The current study delved into the problematic achievement gap between African-American graduates students and other groups, specifically in the online learning environment. African-American graduate students' lower achievement is problematic due to its lost opportunity costs and social subjugation of an entire group of Americans. The study's…

This study explored and analyzed student perceptions of feedback for deeper learning in an online graduate program at a regionally accredited institution in the southeastern United States. Forty-one graduate students participated in an online survey to examine students' preferences for feedback, the most helpful types of feedback, and if feedback…

Online courses are particularly attractive in continuing education because they offer a high degree of autonomy and flexibility, although this requires learners to take greater responsibility for self-regulating their learning. That can be challenging for adult learners as they need to handle other obligations in addition to learning. Thus,…

This study investigates the relationship between students' self-efficacy beliefs, goal-setting, and learning tactics in an online business course. Using sequence analysis and process mining techniques, we analyzed log data from 209 students to identify distinct learning tactics and their association with self-efficacy beliefs, inferred from…

Higher education institutions are increasingly looking to implement online and distance learning (ODL) options for students. Professional development for the design of ODL is needed to support these strategies. This study explores how, in what ways, and to what extent, design for ODL approaches from a series of Learning Design & Course…

In an online learning environment, both instruction and assessments take place virtually where students are primarily responsible for managing their own learning. This requires a high level of self-regulation from students. Many online students, however, lack self-regulation skills and are ill-prepared for autonomous learning, which can cause…

The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of Learning Goal Orientation (LGO) on Self-Readiness for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (SR-CSCL) and Self-Directed Learning (SDL). LGO is a central concept of motivation, but there is little research on its contribution to SDL and SR-CSCL. This study was performed at the Faculty of…

Background: Goal setting has been established in the literature as a critical component of self-regulated learning and for effective problem-solving. Yet, surprisingly little attention has been focused on goal-directed behaviour in digital game-based learning environments (GBLEs) despite their expanding use in educational contexts. Objectives: The…

This dissertation investigates an overarching research question: how can recognition-type incentives, such as gamification and peer gifting, motivate users' knowledge seeking and contributions in e-learning and online Q&A (question and answer) communities? To address this question, I conducted three studies. In Chapter 2, I examine how social…

In higher education, motivational factors are considered one of "the strongest predictors of academic performance" (Honike et al., 2020, p. 1). A meta-analysis of face-to-face (f2f) courses (Richardson et al., 2012) supports these claims, finding a strong correlation between performance self-efficacy and academic performance (r = 0.59),…

The study of online higher education learning and academic achievement has increasingly emphasized self-regulated learning (SRL). Few studies so far have investigated the blockchain-based learning management system (LMS) and adaptive SRL intervention in online higher education. This paper aimed to develop a blockchain-enabled LMS as a…

Purpose: This research aims to explore digital feedback needs/preferences in online education during lockdown and the implications for post-pandemic education. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study approach was used to explore feedback needs and experiences from educational institutions in the Netherlands and Germany (N = 247) using a…

This paper investigates the effects of formative assessment (FA) via artificial intelligence (AI) on EFL students' reading comprehension development, online academic enjoyment, personal best goals (PBGs), and academic mindfulness. To achieve this, 80 Kuwaiti students were selected through convenience sampling and divided into the experimental…

Feedback is a key factor in helping individuals to self-regulate their learning behavior. Informative feedback, as a very basic form of feedback informing learners about the correctness of their answers, can be framed in different ways emphasizing either what was correct or what must be improved. The regulatory focus theory describes different…

Although fully online learning is now the 'new normal' in many parts of the world, its implementation is often beset by challenges such as the lack of student self-regulation, and the sense of isolation. In this paper, we explored the use of chatbots to support student goal setting (Study 1) and social presence (Study 2) in online activities. In…