacher presence, and community. In a retrospective microanalysis of discussion forums posts and interactions, the author identified five major…

As higher education institutions move to incorporate more online learning into their long-term strategies, it is important for instructors to become adept at facilitating discussions in ways that engage learners, promote critical thinking, and support the development of a learning community. Through the strategic application of effective…

In this article we describe our engagement in self-study as part of an examination of design-based research for education. We focus on graduate-level online teacher education as an example of how self-study provided a means of examining deeply our teaching and our roles as teacher and designer in the learning environment. We posit that online…

The researchers in this study examined the influence of questions designed with the Practical Inquiry Model (PIM), compared with the regular (playground) questions, on students' levels of cognitive presence in online discussions. Students' discussion postings were collected and categorized according to the four levels of cognitive presence:…

Higher education institutions are under increasing pressure to offer online postgraduate programmes. Although it is reasonably common to convert existing programmes to online or blended delivery modes, it is unusual to offer a programme simultaneously in online, on-campus, and blended delivery modes. This paper describes the authors' experiences…

This study empirically tests the relation between the instructional design elements and the overall meaningful interactions among online students. Eighteen online graduate nursing courses are analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analysis techniques. Findings suggest that the quantity of meaningful interaction among learners can be improved by…

Due to the recent increase in digital education technologies, online education classes have been experiencing a popularity increase among students worldwide. As classroom diversity continues to expand, instructors grapple with strategies to create caring and culturally responsive educational environments to increase student engagement irrespective…

This study examined predictive models for students' help seeking in the context of online collaborative groupwork. Results from multilevel analysis revealed that most of the variance in help seeking was at the individual student level, and multiple variables at the individual level were predictive of help-seeking behaviour. Help seeking was…

The use of on-line instruction at the university level is becoming increasingly prevalent. In one Arkansas university, computer assisted instruction occurs in the form of web-based assignments through on-line courses and degree programs. Students, who are aspiring to become educational leaders, engage in weekly web discussions and activities…