This case study refers to the eTandem pre-mobility project coordinated by the Padova University Language Centre running twice a year since 2015 for approximately eight weeks. The project matches up local university students with incoming international students, thus boosting integration between the two groups and increasing internationalisation at…

Consequent to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, pedagogic changes were introduced in postgraduate courses in Physiology, where face-to-face teaching was replaced with synchronous virtual mode for leader-centered (seminar, symposium) and participant-centered (journal club, group discussion) academic activities. We hypothesized that the…

Instructor social presence involves instructors establishing their presence as "being there" in terms of frequency of communication and interaction with students as well as supporting students throughout the learning process (Lowenthal 2015). Instructor social presence can be constructed and maintained through the design and facilitation…

A cyber-flipped course was conducted with the flipped classroom pedagogy by using a wholly online approach for all learning activities in asynchronous and synchronous class sessions. Literature suggests that traditional flipped courses can effectively enhance students' learning outcomes in comparison to non-flipped courses. However, conducting all…

The purpose of this paper is to explore and compare learners' critical thinking and interaction during an asynchronous online discussion when peer- or instructor-facilitation was provided. Current literature on online discussion reveals a controversy between peer facilitation and instructor facilitation regarding their strengths and weaknesses.…

This qualitative study explored asynchronous online discussions (AODs) in terms of: (1) whether students interacted effectively with each other, (2) how moderators facilitated discussions, (3) whether students achieved higher levels of thinking about discussion content, and (4) how students demonstrated engagement with provided learning resources.…

The student perspective in research of K-12 online and STEM education is largely absent but is important for understanding how both of these areas can come together to best serve students. This study used teacher ratings, school data and student interviews to investigate the perceptions students in online STEM courses have of their past and…

The current study examined the effects of different types of instructor comments on student engagement in an online discussion. In particular, this study examined three comment types: (1) praise-oriented comments, agreeing with students' initial messages and recapping their ideas, (2) elaboration-encouraging comments, requesting elaboration on the…

This article is based on findings arising from a large, two-year EU project entitled "Creating Machinima to Enhance Online Language Learning and Teaching" (CAMELOT), which was the first to investigate the potential of machinima, a form of virtual filmmaking that uses screen captures to record activity in immersive 3D environments, for…

Based on a synthesis of persistence theory and the empirical literature, an online doctoral program integration model was developed using data from 232 online EdD students. A predictive, correlation design and regression analysis were used to examine if personal factors (gender, race, age, marital status, and presence of children in the home) and…

Student participation in online discussion forums is associated with positive outcomes for student achievement and satisfaction, but research findings on the impact of class size and instructors' participation on student participation have been mixed. The present study analyzed the frequency of instructor and student posts in asynchronous…

Studies adopting a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory framework have often fallen into one of two camps: those investigating variable linguistic subsystems (namely, CAF studies) and those concerned with non-linguistic variables displaying the characteristics of dynamic systems, with little concern for their connection to linguistic development.…

This study explored the use of a web-based tool, VoiceThread, as it relates to enhancing active learning and learner engagement in two online business courses. VoiceThread was integrated into various learner-centered activities supporting learner-learner, learner-content and learner-instructor interactions as part of an online course improvement…

As technology changes in our everyday lives, so does education to parallel those changes in technology. Nationally, distance education is rapidly changing, and community colleges are chasing after students digitally to add them to their enrollment numbers. Federal regulations require distance education courses to include regular and substantive…

The purpose of this paper is to identify the types of students' interaction, as well as their discussion patterns in an online course. The study took place in a large Midwestern University and 17 graduate students participated in the study. The primary data was obtained from students' discussion forum postings. The researchers used both…