This study investigated the benefits and challenges of computer-mediated communication use among a sample of young adults who identify with the autism spectrum via semistructured interviews. The interviews revealed that participants enjoyed using computer-mediated communication technologies (e.g. Discord, Facebook, Steam, and Zoom) to fulfill…

Bullet screen technology enables instant interactive class communication and comments for teachers and students, even in large classes. This study explores the effect of a bullet-screen comment class on students' learning. It utilizes media and communication theory, expectation confirmation theory, and the technology acceptance model to present…

The primary goal of this research was to examine the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) based virtual interaction and physical interaction on the development of spatial skills in Xining Qinghai, China's primary school students (aged 8 to 10). The research was conducted in a public-school setting with 54 participants using a quasi-experimental…

Learners engaged in large-scale online learning often pose questions in which their peers or instructors can answer using various means of textual interaction topics. This paper assesses the effects of the text interaction strategies in online learning through the lens of the language expectancy theory at three levels: whether to respond to the…

Background: Social communication skills are critical for full participation in social activities in primary life contexts for adolescents and young adults with neurodevelopmental disorders. Method: Two young adults with Prader Willi syndrome participated in an online socialisation programme with elderly and adolescent conversational partners. We…

This study aims to explore the application of Transactional Distance theory in distance teaching in the post-epidemic era. COVID-19 has brought us unprecedented challenges in all schools in the world. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can solve the technical problems of distance learning, but cannot bring efficient learning just…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to implement and evaluate the impact of a virtual reality book club on the social presence of students. This research examined participants using virtual reality headsets to study the works of William Shakespeare. This study examined two research questions: (1) How does the implementation of a virtual…

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak came with an unprecedented opportunity to investigate how the new reality of social distancing and limited international travel will affect the organization of academic conferences. Objectives: Drawing on conceptualization of academic conferences as professional learning spaces, in this study, we examine the…

Establishment of online communities in distance education has been linked to improved engagement, retention, and learning outcomes. This study investigates how online community building was fostered in the text-based Discussion Board (DB) and multimodal VoiceThread (VT) in one of the postgraduate units offered by Open Universities Australia.…

Collaborative learning helps university students improve their academic achievement, learning persistence and attitudes. Social media tend to have positive effects on collaborative learning by encouraging positive interactions online. Although previous research studies were conducted to explore the use of social media in education, there is a gap…

Working on team projects is a common feature in higher education as a way to foster team learning and collaboration. For a team to work well towards achieving project objectives, it is important that there is effective team communication. Conventionally, face-to-face interactions allow students to interact with each other in multiple communication…

Recreating the social aspects of face-to-face teaching in an online environment became more challenging in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With limited or no face-to-face interaction with students, lecturers had to explore alternative ways to recreate aspects of an engaging and supportive face-to-face learning environment. This article focuses…

This research reports empirical evidence of the pedagogical benefits of using two interactive types of immersive spherical dome screens (large and small). Results are drawn from an experiment measuring the emotional, cognitive, perceptual/attitudinal states, and learning outcomes of 102 participants divided into control/experimental groups and…

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) presents an approach of learning to permit an online and a distant learning for internet users. These systems are confronted with several problems among which the most important: the lack of participants' interactivity in the platform and the dropout of the participants. Those challenges need to be resolved to…

We conducted a comparative study to evaluate the efficacy of synchronous and asynchronous interaction modes when providing feedback for improving academic writing, achievement motivation and critical thinking. The participants undertook an academic writing task, and were given feedback by a mentor using one of three interaction modes:…