This paper aims to study the effects that asynchronous and synchronous instructional methods have on student perceptions and attitudes towards online education. We analyze both qualitative and quantitative survey responses from 496 students in three large (greater than 200 enrolled students) first-year calculus classes at the University of Guelph.…

As online learning grows, we have an exciting opportunity and responsibility to create online discussion structures that promote engaging, generative, and discursive conversations that increase critical thinking and reflection. Organic-style discussions that are similar to classroom conversations increase critical thinking skills and offer a…

In a classroom setting interaction among students is the norm. How do you replicate that informality, spontaneity, and focus online? This book provides you with a framework to think about the different kinds of engagement you want to foster -- whether participation, collaboration, or quick feedback -- and then introduces you to available online…

The purpose of the study was to investigate practicum students' perceptions of their experience with an online practicum course in an Applied School Psychology graduate program. With the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication technology, the instructor and students met in the online environment to engage in discussion with regard to…

While the microblogging service Twitter is increasingly popular among educators and offers numerous affordances for learning, its relationship with formal education systems remains complicated by generally ambivalent educator attitudes and institutional policies. To better understand the role Twitter plays in education, we conducted a survey of…

It isn't a stretch to say that the definitions of "teaching online" and "teaching with technology" vary, even from instructor to instructor. Whatever the level of technology, and regardless of teachers' comfort level with it, one has to remember that for all that educational technology can offer through new communication methods and the ability to…