Students' social belonging in a general chemistry course has been shown to predict academic performance in that course. Additionally, students' social belonging at the beginning of a general chemistry course has been shown to differ across demographics, such as gender. This social belonging exists as both an absolute sense of belonging in the…

Underrepresented female doctoral students (UFDS) face challenges in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, particularly concerning a low sense of belonging (SoB). Little is known about the impact of learning settings (online or on-campus) and the inclusive leadership qualities of research supervisors on the SoB of…

The COVID-19 pandemic substantially disrupted normal operations at liberal arts colleges (LACs) across the United States, as well as the lives and educational trajectories of their undergraduate students. This dissertation collected data from 775 undergraduate LAC students enrolled in two colleges in the U.S. South during the spring 2021 semester…

Background/Context: As students increasingly enroll in online postsecondary courses, instructors and students need new strategies to maintain engagement, motivation, and sense of belonging to have academic success, particularly for historically disadvantaged students. This study focuses on improving student success in online postsecondary STEM…

McMillan and Chavis (1986) defined a psychological sense of community (PSC) as feelings of influence, membership, integration, and shared emotional connection. The importance of PSC to graduate student success has been established, but to date, no one has examined the extent to which PSC predicts student thriving when data is disaggregated by…

This essay argues that "place" and "space" are a critical conceptual framework in the online writing classroom and leads students to have meaningful writing experiences. Drawing on what Eodice et al. describe as "personal connection" for writing students, the author invites online writing instructors to pay attention…

Many music educators are concerned about building healthy classroom communities as they prepare to transition to online or blended learning environments. Research involving distance education has indicated that several techniques in the design and delivery of online instruction can increase students' sense of community, commitment to the course,…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of incorporating feedback from learner engagement and learner satisfaction into the instructional design of online and hybrid courses at the community college level. Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and experiential learning cycle provided the theoretical framework. This mixed methodology…

COVID-19 affected various aspects of our life. Many college students were forced to take courses remotely. It was not clear how they adapted to this new environment and how their mental health was affected. The objective of this study is to understand college students' learning experience one year after the outbreak of COVID-19. An online survey…

Rural education thrives on building teaching capacity and mentoring from within communities. Whilst isolated and remote areas have the potential to participate in online teacher education, strategic and effective delivery requires a targeted analysis of the characteristics of the learners, the motivations that drive them, and day-to-day…

As colleges and universities increase their online course offerings, student social experiences in online learning environments require further examination, specifically for nonresidential students who may already be less integrated into college social networks. A social capital framework was used to guide this qualitative study of 17…

Saint Leo University is a liberal arts university located in southwest Florida. University campus is a residential campus that teaches the traditional aged student. The campus population is 1,800 students who are mostly Florida residents, with international students representing 18 different countries. Twenty-one centers located in seven states…

Online and hybrid classes have become common in the fields of leadership education. The pressure to implement these delivery models comes from both students and institutions. It is essential to ensure that these models meet student learning needs as well as the increased demand. This action research study uses survey data from three sections of…