Teaching is a stressful job, that often presents with limited time and high job demands. However, the vast majority of the interventions tailored to help mitigate this stress and increase wellbeing are very time consuming and not tailored to meet the specific needs of teachers. To address this gap, this paper utilizes a randomized study design and…

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) lives use technology in many ways that are seldom examined. The problem to be addressed by this study is that computer science scholarship is failing to examine the end-user experiences and possible concerns regarding LGBTQ+ identities and their ICT and internet use. LGBTQ+…

Moving from high school to college is a major life transition leading to significant changes across many aspects of daily life. This time frame is often seen as the transition from a youth to a young adult, yet its impact on technology use and cybersecurity vulnerabilities remains relatively unstudied. This study investigated which factors…

The purpose of this research is to quantify differences in key performance indicators between paid and organic (not paid) website traffic over a one year period of time at a regional comprehensive university in Kentucky, which is located in the southeastern United States. Two distinct sources of website traffic can be measured: paid traffic and…

The purpose of this research is to examine the shared governance of an online creation community using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework. This investigation is a case study of an intra-district Twitter Edchat, an open group of educators who meet monthly to post professional knowledge and resources about a topic. This study…

The digital divide presents a significant challenge in rural Eastern Kentucky, where the absence of broadband internet access has hindered economic development, education, health care, and overall quality of life. Broadband, characterized by high-speed internet access that is always on and faster than traditional dial-up, is a convenience and a…

The present study investigated the experiences of educators who taught in the virtual world Second Life®. Second Life has shown promise in the field of higher education but identified gaps exist: the identification of a set of best practices, a foundational theory, and educators' experiences using Second Life in higher education. Using a single…

This generic qualitative research study focused on online counselor educators' self-care experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonprobability purposive sampling was utilized to recruit 12 core faculty actively teaching in CACREP-accredited programs during COVID-19 with five or more years of online teaching experience. This sampling represented…

In 21st century classrooms, students use a variety of languages to communicate their ideas in both the spoken and written word. These languages vary between standard and nonstandard forms of English, and each speaker may alter their language use based on context or intended audience. One unique language form that appears in many classrooms is…

Social media with diverse functionalities enables people to communicate, make connections, exchange information, and transfer knowledge without time and location restrictions. The number of informal learning communities based on social media is growing, but the knowledge about how these communities work is still limited. Three main issues for…

This dissertation explores the utilization of internet-connected devices to address the accessibility challenges associated with microscopy in the field of biology. Traditional microscopy devices are often costly, limiting their widespread adoption in laboratories. To overcome this barrier, we developed a cost-effective multi-well imaging device…

The purpose of this study was to understand how pre-service teachers interact in collaborative spaces as well as to describe their perception of the challenges and the benefits they associate with collaborative learning and technology. The different methods of collaborative learning and technology utilized in the pre-service teachers' programs…

Although enrollment in online courses continues to accelerate, challenges exist in online learning. A failure to experience collaboration and interaction can impact student retention and success. While peer review activity provides student interaction and the development of a collaborative community of learners, higher education environments have…

Professional development is essential for certified Teachers of students with Visual Impairments (TVIs) to create high-quality tactile graphics in school settings. The teachers need more opportunities to learn knowledge and skills from other teacher colleagues on a community basis. Few studies were conducted to investigate what community-based…

The internet plays an increasingly important role in the lives of contemporary college students. Use of social media and other forms of electronic communication have fundamentally changed the ways in which students interact with others. Often, students' online speech can lead to disciplinary action against them. This study considers the current…