Online collaborative discussion (OCD) focuses on promoting individual knowledge inquiry and group knowledge construction through active peer interactions and communications. In practice, it is necessary to explore how different modes of OCD come into play, in which student engagement can function as an evaluating indicator. To identify student…

Although online courses have been a part of academia for nearly 30 years, they are still perceived as "different" than face-to-face instruction. Through in-depth interviews with four instructors, we explored how STEM faculty approach teaching asynchronous online undergraduate STEM courses. The faculty interviewed for this study viewed…

In the rapidly evolving landscape of higher education and adult learning, asynchronous video-based online learning has not only become the new norm but has also emerged as the cornerstone of instructional delivery for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Despite its widespread adoption, this learning mode confronts a critical challenge: the…

Today's college students can choose from a multitude of learning modalities. Many students elect to earn their degrees through 100% online college programs; however, online learners present higher attrition rates than their on-ground peers (Grau-Valldosera et al., 2019). Many theorists attempt to explain how students can succeed in college,…

This study investigates student engagement in asynchronous forums in distance learning by focusing on the interactions of 204 students across four classes. It aims to understand interaction evolution and influencing factors over the course of each class. Data analysis reveals an initial high involvement that declines markedly over time for each…

This dissertation investigates the role of multimedia applications in enhancing student engagement in higher education, with a particular focus on the dynamics of asynchronous discussion forums and lurking behaviors. Leveraging multimedia applications facilitates dynamic, inquiry-based discussions that promote deeper cognitive engagement and…

Online asynchronous courses require close attention to course design to ensure there are strategies in place to foster social presence to build stronger senses of community and to motivate students to engage (content, peers and instructors). Judicious use of social media may serve this purpose. Since its inception, social media, Twitter in…

Student enrollment in online courses continues to grow as student retention rates continue to decrease. Student disengagement in learning directly impacts online nursing programs' attrition and retention rates. The problem addressed in this study was students' disengagement with learning in asynchronous online nursing courses. The bioecological…

Professional development is viewed as a lifelong learning process for educators to improve student instruction and professional skills (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). Online professional development for teachers of students who are visually impaired (TVIs) provides opportunities for continuing education, including for earning of recertification…

Cognitive engagement is an essential component in student learning. With the increase of more asynchronous virtual educational tools in classrooms, there is a need to understand how students are engaging with classroom content in these formats. Several studies have examined student and teacher perceptions of cognitive engagement in virtual…

Online learning has grown productive and vital for delivering asynchronous instruction to undergraduate medical students. We explored the factors that affect the learning of undergraduate medical students in an online asynchronous Forensic Medicine course through focus group discussions. These factors were identified in three components of…

Retrieval practice has been proven effective in conceptual science learning, and retesting has been applied in retrieval practice and has been shown to lead to significant improvements in learning outcomes. In this study, retesting was employed in an online microbiology course to evaluate the attitudes and behaviors of college students about this…

Rooted in the Greek tradition of Socrates and Aristotle, debate pedagogy utilizes the interpersonal 'heat' that comes with a clash in opinions to engage students in learning. Well-structured classroom debates can engage students, give them agency in their learning, and challenge them to view the layered perspectives that lie under the surface of…

Many models of online student engagement posit a "more is better" relationship between students' course-related actions and their engagement. However, recent research indicates that the timing of engagement is also an important consideration. In addition to the frequency (how often) of engagement, two other constructs of timing were…

Many college students struggle to adopt effective study strategies. Although many academic support centers disseminate resources on study strategies and help students to strengthen these skills, students do not fully utilize the resources or support. This study explored using an online asynchronous discussion (OAD) board as a space to embed five…