This paper examines the invisible barrier that can challenge teachers when teaching online, called the fourth wall. Using a presence framework derived from the literature, we explored how experienced teachers manage the absence of visual cues and identify the pedagogical practices they adopted as a response. Data from semi-structured interviews…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand teachers' rationale and practices as they establish social presence in a 100% online learning environment in a high school setting, with a specific emphasis on paralinguistic cues and symbols, such as emojis, emoticons, and Bitmoji. This case study focused on the meaning and…

Given the central role of digital devices and screens in academic work, their use and our relationship to them are under-theorised in mainstream research into digital education. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, rendered the use of digital screens central to life in 'lockdowns'. This paper will consider the relationships between digital screens and…

This paper examines visual narratology as a way of presenting qualitative primary data. The paper is an autoethnographic study with the overall goal of helping educators understand their digital literacies in a time of uncertainty and flux. The researcher deployed thematic analysis as the organising methodological framework. This performative…

Recently, there has been a substantial amount of research on smart classrooms, encompassing a number of areas, including Information and Communication Technology, Machine Learning, Sensor Networks, Cloud Computing, and Hardware. Smart classroom research has been quickly implemented to enhance education systems, resulting in higher engagement and…

Facilitating the collaboration of multiple groups is a critical element in problem-based learning (PBL). In face-to-face learning environments, PBL facilitators require sufficient information about a group's progress and collaboration in real time to make decisions about when and how to facilitate. The capacity of facilitator is limited as PBL…

Online discussion forums are common features of learning management systems; they allow teachers to engage students in topical discussions in environments beyond physical spaces. This study presents a novel approach to operationalizing the connections between social interaction and contextual topics by visualizing posts in an online discussion…

What does it take to make online discussions work? Educator Michael B. Sherry offers three strategies for addressing the challenges of online conversations and engaging students in going deeper in their digital discussions.

The inclusion of alternative and multimodal methods for online interaction and knowledge construction in mathematics teacher education is still an incipient field. In this paper, we present a multiple case study of three blended courses in an elementary mathematics teacher education program at Western University. In these blended courses, the…

This study investigated the effectiveness of visible-annotation types used in online discussions to enhance the accuracy of shared knowledge and the level of constructed knowledge in computer-supported collaborative learning environments. Three types of visible-annotation were developed specifically for this study, which had the function of…

This mixed methods study addresses a knowledge gap in the nature and effects of networked scholarship. We analyze #DigPed, a Twitter hashtag on critical pedagogy, through the lens of Tufekci's "capacities and signals" framework in order to understand how educational narratives develop and spread on #DigPed. Using social network analysis…

Many recent technologies provide the ability to dynamically adjust the interface depending on the emerging cognitive and collaborative needs of the learning episode. This means that educators can adaptively re-design the learning environment during the lesson, rather than purely relying on preemptive learning design thinking. Based on a…

During the past two decades a variety of approaches to support argumentation learning in computer-based learning environments have been investigated. We present an approach that combines argumentation diagramming and collaboration scripts, two methods successfully used in the past individually. The rationale for combining the methods is to…

This paper presents a study on the role of the teacher in computer-supported class group activities. We discuss various teacher tools that support this role. In the reported studies the students are engaged in group activities through networked computers. Typically they use a two-space collaboration tool. One shared space used for jointly…

Educational webcasts or video lectures as a teaching tool and a form of visual aid have become widely used with the rising prevalence of online and blended courses and with the increase of web-based video materials. Thus, research pertaining to factors enhancing the effectiveness of video lectures, such as number of visual aids, is critical. This…