In order to navigate enrollment challenges, universities are scheduling more online and blended courses including HyFlex courses which offer students flexibility in their method of attendance. The goal of this study is to explore student engagement in HyFlex courses. However, there is limited research supporting the effectiveness of HyFlex courses…

Collaborative learning, social interdependence and computer mediated communication (CMC) have been broadly studied in higher education research. Collaborative learning has often been associated with a social interdependence understanding. However, this study explores the relationship from an exclusively student motivation perspective in order to…

Following Moore's conceptual framework of the three types of interactions: (1) Learner-Instructor; (2) Learner-Content; and (3) Learner-Learner, the following sequence of three articles discuss applications of core practice principles in online higher education kinesiology courses. Specifically, this article focuses on core practice principles…

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has solicited public comment on pandemic-related revisions to its important "Learning Time" regulation, 603 CMR 27.00. The revisions establish baseline procedural and substantive requirements for in-person, hybrid, and remote learning. Appreciating that the…

Focussing on a specific higher education online learning environment (OLE), this study aims to investigate and analyse instructional designs that employ Positive Interdependence, Individual Accountability, Teaching Presence, Authenticity and Group Skills Development as educational strategies to mitigate group work issues and subsequently encourage…

Full-time virtual schools problematize what it means to 'attend' school. Is it the length of time a child is logged on to the school's software system (regardless of the amount of work done), or the amount of work submitted (regardless of the log-on time)? How should one figure the amount of work teachers are doing when students work by themselves…

School closures in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic resulted in an immediate and universal pivot to online teaching. More than 3.7 million teachers in the U.S. were suddenly asked to teach in an entirely new setting with little preparation and no advance notice. This has caused an unprecedented threat to children's education, giving…

"Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital Learning" (2014) is the 11th in a series of annual reports that began in 2004 that examine the status of K-12 online education across the country. The report provides an overview of the latest policies, practices, and trends affecting online learning programs across all 50 states. It summarizes that at a…

Online learning has steadily become a more integral strategy for schools and districts in their efforts to offer students greater access to the courses they need. Where in the past, much of the online learning activity happened at the state level or regional level, more and more schools are exercising greater control over their online and digital…

High schools in the United States are facing increased scrutiny to increase the number of students graduating with a diploma in four years. This pressure comes from many sources. First, the No Child Left Behind Act instituted graduation as a measure of a high school's success at the federal level. States soon followed by increasing accountability…

"Keeping Pace" has several goals. First, it strives to add to the body of knowledge about online education policy and make recommendations for advances. Second, it serves as a reference source for information about programs and policies across the country, for both policymakers and practitioners who are new to online education as well as those who…

This report is the third in a series of annual reports looking at the state of online education across the country. The goal of "Keeping Pace" is to be a useful document for policymakers and practitioners, and as such it takes a journalistic approach to research and writing instead of an academic approach. This report has two goals: first, to add…

The goal of "Keeping Pace" is to to serve as a useful document for policymakers and practitioners, and as such, it takes a journalistic approach to research and writing. Most state and program profiles include footnotes that reference state laws, state policies, and websites of programs. However, in some cases, the information is general and was…