This action research aims to investigate the determinants of asynchronous interaction among students, interaction between students and instructors, and interaction with course content in an online learning environment. The study involves fifteen graduate students from a state university as participants. The research employed multiple data…

Students who are admitted into social work graduate programs juggle multiple responsibilities: coursework, field practice, employment, and personal. Such competing responsibilities can increase stress levels. Integrating self-care strategies into daily practice routines may benefit students by improving well-being and decreasing the chances of…

This paper reports an action research that aimed to examine how the author's weekly use of reflection and questioning instructional methods affected learners' learning in an online graduate class at a midwestern public university in the USA. The author employed the asynchronous online discussion on the discussion board in Blackboard for learners…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is sharing out basic guidelines and examples from an extended collaboration to move educators move online while avoiding synchronous meetings. "gPortfolios" are public (to the class) pages where students write responses to carefully constructed engagement routines. Students then discuss their work with…

Graduate programs for inservice teachers seeking additional credentialing often include a mandatory diversity course. One aim of these types of courses is to help teachers recognize and dismantle their racial biases in hopes that this self-reflection process will enable teachers to use antiracist teaching approaches and create classroom…

Use of learning management systems is prevalent across the continuum of education formats (online, blended, face-to-face). Specific asynchronous tools such as the discussion board are effective for student-instructor and student-student communication [Calderon, Ginsberg, and Ciabocchi (2012); Jorczak, R. L., & Dupuis, D. N. (2014). Differences…

Online instructional design and how to engage students cognitively in online asynchronous courses have been an ongoing question. This case study presents an intentional design of an asynchronous online graduate course to foster cognitive presence. The research questions investigate students' cognitive presence (CP) captured by two measures:…

This application brief describes a "Module Discussant" activity assigned in an online graduate-level leadership theory course. The assignment was designed to stimulate higher-level thinking, apply leadership theory to practice, and foster extensive communication among students in the online learning environment using a common learning…

This article reports on a case of participatory self-directed online learning within the context of a graduate-level instructional technology course. The course was about online learning environments and relied on both asynchronous and synchronous technologies. In this case, the instructor and students engaged in collaborative course design…

This article examines how to prepare professional social workers for real-world nonprofit leadership roles. A pilot course assignment that incorporates a quasi-organization fieldwork simulation developed by the author is described. Development and application of critical thinking skills are reviewed, the course objective is explained, and methods…

Online instruction, like all traditional instructional environments, requires learner self-control and proactive learning to construct knowledge and acquire skills. However, online students often fail to complete some components of their online work each week, damaging their overall academic progress in the course. To assist students in completion…

The merits of incorporating group work into learning environments are well established. Online classes and other distance learning settings, however, can make it challenging to introduce traditional group projects. Wikis use technology to facilitate group work in distance learning settings. Wikis allow individuals in different locations to…

Efforts were undertaken to increase students' interactivity in an online course in adult development. The purpose was to increase students' engagement with the course materials, heighten their online discussions, and deepen their thinking about course-related concepts, theoretical principles, and research findings. Several strategies were used…

Over the past few years, asynchronous web-based technologies have been examined for their usefulness in promoting collaborative learning among university students. Variations in implementation of this technology will determine to what extent students' learning is actually collaborative. This article discusses curricular adaptations made in the…

Authorship, implementation, and consumer perspectives should be considered when judging the quality of an online course. This article supports that position with reflections of an adjunct professor, who implemented a doctoral level course, Instruction Delivery Systems, during 2001 at Nova Southeastern University that had been authored by another…