We aim to understand the impact of scaffolds within a digital workbook to facilitate self-directed learning for learners completing a final project within a community and task-based MOOC. Optional reflection and articulation prompts were embedded in the tool support assignment development. Workbook use was prevalent, with 65% of learners using it…

Online instructional design and how to engage students cognitively in online asynchronous courses have been an ongoing question. This case study presents an intentional design of an asynchronous online graduate course to foster cognitive presence. The research questions investigate students' cognitive presence (CP) captured by two measures:…

This exploratory study examines student tagging activity within a five-week social bookmarking unit. Students in six sections of a course were tasked with locating, tagging, and then highlighting and discussing course-related materials using Diigo, a social bookmarking tool. Three different tagging approaches were tested: dictionary only,…

This paper presents the use of a debate in an online asynchronous social policy course. Debate is frequently used as an instructional strategy in higher education, but little is known about the use of this tool in an online learning environment. Participants (N = 36) completed an online debate assignment, and both qualitative (reflection papers)…

In addition to learning more about a topic, online discussion activities may be used to develop skills in reflective practice, critical evaluation, and leadership. Faculty members often spend a great amount of time and energy developing discussion assignments that will improve these skills and align with course learning outcomes. Students may feel…

This study investigated a set of online reading courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in a university's college of education. The courses were thought to integrate culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), and the study's intent was to determine the extent to which they actually did so. The goals of the study were to determine whether CRP was…

Contact time with students is becoming more valuable and must be utilized efficiently. Unfortunately, many students attend anatomy lectures and labs ill-prepared, and this limits efficiency. To address this issue we have created an interactive mobile app designed to facilitate the acquisition and transfer of critical anatomical knowledge in…