The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need to conduct synchronous online instruction in which students and faculty were distributed geographically but aggregated digitally onto a single screen on a computer. This approach will likely persist into the future. Thus, a better understanding of how engagement approaches can be adapted to…

This study explores the student perception of traditional discussion boards in online courses and their effectiveness in building connections and enhancing learning. The results indicate that, while online students recognize the importance of connecting with others, traditional discussion boards are ineffective in helping students connect.…

Discussion boards are a common component of asynchronous online courses. While many teacher preparation courses utilize traditional text-based discussion boards, university faculty are increasingly designing innovative approaches to asynchronous online discussions. There is significant research regarding the effectiveness of varied discussion…

The present study describes the successful operation of an online forum designed to answer questions posted by Israeli elementary-school children during an emergency exercise. Analysis of 212 posts revealed that being younger predict higher levels of emotional intensity. Younger children are 3.561 times more likely than older children to have an…

This study explores how political discussions among diverse youth can support students' open-minded political engagement. For this study, we collaborated with two teachers to adapt and enact instruction aimed at supporting students' discussion of controversial issues across political, geographic, and cultural boundaries. During an instructional…

This study investigated the dynamics of complex interactions within inquiry-based (IB) discussions by visualizing patterns using social network analysis. Researchers explored network measures when learners participated in inquiry-based discussions with Practical Inquiry Model (PIM) and non-PIM questions while playing the weekly moderator's role.…

English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) students' willingness to communicate (WTC) is required both in face-to-face (F2F) and online learning. While literature had extensively explored students' WTC factors in F2F learning, studies on students' WTC factors in online learning were still limited. Hence, this exploratory factor analysis (EFA) study aimed…

This study explored the impact of integrating ChatGPT into asynchronous online discussions. The analysis encompassed students' log data from Canvas and their perspectives on using ChatGPT. Results revealed a significant enhancement in overall discussion participation when ChatGPT is encouraged, emphasizing its potential as a catalyst for…

This study examines influence of online text-based discussions for secondary school students. It aims to analyze students' shares and views with the goal of exploring the implications of online synchronous text-based discussions held in the Information Technology and Software lessons. It was carried out as a case study in which 10 discussion…

Student participation, as a significant indicator of class learning, has been investigated from various perspectives. The present research seeks to explore student participation by drawing on text data from the chat box of an online learning platform. The two main research questions concern the main types of student participation indicated by the…

What does it take to make online discussions work? Educator Michael B. Sherry offers three strategies for addressing the challenges of online conversations and engaging students in going deeper in their digital discussions.

The importance of oral interaction in language learning is well recognised, and this paper examines the factors that hinder English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' active participation in online discussions during Synchronous Online Communication. Using focus groups with 51 Cypriot Greek-speaking students from three tertiary institutions in…

This qualitative case study explored how course context, such as course design, facilitation, and community, supports students' basic psychological needs and thus shapes their situational motivation to participate in asynchronous online discussions in different course contexts. Three upper-level undergraduate courses in different disciplines were…

Massive open online courses are increasingly popular. One characteristic of most massive open online courses is that they are offering educational contents to masses of different individual learners. At the same time, a particular challenge for the individual learner could be the massiveness of such courses, that is, that one is part of a large…

When learning is virtual and students' webcams are turned off, interaction between students and teachers compared to an in-person classroom can fall short. The reasons some students keep their webcams off are numerous and compelling from an equity lens perspective (Yu 2020a): The history of policing in the United States points to an increased use…