This study explores the affective aspects -- willingness to communicate (WTC) and International Posture (IP) -- and speaking skills after using technological tools. Online synchronous meeting tool, Zoom, and the asynchronous tool, Padlet, were used as online learning platforms. Data were collected using an 8-item questionnaire on the WTC and a…

Despite the wide use of discussion in online courses, the quality of these exchanges varies. In this article, the authors draw on the community of inquiry (CoI) model to inform the design of what we call "first responder/connector" (FR/C) discussions, which are student-led asynchronous online discussions. The authors propose and describe…

When I first visited the Principles of Learning (Pol) course wiki, I sensed the breadth and depth of the existing posts. The proceeding page has been intentionally left blank. It represents the feeling of dilemma when creating my first, new post. This paper will report on my contributions to the Principles of Learning (PoL) course wiki as a form…

This quantitative, correlational study used learning analytics to examine correlations between predictor variables (student-content, student-instructor, and student-system interactions) and criterion variable (student-student interactions) and to determine if the four predictor variables were significant predictors of grades in graduate students…

This research tested the use of concept map planning to support the development of creativity in photo stories, hypothesizing that skills taught to support organization would improve creativity. Concept maps are a type of graphic organizer, used to represent an ordering of ideas with nodes and linking words that form propositional statements. They…

In an online context, without facial, verbal or gestural cues, establishing identities through naming social positions appeared essential to effective written communication for graduate pre-service teacher candidates enrolled in a course on literacy education for elementary students. As they engaged in small group asynchronous discussions about…

As school-based action research has taken a higher profile in UK schools, the place of ethics warrants particular attention. This paper draws on evidence from a taught online Master of Education course collated via chat room discussion where 53 researching teachers were asked to explore policy within their own institution regarding school-based…

This study investigated the use of microblogs to enhance content learning and to foster community between participants in a weekly multidisciplinary graduate seminar on teaching and pedagogy. Data included students' and instructor's Twitter posts, an initial reaction paper, and an end-of-semester survey to determine if and how students' attitudes…

An instructor tried using connectivism to teach an online graduate Education course called Teaching in a Virtual World. As a way to embody the many connections inherent in the group, all members of the class created and taught modules of their own choosing to each other. The instructor and two former students reflected together online in depth…

Non-participation and poor quality participation in online environments is often discussed in the literature. Interaction and engagement in online discussions are critical for understanding and constructing new knowledge. In this case study, we examined messages posted by graduate students in four online debates for quantity and quality. The…

Our purpose was to illustrate the process by which caring relationships between students and their teacher educator developed in the context of preservice reading preparation that made use of online communication as one class activity. Describing the development of caring relationships between three students and their teacher, we showed that…

The objective of this self-study is to expand the emerging scholarship on meaningful integration and scaffolding of SNSs and the new literacies requisite for their effective use in higher education environments. As a teacher educator, the first author describes the successes and challenges she experienced introducing Twitter into her college…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a very difficult, yet all important and ongoing research question--how do we best use online collaborative learning modalities (CLM) to supplement conversations in multicultural education courses? Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study examined emergent themes in asynchronous…

Monitoring one's own performance accurately is essential for information-processing and self-regulation, which are indispensable in an online learning environment. In this article, the effect of metacognitive monitoring (MM) on interaction in an asynchronous online discussion forum was investigated. Transcripts of this forum, which was integrated…

This study investigated the effect of time on the development of a community of inquiry by examining an online course offered over two different time periods. The study was guided by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, "The Internet and Higher Education" 2000; 2(2-3): 87-105). The focus was on a graduate level…