Literature suggests post-secondary students feel disengaged and socially isolated while learning virtually, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we explored whether a sense of belonging is differentially achieved in an inquiry-based course between two different delivery formats: virtual and blended (combination of virtual and in-person).…

Students' perceptions towards synchronous and asynchronous online delivery modes of three engineering courses, in a large UK university is conceptualised, inspired by the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework. Using a qualitative methodology, 76 written student narratives were analysed. An overwhelming focus on the elements that helped them…

High dropout rates in online courses, caused by potential factors such as financial issues, low motivation and poor self-regulation among learners, pose a significant challenge to the sustainable development of online education. Therefore, continuance of online courses has become a critical topic in both the academic and practical fields. By…

Online laboratories can be an effective way to introduce students to lab concepts while providing flexibility, increased access, and reduced costs. However, online labs might lack the authentic research experience that can be gained by doing hands-on lab work. This study explores student perceptions of an online, inquiry-based introductory biology…

Introduction: Individuals with visual impairments are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, perhaps in part because they sometimes do not have the same opportunities for hands-on learning as sighted peers. Methods: Twelve braille readers aged 11-16 years participated in a synchronous online hands-on…

Considering the lack of interaction and feedback process of the pre-class component of the flipped learning approach, in this research this component was designed with the community of inquiry model and an e-learning environment was developed in line with the model's theoretical framework. By exposing its impacts on students' development of…

Serving as a prominent framework for online learning, the Community of Inquiry (CoI), identifies three factors critical to learning in online environments: teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence. However, application of the CoI framework to face-to-face classes has not been broadly or systematically explored, despite…

The objective of this study was to evaluate undergraduate students' experiences in a synchronous online course that utilized flipped learning during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to flipped learning in a face-to-face class pre-pandemic. Upper-level undergraduate students (n = 27) in an advanced nutrition face-to-face course during the spring 2019…

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in profound disruption to geography higher education. A pivot to online teaching required staff to rapidly adapt their practices to novel digital spaces. Whilst many studies have reported the different pedagogic approaches adopted, fewer have evaluated the resultant student learning experience. In this study, we…

Learning in asynchronous online environments has gained importance over the last several decades, and educational environment shifts from the COVID-19 pandemic appear to have increased this need. Science educators and students need information about which approaches work in the asynchronous environment where informal feedback tends to be reduced,…

Service learning (SL) engages students in intentional, collaborative service experiences that promote civic citizenship. The COVID-19 pandemic forced traditional face-to-face SL courses to transition into virtual service learning (e-SL). This paper examines the academic and civic outcomes of an e-SL binational sustainable tourism course for…

Involving students in laboratory and inquiry-based activities can help them understand the concepts of physics. However the learning process should not only focus on the concepts. Moreover, the advantages of using virtual or physical labs are still under examination. The purpose of this study is to analyse which of the two modes (virtual or…

Technology has revolutionised how we interact, work, and learn, with digital literacy offering lifelong learning opportunities. College students heavily rely on the Internet for education. As more students with developmental difficulties enter higher education, it is vital to understand how disparities impact classroom learning. This study…

Learning and teaching Mendelian genetics are central topics in school science. This study explored factors associated with the learning outcomes of Taiwanese junior high school students in an online inquiry learning environment. Research within face-to-face classroom settings had revealed that Asian students are more likely to be tutor-oriented…

This qualitative study examines cognitive presence in a graduate-level online pedagogy course that introduced students to the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. Students wrote weekly reflections that described their own learning and speculated on how they could apply what they learned to create positive online learning environments for future…