This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study aimed to investigate how undergraduate students' everyday texting experiences related to their social connectedness. This research was conducted through a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews. The quantitative phase involved a survey distributed to a sample of undergraduate students,…

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…

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…

The national average Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Excel certification exam pass rate on the first try is relatively low. The problem addressed in this study was the effectiveness of asynchronous instruction with adult learners using computer-based instruction (CBI) programs and if these interactions affect the successful completion of the…

The community of inquiry (COI) framework is a theoretical and practical model for creating deep, meaningful online learning experiences through three essential and interconnected elements: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Asynchronous online discussions (AODs) are the typical communication medium in a COI; therein, a…

The current study compared the effects of discussion forum and interteach activities on quiz performance in an asynchronous master's level course using an alternating treatments design. The study included five participants. Participants engaged in interteaching in half of the weeks, and in the alternate weeks, they contacted the discussion forum…

Drawing on Freire's Engaged Pedagogy as a theoretical framework, I investigated the manifestation of dialogical relationships between faculty and students in fully asynchronous online courses. Employing a post-intentional phenomenological methodology, I examined how students and faculty held varying expectations for relationships in asynchronous…

Modern advances in communication technology have allowed for the expansion of asynchronous online sport coaching services. In this intra-individual repeated time measures study, the effects of coaching communication scheduling on athletes' affective state and the coach-athlete relationship were observed as well as measures of performance in the…

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 research study delves into the multifaceted realm of social presence in online education, encompassing the existence and manifestation of social presence indicators in students' engagement with discussion boards within asynchronous online courses. Social presence manifests when individuals perceive themselves to be simultaneously present with…

Members in online communities of practice (CoPs) take advantage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to exchange practical or work-related knowledge in asynchronous online environments. Practical knowledge represents individuals' mental models allowing them to interact with the environment and perform tasks. With ICTs, practical…

Technology has become a fundamental aspect of learning, yet many course instructors are hesitant to incorporate various forms of technology into their instructional design. This study sought to determine how course instructors can be assisted and supported to incorporate various asynchronous and synchronous technologies and strategies to course…

Researchers correlate a teacher's skills with teaching longevity, teacher stress, and student outcomes. Most preservice teachers lack the fundamental teaching skills necessary to succeed within a classroom of students. Educators attempt to solve this teaching skill deficiency by implementing practice-based teacher education. Educators have used…

Social Annotation (SA) is a learning technology that allows people to read, highlight, and comment on specific parts of text. SA tools like Hypothes.is enable users to highlight and annotate texts and documents online and respond to others' annotations via text, sharing links of documents, audio, or video. Research on SA in higher education online…

Research suggests there is no significant difference in outcomes for online learners and on-campus learners. Several decades of online learning have also consistently demonstrated online students are less likely to persist than those students attending on campus. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework describes social presence, teaching…