The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted existing educational systems worldwide. Due to lockdowns in several countries, the educational institutions have been directed by governments to move towards online learning. The challenge for educational institutions and faculty members is to assess the influence of various factors that would enable adoption of…

Although online distance education provides adult learners with an opportunity for lifelong learning, technology-enabled learner support remains a challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced additional complications. The purpose of the current study was to determine which form of technology-enabled academic learner support students would prefer,…

The advancement of educational technology enables universities to provide various online courses to fit the needs of different learners. However, the question is -- how do adult learners learn in this digital age, especially for those who had learned and developed their digital skills through experience and by self-exploring at their workplace? As…

Following the spread of COVID-19, many parts of the world have fully shifted to virtual education. Issues regarding students' readiness for this mode of education have been the main concerns in countries where students are not used to virtual classes. This article presents a case study that investigated the perceptions of Saudi university students…

This study investigated factors influencing college students' self-directed learning with technology. A questionnaire was employed to obtain data from 153 college students on their self-directed learning readiness, the use of Web 2.0 tools for learning, online communication self-efficacy, and computer self-efficacy to predict their self-directed…

This study explores the impact of motivational goals for using social networking sites (SNS) usage and computer self-efficacy towards e-learning effectiveness of the 155 students from different schools at a private university, in Pathum Thani province, Thailand during April to May of academic year 2015/2016. Social dimension and human interaction…

Currently a large number of college students belong to social networks and spend several hours a week on them. Some sectors of society, like parents and teachers, are concerned about the negative impact on their academic work and in their personal lives. However, because the potential positive impacts have not been explored enough, this research…

The introduction of digital literacy practices has created a tension in academia, with many academics challenging the view that critical thinking can be fostered on social networks. A quasi-experimental study was conducted on two sections of university-level writing classrooms to determine if there were meaningful differences in the quality of…

While the perception exists that today's university students are digital natives, comfortable with all forms of new media and digital technology, previous research has suggested that there may be limits to our students' media savvy. This study considers the extent to which students possess competencies related to the message communication…

With the growing market for online courses in California and the United States, institutions must better understand how the faculty-student dynamic, defined as the interactions between faculty and students in the online environment, impacts student engagement and success. The purpose of this study was an in-depth exploration of faculty…

Universities across the country are steadily increasing their use of online courses. Society's demand for lifelong learning will encourage the advancement of distance learning. Research tells us that today the average person changes careers every ten years. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that about 10% of workers change jobs…

This article provides 12 tips for teachers to help make online teaching successful. Included are suggestions with examples, a scoring rubric for assessing student responses in threaded discussions, and examples of student comments. (Contains 1 figure.)

This research is a correlational study of the relationship among the independent variables: asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy, and self-regulated learning, and the dependent variable; academic achievement. This study involves an online computer literacy course at a local community college. Very little research exists on…

This qualitative study describes the ways by which Arab Open University (AOU) contributes to social development. Ever since it was founded in 2002 and with branches in seven Arab countries, the AOU has succeeded in allowing higher education access to students of all genders, nationalities, and age groups, including those who are over 60 years old.…

Recent years have seen a new generation of 'digital students' emerging in the developed world. Digital students are young adults who have grown up with digital technologies integrated as an everyday feature of their lives. Digital students use technology differently from previous generations of students, fluidly and often simultaneously using…