This research investigates how children located in separate homes use the psychological function of imagination to engage in sociodramatic play using networked digital technologies. Specifically, it examines how 7- to 8-year-old children create imaginary play situations in the same "Minecraft: Education Edition" digitally-mediated…

This study is based on the hypothesis that group cohesion and efficacy have significant effects on the academic performance of individuals in online (virtual) education environments no less than in-person education environments. To that end, this study explores the effectiveness of group activities in a virtual classroom environment using VC…

This paper examines the invisible barrier that can challenge teachers when teaching online, called the fourth wall. Using a presence framework derived from the literature, we explored how experienced teachers manage the absence of visual cues and identify the pedagogical practices they adopted as a response. Data from semi-structured interviews…

The move to digital, and now hybrid, education has defamiliarised teaching practices and unsettled experiences of what it means to be and to engage at university. In this article, I examine what new questions evolving teaching and learning practices provoke with regards rethinking notions of the body, and concepts of presence and absence.…

This paper studies the circulation of learner emotions during a tertiary chitchatting e-tandem called "Bab(b)elade." In this online collaborative language learning project, students of French and Dutch develop each other's foreign language competence in an informal setting, away from 'classic' academic requirements. Using questionnaire…

Abrupt switches to online learning without face-to-face contact between facilitators and students can cause distress and have a negative impact on student success. As students use instant messaging applications (IMAs) to communicate with one another, we have integrated WhatsApp-based mobile learning environments (MLEs) in two disparate higher…

Collaborative learning can be a worthwhile and valuable part of a student's online course experience, and interpersonal exchanges among members of an online course community often rely on greater intentionality within the design of the learning experience. We present a synergistic framework for strategic design of collaborative learning in the…

This paper is based on work carried out during the first six months of 2021, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and a time by which the practices of online learning and teaching had become familiarised and -- to some extent -- even standardised in our institution, as in most others. We are chiefly concerned here with the online teaching space as a…

This research study delves into the multifaceted realm of social presence in online education, encompassing the existence and manifestation of social presence indicators in students' engagement with discussion boards within asynchronous online courses. Social presence manifests when individuals perceive themselves to be simultaneously present with…

Online learning and examinations have become inevitable post-pandemic and a new normal has been seen globally. Virtual learning (VL) is a relatively new model that has grown pervasively in our academic life. The paradigm shift (face-to-face to virtual learning) is inevitable as VLEs like Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, and…

The purpose of this study was to contextualize how the communication modes I used, and my presence shape the experiences of students within a single online course. I conducted a qualitative case study in which I collected data from three sources: in-depth qualitative interviews with nine former students of the online course GBA 300, fifteen…

This mixed methods study aimed to explore the effects that parental involvement and student online learner efficacy have on student achievement and perceptions of parents and exceptional education students in the traditional and virtual education settings. The study participants included parents and exceptional education students in grades K-12th…

The sudden emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19 is a reminder of our frailty, where the magnitude of the impact facing the world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has become increasingly apparent. One way that we have effectively responded to this emergency educationally, has to become innovative in our relationship with technology. The value…

Research has shown that online interaction and technology, which has been used to facilitate interaction, affect the success of online learning (Downing, 2012; Harper, 2018; Keengwe et al., 2013; Moore, 1989; Saadatmand et al., 2017). This dissertation aimed to address how a group of exemplary instructors effectively implement technology to…

With an increase in Synchronous online learning, there is a shift in how current teaching practices are impacted and what is important to students and student learning. Synchronous teaching is not taking face-to-face strategies online, instead, it requires intentional design and thoughtful planning. To that end, this paper discusses pedagogical…