E-learning has the potential to attract learners into the learning environment with its abundance benefits. However, learners tend to discontinue the use of e-learning as they lose intention if they are not satisfied. In regard to this, this study explored the sense of belonging and grit in the e-learning portal environment. A total of 441…

Millions of students experienced increased levels of stress and worries about their college pursuits as they were forced to abrupt pivot to online and hybrid learning due to the global pandemic. Drawing from the theory of human needs, this study examined the extent to which COVID-19 influenced the relationship between financial well-being, needs…

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a virtual mentored research program, the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP), affects sense of belonging among underserved students in science fields. Examining the effects of virtual research programs can contribute to the body of research on ways to instill sense of belonging…

As nontraditional student numbers are rising, it is critical to the students' and to colleges' success to determine what works for the nontraditional student. By using a mixed methods research design to study Tinto's Integration Theory, the researcher collected and analyzed data to determine whether there are relationships between classrooms'…

Although the grit narrative--the idea that individual success is as much a product of passion and perseverance as it is a result of intelligence and talent--has captured the public's imagination, much of the empirical literature has focused almost exclusively on traditional-age college students attending more selective residential universities.…

In the past few years online learning has grown to a point where it was estimated that by 2020, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, five million people would have completed their education online. Going to school outside of a traditional classroom could be more convenient for many learners but may present a barrier to concepts of socialization and…

Purpose: Racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and careers. Peer mentoring is one strategy that can support their participation. This study explores the experiences of Black women peer mentors in an online peer mentoring program at two…

In this article, we, as 3 faculty members in the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program at the Community College of Baltimore County, reflect on our experiences of transforming online and remote classrooms into a community during the pandemic and examine the literature that underscores how classroom community and belonging contribute to…

This paper examines the learning experiences using student reflections. Data collection was carried out by prompting undergraduate students to reflect on their worst and best experiences, accomplishments, and what they learned through online collaborative activities. The theoretical framework used to explore these experiences was the Community of…

All incoming students have a first experience with their institution. This article reviews literature on adult education, online learning, and first-year student success to articulate the scope of experiences and programs that ought to be included in institutional efforts aimed at helping adult students be successful in their first year of online…

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. From that moment, leaders of institutions of higher education have had to make quick decisions about how to provide high-quality educational experiences for their students while protecting the health of their students, faculty, and staff and maintaining the…

Student persistence is a common concern for online educators. Previous research has shown that student persistence rates are effected by instructor presence, creating a sense of community in the classroom, and varying classroom activities for students (Croxton, 014). Based on the authors' experiences, there are three strategies for increasing…

As higher educational learning enters a new age, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are seeking innovative ways to establish strategies to compete with other academic institutions. As establishments that have played a pivotal role in transforming the landscape of higher education, HBCUs are facing rapid transformation and various…

This paper discusses the intentions and outcomes of a service-learning course in LIS. Interviews with students who had recently completed the course provided insight into how the course had changed their perspective on their community. The interviews sought students' perspectives on their own empathetic development, sense of community, and…

Aim/Purpose: This systematic literature review investigates the underlying factors that influence the gap between the popularity of online learning and its completion rate. The review scope within this paper includes an observation of possible causal aspects within the non-ideal completion rates in online learning environments and an…