This study examines the types of oral comments from a reviewer's as well as an author's perspective offered within an online writing group (OWG) that met during the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose was to zoom in on the members' interactions to have a broader perspective of how these exchanges could provide support through…

Learning institutions in the Philippines employed online distance learning using the synchronous approach for real-time interaction among learners and teachers. While the arrangement is exploratory and contingent, and responsive to the continuity of learning during the pandemic, its impact remains uncertain. This is of interest including the…

In increasingly online higher education environments, instructors must develop positive and community-oriented learning environments, equivalent to, if different from, face-to-face learning experiences. Connectivism and communities of inquiry are complementary theories that facilitate the design and development of online learning and enable online…

This study aims to investigate a collaborative synchronous learning environment in terms of students' community of inquiry perceptions (cognitive, social, and teaching presences) and interaction levels. This quantitative study was conducted with the participation of fifty-nine freshmen (twenty-nine in the control group and thirty in the…

Building a sense of community (SoC) is an important process in the success of distance education and students' retention. However, developing a community in online learning environments is not an easy task. The purpose of this research study is to explore perceptions of graduate students on SoC and learning after using different collaborative…

This 10-week, descriptive case study situated within a Masters course of practicing teachers investigated how the teaching presence of a synchronous online learning community facilitated participant active engagement through interaction. Results indicate that while the platform's modes can facilitate some form of interaction when used…

The purpose of this case study was to examine how a professional graduate program in higher education administration developed seminar-style courses in a blended format. Blended courses involved two extended in-person weekend sessions with synchronous online sessions, and other asynchronous coursework in between. This study explored the importance…

The community of inquiry (CoI) framework is becoming increasingly popular in online learning. The relationships among CoI constructs (cognitive, teaching and social presences) were generally investigated through surveys. However, some methodological challenges were noticed in CoI studies such as the limitations in data diversity or data…

This paper presents a framework forteaching English in synchronous computer-mediated environments. This research shows the components of the framework, how it materializes in the teachers' pedagogical practices, and in the students' perceptions of lessons designed using the framework. The sources of data for this investigation are a questionnaire…

Sociocultural theories of learning and sociocultural theories of technology are explored as a way to view and to map the complex interactions that can occur in online professional discussions. The case of synchronous online moderation meetings are used as an example of the combination of variables that can impact on the development of shared…

The nexus between paid work and study is important. Developing opportunities to facilitate this link is a key part of good course design especially in postgraduate programs. Strong communities of practice can also assist with improving links between research and practice. The online study environment affords some challenges to achieving these…