In order to navigate enrollment challenges, universities are scheduling more online and blended courses including HyFlex courses which offer students flexibility in their method of attendance. The goal of this study is to explore student engagement in HyFlex courses. However, there is limited research supporting the effectiveness of HyFlex courses…

Participation in online courses has become essential for training language professionals in under-resourced contexts with skills in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) (Godwin-Jones, 2014). Most online CALL courses use asynchronous computer-mediated communication (ACMC) to facilitate meaningful learning for participants. Although…

Teachers perceive student engagement in many ways, and do not necessarily align engagement strategies they employ with their own conceptualization of this construct. This situation is worsened in online learning of which popularity has grown since the emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic. We explored perceptions of student engagement in…

We report on an experiment to investigate the effect of an online asynchronous marketing simulation on student engagement and GPA. Engagement was measured in terms of conscious attention, enthused participation and social connection. The participants were 45 students undertaking marketing management at an American university over one semester.…

This book provides a framework for synchronous and asynchronous online language teaching. It elaborates on the key features of an online teaching setting, including the instructional media that are involved in it, their affordances and limitations, and recommends ways to adapt pedagogy to suit the online environment. To this end, the book draws on…

In the Spring of 2020, most educational institutions are rapidly having to convert to online education. Suddenly, instructors are no longer in the same physical space as their students. Separated from their students and colleagues, they are having to adjust their teaching approach rapidly, and are most likely learning as they go. This ubiquitous…

To date, teacher perceptions of online language teaching have attracted very little attention. However, these perceptions may influence decisions regarding instructional design, teaching practices and eventually the learning experience. Furthermore, teacher perceptions can contribute to the design of teacher training programs. This study provides…

For the forty-third time, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented online during the annual AECT Convention. Volume 1 contains 37 papers dealing primarily with research and development topics. Papers dealing with the…

In this article, the author shares challenges of teaching writing in a virtual classroom. One of the challenges of online education--the often-asynchronous nature--also holds one of the strengths: the opportunity for a lesson to continue long after the classroom closes. The author's experiences online offer ways to rethink meanings of youth…

Although online course completion rates are commonly believed to be lower than in other delivery modes, some programs achieve equal or better course completion rates. This issue presents studies that suggest certain practices contribute to student success. Readers are invited to contribute to work-in-progress on key factors for a framework of…

This paper reviews past research that focused on questions of culture in distance learning. Of specific interest are the studies that examined the influence of culture on students' learning and engagement in asynchronous learning networks (ALNs). The purpose of this review is three-fold: to present the state of knowledge concerning the questions…

This case study describes the philosophy underlying the delivery of online programs and courses at the University of Illinois-Springfield. The strategies used to implement the UIS model and the measures used to validate its success are outlined. These factors are reviewed in the context of the Sloan-C Five Pillars for quality learning environments.

This article features Dallas Baptist University (DBU), a private, Christian, liberal arts institution located in the DFW Metroplex. With just over 5,200 students, DBU provides both traditional undergraduate, adult and graduate degrees with the enrollment almost equally divided between the three student groups. Today, DBU offers 34 degree programs…

This case study offers a strategic model of methods and services resulting in relatively high student success rates as defined by course completion of introductory first and second semester online courses. This strategic model is presented in the context of Sloan-C's "Five Pillars of Quality Online Education."

In the U.S., only 38 of every 100 ninth graders enroll in college; of these 38, only 18 complete bachelors' degrees within six years. Asynchronous learning networks (ALN)--asynchronous, highly interactive, instructor-led, resource-rich, cohort-based learning--can yield high success rates. Growing demand for online education and the expectation…