In recent years, the use of asynchronous discussion forums in online learning has increased rapidly. In earlier studies, content analysis is the most-used research method in exploring the discussion transcripts. However, conventional content analysis is a time-consuming task and requires experienced coders. There is a need for an automated…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic during spring semester 2020, teachers and students were forced to engage in online instruction. However, there is little evidence on the feasibility of online physiology teaching. This study demonstrated a 3-wk preliminary online physiology course based on Rain Classroom assisted by the mobile application WeChat.…

In response to COVID-19, educational stakeholders are transferring traditional, face-to-face instruction to the online learning environment. The purpose of this study was to determine if business instructors' use of immediate behaviors and clarity, which have been found to help business students overcome their writing apprehension in the…

There appears to be an increasing acceptance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across society. As people become more comfortable with AI's use in advertising, basic services and other areas of day-to-day life, the question arises will students also be willing to accept AI in learning situations. Furthermore, what are the impacts on both the student…

The study was carried out to examine the extent of Students' Usage of WhatsApp Instant Messenger as a Supporting Tool for Learning in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted in the study. Five tertiary institutions were randomly selected based on security guarantee for the study. All final year students in tertiary institutions…

In recent years, cyberbullying on social media sites has increased among adolescents and even adults. While there are many factors and forms of cyberbullying, schoolchildren are vulnerable groups that are exposed to cyberbullying threats to their mental and emotional health. On the other hand, teachers have the responsibility in the place of the…

The problem of this research focuses on the communication between the organizing center and the external tutors at practicum centers. A non-experimental methodology is followed to explore the connections between the different variables. Six correlations between the following variables stand out. Positive correlation: gender with sports specialty,…

Research into asynchronous online discussions (AOD) produced conflicting, contradictory results. A central problem was AOD often did not produce a high level of engagement and critical thinking. Synthesizing best practices, a dialectical framework was developed around concrete, actionable levers to improve thinking in online and remote courses.…

The three research papers completed and compiled to make up this dissertation explore the relationship between social presence and social construction of knowledge in asynchronous online discussion forums in higher education courses in the instructional technology field. Paper 1 is a literature review of the interaction analysis model (IAM)…

This dissertation uses a discourse studies approach to investigate key communicative processes by which digital technology is given situated meanings within the institution of public education, including at the level of official discourse, administrative textsp, and the spoken discourse of professional educators. The discursive processes under…

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of social media, specifically Twitter, as a way for women in higher education to connect with one another. Seven women who developed a specific hashtag were interviewed in a semi-structured initial process followed by a reflective follow up. These interviews were transcribed, coded, and sent to the…

This paper is based on work carried out during the first six months of 2021, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and a time by which the practices of online learning and teaching had become familiarised and -- to some extent -- even standardised in our institution, as in most others. We are chiefly concerned here with the online teaching space as a…

The spread of misinformation has underscored the importance of cultivating citizens' competency to critically evaluate popular accounts of scientific evidence. Extending the prevailing emphasis on evidence in the natural sciences, we argue for fostering students' understanding of psychological evidence and its communication in the media. In this…

While much research supports the benefits of computer-mediated collaborative writing (CW) in second language (L2) classrooms, the assessment of CW has received scant attention. This study proposed an assessment scheme considering both the products and processes when assessing online synchronous CW, and explored its effects on learners'…

Past studies have provided important insights into the relationship between science education and information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, few studies have sought to promote learning by integrating science education with indigenous culture via ICTs. Indigenous culture is a treasure of human civilization, but there is a crisis of…