This qualitative study aims to improve accessibility and equity in digital spaces by identifying the prevalent mismatch between online course design, student culture, and its connection to instructional design for teacher preparation programs. Utilizing feminist theory, we explore the intersection between community, identity, and learning within…

Online special education courses and programs are widely available and provide pathways for both initial certification and in-service professional learning. Despite the wider availability of online special educator courses and programs due to the COVID pandemic, very limited research about special education candidates and educator preferences for…

This article examines how 8-year-old children in a primary school in England develop new understandings of hardship and survival through the process of digital storytelling. The research presented here is part of a larger global literacy 'Critical Connections Multilingual Digital Storytelling Project' (2012-ongoing) working across 15 countries…

We incorporated trauma-informed principles into the design of a synchronous, online Religion and Politics course and then evaluated impacts on student learning through qualitative methods. Using a novel approach, students self-evaluated their learning throughout the course in weekly reflections. Using content analysis and directed coding…

The CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP) has provided year-long mentored research experiences for 1678 associate's degree STEM students since 2014. The pluralities (32%) of mentors, all of whom are full-time faculty, have been biologists. Other represented disciplines include, but are not limited to, chemistry, engineering, mathematics,…

COVID-19's arrival in Zimbabwe and South Africa in early 2020 caused disruptions to all facets of life including education. It disrupted traditional notions of media studies' teaching and learning. In the contexts of these disruptions, the present study interrogates how selected universities in Zimbabwe and South Africa adjusted to the new normal…

Belonging, or the feeling of being a valued member of a community, has been linked to numerous positive outcomes in higher education. Although creating a sense of belonging at the campus level is important, equally important is fostering belonging in the classroom. Research has shown that belonging is more likely to occur in classes where students…

The purpose of this study was to assess university students' perceptions regarding online learning post-COVID-19, with a focus on international relevance. 260 students were surveyed online across six dimensions of online learning using an online survey. The findings indicate that synchronous audio and video learning can be an effective alternative…

Contemporary comprehensive mathematics teaching material covering whole courses has developed substantially from the early versions that roughly were 'books as pdf' with some complementary online material. In teaching materials that are offered in online web portals (digital teaching platforms) a variety of dynamic and interactive elements can be…

Learner engagement is well-established as critical for learning online. Professional development for online instructors emphasizes techniques for engaging students, and learning technology products tout features intended to promote engagement (e.g., adaptive content, video, gamification). But the influence of particular instructor practices and of…

As educators increase their use of digital technologies across learning modalities, some schools are experimenting with highly flexible models of learning that maximize opportunities to support learner preferences. The perceptions of these programs by teachers, parents, and students are crucial for building and maintaining community support and…

This study explores how online instructors use different instructional strategies to engage learners, and the active learning indicators that they look for among their students. Additionally, it examines how modality--synchronous versus asynchronous--and instructor learner-centeredness relate to instructional strategy choices. Using a mixed…

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, more K-12 teachers in the United States were teaching online than ever before, particularly in rural and economically distressed communities (US Department of Education, 2011), and since March 2020, nearly every teacher has become, at least for a little while, a virtual teacher. The purpose of this study was to…

Industry and higher education are increasingly utilizing online environments due to digitalization. As a result, the learning experiences in these new digital learning ecosystems as communities must be re-examined critically. This study incorporates the second cycle of the design-based research (DBR) study developing the design principles and…

This quantitative study explores the success rate of middle school students who chose to participate in virtual learning during the 2020-2021 school year. Students were provided access to the internet and Chromebooks and had attendance requirements within the program. Families that chose the virtual learning option agreed to give the students…