This study aimed to systematically compile the activities and applications to be used by instructors to conduct synchronous virtual classrooms effectively. Using specific keywords in various databases we examined the literature to discover the activities and applications associated with effective synchronous virtual classrooms. A total of 70…

Engagement is positively correlated with many educational outcomes. However, engaging learners in online learning is often challenging. In this study, a conceptual framework comprising five interrelated factors (instructors, learners, content, technology, and environments) was proposed. The purpose of the study was to explore how learners could be…

Online learning provides a variety of benefits to the educational experience, including accessibility and flexibility, but is often limited in terms of peer-to-peer interactions and relationship development. Using media richness theory as a guiding framework, this study extended prior research to determine the impact of using richer channels in a…

This study qualitatively examines synchronous online encounters in Swedish teacher education, learning from the distance and hybrid mode triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, conceptualized as emergency remote teaching. The separation of bodies in such online teacher education challenges participants' sensory involvement and how they can be…

The purpose of this quantitative, ex post facto study was to determine if there was a significant difference in course pass and withdrawal rates between online community college synchronous and asynchronous introductory English composition (IEC) courses. The community of inquiry provided the theoretical foundation for the study. The research…

COVID-19 required new off-school technology-based learning environments for educational continuity. This study described the online delivery modes of lectures and tutorials in a university in Brunei Darussalam during COVID-19. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 818 students from eight faculties. Data were collected through online surveys…

This dissertation aimed to answer whether motor skills can be taught online and if the learning outcomes are similar to in-person learning. Considering the popularity of online learning, increasing our understanding of its outcomes is well warranted. Furthermore, evidence of the effectiveness of online instruction is very much in discussion.…

Learning designs that facilitate real-time, online experiential learning have, up to now, received sparse attention. This study scrutinized an online, experiential, synchronous classroom session that featured an exercise designed to highlight the dynamics of competition and collaboration, group-as-a-whole understanding, and psychodynamic…

Although online course enrollments have increased over the past two decades (Berry, 2017), low retention rates persist (Muilenburg & Berge, 2005; Ng, 2019) due to students feeling isolated and a lack of social connection with their instructor and classmates (Baxter, 2012; Lowenthal, 2009; Pinsk et al., 2014). High dropout rates have been…

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many higher education programs had to switch to synchronous online teaching. Teachers suddenly faced pressing unaddressed challenges, such as how to better transfer their "presence" from the traditional classroom to the online space in a way that keeps students engaged. This paper explores new…

Building community is essential to achieving optimal learning conditions. Failure to build community in online courses is linked to higher drop-out rates, feelings of isolation, and lower academic success rate (Adams & Wilson, 2020). Although there is research on building a sense of community in online course settings, much of this work has…

With the expanding realm of online education in Indonesia, determining factors influencing university students' participation in distinct modes of virtual learning is crucial to developing more effective digital pedagogy. This research aims to scrutinize factors affecting Indonesian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) university students' low…

Recently, the number of online courses provided for university students around the world has increased substantially. Instruction is delivered most commonly through either asynchronous video lectures (pre-recorded videos with no real-time communication) or synchronous video lectures (live-streamed videos with real-time communication). From a…

This study examines the effects of synchronous and non-synchronous online engagement on the academic performance of accounting students at a New Zealand university based on their choice of course delivery format -- either distance learning or face-to-face learning with online components (F2F+). We track accounting students as they complete three…

Higher education is experiencing an era of exponential growth in online doctoral programs and heightened accountability to stakeholders. In this dynamic landscape, the need to improve persistence for online doctoral students, estimated to be 30% to 40%, is imperative. Research has demonstrated that isolation and lack of belonging are contributing…