This practical guide to multimedia in online college instruction provides easy-to-follow instructions for designing multimedia assignments that maximize student learning while reducing cognitive load. This book presents the learning process as a complex, multidimensional experience that includes texts as well as auditory and visual elements. Each…

"Engaging Learners through Zoom" delivers numerous practical strategies and helpful advice on how to engage students virtually. Many of the tools are also applicable in face-to-face and hybrid environments. Backed by cognitive neuroscience research, this book is a collection of dozens of active, synchronous online learning structures…

This research study investigated the perspectives of urban K-12 educators regarding the challenges they confronted when endeavoring to implement online learning effectively. The quantitative investigation involved 204 full-time urban teachers in a Midwestern state, all completing a researcher-developed questionnaire. The findings illustrated that…

This book describes the history, structure and institutions of open and distance education in six countries: China, India, Russia, Turkey, South Africa and South Korea. It describes how open and distance education is evolving in a digital age to reflect the needs and circumstances of the national higher education systems in these countries. It…

The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed instructors, academicians, and administrators working at institutions of higher education to re-evaluate and re-envision teaching and learning processes. While literature surrounding issues associated with transition to online learning and students' satisfaction with online courses has started to emerge, there is…

Education has undergone numerous radical changes as the digital era has transformed the way we as humans communicate, inform ourselves, purchase goods, and perform other mundane chores at home and at work. Social media is one of those phenomena that has affected not only society at large but has heavily influenced educational processes around the…

Digital learning is defined as "any instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student's learning experience and encompasses a wide spectrum of tools and practices." This "School Leader Digital Learning Guide" is a resource to help school leaders consider, plan, fund, implement, maintain, and adapt…

While content and pedagogical knowledge are the foundation of quality instruction, there are a number of administrative, policy, and operational factors that influence instructional behaviors. Understanding the influence (positive or negative) of operational functions on teaching and learning can help inform policies, procedures, and support to…

Online teaching and learning can be more engaging and effective for students and teachers alike if districts take into account several key considerations when formatting their digital plans and processes. Combining and building on ideas from change management, improvement science, and inside-out systems development, Dr. Kris Rouleau from McREL's…

Higher learning has seen an increase in web-based distance education programs, which coincides with advancements made in educational technologies. As these programs are on the rise, it becomes increasingly more important to ensure that instructional designers are prepared to accommodate the needs of these academic institutions. Developing a…

Institutions of higher learning are providing access to free and low-cost open resources to support students with prior college-level learning during every step of their educational journey. This unconventional approach to education removes traditional barriers to college credit by placing learners in an open environment, which encourages…

The current climate in education environments necessitates the collaboration on and sharing of research done by teacher educators and professional developers. In an era of high-stakes assessment driven by international tests, professionals are looking for research-based or evidence-based initiatives and approaches to enhance teacher learning,…

School closures in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic resulted in an immediate and universal pivot to online teaching. More than 3.7 million teachers in the U.S. were suddenly asked to teach in an entirely new setting with little preparation and no advance notice. This has caused an unprecedented threat to children's education, giving…

In the first chaotic days of the crisis, schools across the United States organized to assemble and distribute instructional materials and to make a rapid transformation from school-based to home-based learning. the impact of this crisis on all students is significant. As districts resume instruction in the upcoming school year, they will not only…

Online modes of teacher professional development (PD) have gained prominence in recent years for their potential to transform and expand access to high-quality resources and experiences that positively impact teachers' knowledge, beliefs, instructional practices, and ultimately, student learning. However, with the increasing demand for and…