Social annotation plays a crucial role in nurturing and sustaining a collaborative reading community, offering the potential to enhance students' motivation and performance within socially supportive learning environments. Nonetheless, research on the dynamic changes in student engagement in social annotation remains limited. This study aims to…

The purpose of the study was to examine (a) students' social annotation behaviors and engagement change in an undergraduate course throughout the semester, and (b) which social annotation behaviors impact active engagement time. A total of 91 university students' social annotation behaviors, as well as their active engagement time in readings,…

Although reflection has been characterised as a personal process, increased attention has been given to how the social context can enhance it. The present article examines how different levels of collaborative reflection influence learning processes and outcomes in higher education. We used a triangulation of quantitative and qualitative research…

The present study applied a multiple-case study design to investigate Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) students' responses to computer-mediated coded feedback and the factors that influence students' responses in an online multiple-draft Chinese writing context. Three intermediate-level students of Chinese completed four drafts for which they…

Electronic feedback given via word-processing software (e.g., track changes in Microsoft Word) allows for a simple way to provide feedback to students during the drafting process. Research has mostly focused on student attitudes toward electronic feedback, with little investigation of how feedback format might affect the quality of instructor…

University students increasingly desire that traditionally taught courses be made available online. While quality standards have been developed for the format and organization of online courses, professors often are left wondering what activities contribute to learning engagement for online students. To investigate this question, an online survey…

Teaching and composing with multimedia humanizes online technical writing and communication classes. However, students do not always see the connection between multimedia instructional materials, multimedia assignments, and the course learning outcomes. Purposeful pedagogy-driven course design uses multimedia instructional materials to connect…

This multiple case study provides a lens into the ways three prospective elementary school teachers (PSTs) engaged in online discussion blogs when exploring the geometric concepts of area and perimeter. The online discussion blog protocol utilized reform-based instruction consistent with social constructivism. Through collaborative discussion and…

Undergraduate and graduate education students completed a survey to examine their attitudes toward remote instruction during the coronavirus pandemic. At the conclusion of the Spring 2020 semester in which all courses transitioned from a face-to-face to an online format, students, N = 93, were asked to describe what worked well in their courses in…

This research examines whether online discussion groups enhance students' ability to analyze political problems and recall factual knowledge. The study compares four sections of the author's introductory world politics course--two that employed online discussion groups and two that did not. The results revealed little difference in the performance…

Blogging is an excellent way to implement students bringing their further insights to their classmates following an exciting class discussion, continuing an exchange of ideas and providing students with another tool to improve their writing skills. Student class blogging offers many benefits--for student and instructor alike--compared to assigning…

To investigate how college students understand and use cloud technology for collaborative writing, the authors studied two asynchronous online courses, on science communication and on technical communication. Students worked on a group assignment (3-4 per group) using Google Docs and individually reflected on their experience writing…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of virtual literature circles (VLCs) on Chinese university English as a foreign language (EFL) students' independent English reading. The importance of independent reading for EFL students to develop critical thinking, language proficiency, and good readership was extensively discussed and…

A growing body of research is examining the use of social media on college campuses. This study explores the use of one social media outlet, specifically Facebook's closed group feature, in two graduate courses. Findings show that using Facebook can promote student learning. Students used the groups for sharing ideas and support, asking questions,…

Computer-mediated collaborative writing has been increasingly implemented in L2 contexts due to wider awareness of affordances and benefits of Web 2.0 technologies. A systematic review of empirical studies over the recent decade is called forth in order to arouse broadened knowledge and provide new insights in this promising area. This study…