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Open educational resources (OER) have been praised for revolutionizing education. However, practitioners and instructors battle keeping OER updated and measuring their impact on students’ performance. Few studies have analyzed the improvement of OER over time in relation to achievement. This longitudinal study uses learning analytics through the open-source Resource Inspection, Selection, and Enhancement (RISE) analysis framework to assess the impact of continuous improvement cycles on students’ outcomes. Panel data (i.e., performance and use) from 190 learning objectives of OER of an introductory sociology course were analyzed using a hierarchical linear model. Results show that more visits to an OER do not improve student achievement, but continuous improvement cycles of targeted OER do. Iterative implementation of the RISE analysis for resource improvement in combination with practitioners’ expertise is key for students’ learning. Given that the RISE classification accounted for 65% of the growth of students’ performance, suggesting a moderate to large effect, we speculate that the RISE analysis could be generalized to other contexts and result in greater student gain. Institutions and practitioners can improve the OER’s impact by introducing learning analytics as a decision-making tool for instructional designers. Yet, user-friendly implementation of learning analytics in a “click-and-go” application is necessary for generalizability and escalation of continuous improvement cycles of OER and tangible improvement of learning outcomes. Finally, in this article, we identify the need for efficient applications of learning analytics that focus more on “learning” and less on analytics.

This study explored the complex dynamics of student engagement, community of inquiry, and transactional distance in online learning environments. The study analyzed 1,281 participants’ responses to identify the factors contributing to online learning outcomes. The research highlighted the crucial role that transactional distance and community of inquiry play in shaping students’ behavioral engagement and provided insight into their significant impact on participants’ learning experience. Through a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, the research uncovered the complex relationships among these variables, thereby providing valuable insights for educators and institutions aiming to enhance the online learning experience. The results have significant implications for educational practitioners and policymakers, including practical strategies to increase student engagement and foster a lively community of inquiry in online learning environments. Ultimately, this research is a valuable resource for all those involved in online education, to help them understand the key factors that contribute to successful online learning experiences.

In today’s digitally driven era marked by widespread remote communication, individuals grapple with diverse challenges when undertaking speaking tasks from a distance. Despite extensive research on communication dynamics in virtual contexts, the specific hurdles associated with remote speaking tasks remain understudied. This research addresses this gap by qualitatively exploring the complexities of such challenges and proposing practical strategies for effective communication in virtual environments. Employing a qualitative research approach, a survey with open-ended questions was administered to 19 students in the English Education program, and NVivo 12 was used for analysis. The findings highlight technical and non-technical challenges in remote speaking tasks, emphasizing the critical role of digital proficiency and a stable technical infrastructure. The study underscores the need to address personal and social aspects, suggesting solutions that encompass a precise and adaptive approach, including ensuring a reliable Internet connection, strategic use of digital resources, enhancement of technical skills, and a holistic strategy to tackle both technical and non-technical challenges. This research implies that educators should prioritize developing students’ digital proficiency and adopt a comprehensive approach that tackles both technical and psychological challenges, aiming to boost confidence and interpersonal skills in virtual learning environments.

Sensing and Detection Technology is a core course in engineering specialties. Traditional sensor teaching methods have obvious deficiencies in cultivating students’ ability. To better foster students’ comprehensive qualities, this study explored a 4D1P (Four Dimensions and One Penetration) teaching mode. We independently developed an industrial sensor teaching platform with intellectual property rights, integrating classroom and sensor experiments to address the disconnection between traditional sensor teaching and practical application. This mode combined the teaching platform with SPOC (small private online courses) and Rain Classroom teaching software, enriching classroom teaching and stimulating students’ interest. By applying industry-academia-research integration to sensor teaching, students’ horizons were broadened and their creative thinking enriched. The mode set up discussion-based learning in the classroom, making the class atmosphere lively. Throughout the teaching process, data-driven learning and teaching evaluation were consistently applied, allowing teachers to promptly understand students’ learning situations. Data shows that under the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, students’ grades improved and they were satisfied with this teaching mode. This mode solves most current problems in university classroom teaching and significantly enhances students’ practical abilities. It also has certain significance for education in other disciplines.

Nursing care is the most critical element in nursing services, which aims to improve the patient’s health status. Ineffective and inefficient care documentation can impact the quality of nursing services. However, the increasingly advanced development of technology provides freedom for the health world to improve the quality of patient-centered services. Educational institutions have also used information technology in learning process activities. As prospective health professionals, students must be equipped with competencies to support their performance. In this study, a web-based nursing care information system was developed to assist students in documenting care activities. The website application was designed to increase student competency in nursing documentation activities to provide high-quality nursing services even though learning is online. The waterfall model approach was used in application design. The design stage started with analyzing application requirements, followed by system design and coding. Next, using a Likert-scale questionnaire, a usability test was performed on 15 beta users to assess the functionality of the application. The results showed that the nursing care website application was easy to use and that students felt satisfied. It is hoped that the website application can be made more attractive by including a decisional support system to make it easier for students to enforce nursing diagnoses on patients.

This study explores whether a range of socio-demographical factors predict adult learner self-directedness in the context of South African open and distance e-learning higher education (ODeLHE). We observe significant differences between socio-demographical groups in the sub-dimensions of the Adult Learner Self-Directedness Scale. The study advances a theory on adult learner self-directedness in ODeLHE contexts. Educators should consider learners’ support practices, particularly in the cases of women, Black Africans, and younger cohorts. ODeLHE practices should also consider learners’ high school grades and proficiency in English, their library access, number of modules they are enrolled in, and who they support financially as factors influencing their level of self-directedness. Such considerations can be used to address the need for the translation of knowledge into policies and activities that improve educational opportunities for students.

Open and distance education (ODE) has continuously evolved, significantly influencing educational, daily, and professional spheres, thereby prompting interest in its sustainability and quality. This study explored global scientific perspectives on quality assurance in ODE using the science mapping method. Search terms centred on open education, distance education, and quality assurance; data was gathered from 4,224 scientific texts in the Web of Science Core Collection. Analyses were conducted using VOSviewer software. Co-authorship analyses explored scientific collaboration structures at the country level. Globally shared concepts of interest to the scientific community were addressed using co-occurrence analyses. A detailed examination of co-occurrence outputs led to classification related to general and emerging key concepts. Results depicted a widespread global interest in quality assurance in ODE, fostering connections based on new cultural similarities. The concept of quality assurance in ODE continues to be enriched and developed, gravitating towards focused learning and instruction, establishing strong ties with various components of regular education as well as human elements. However, the prevailing view of quality assurance has yet to encompass this diversity. Rather than consider the nature and current potential of ODE, it has maintained an externalized and technical perspective.

Teacher training and a commitment to innovation in teaching are determining factors in the success of technology adoption processes. This article presents a study on the opportunities produced through the collaboration of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education and the ProFuturo program, which arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. This collaboration resulted in the improvement of digital competency among teachers and pupils and in transference to educational practise. It also strengthened the existing limited capabilities for developing mass training programs for teachers in the country. The research was conducted through an online survey, with a cross-sectional, quantitative, and non-experimental focus from two data sources. A total of 3,565 teachers answered the digital survey for teachers trained using the Open Model in Ecuador between 2020 and 2022. On the other hand, 7,257 teachers answered the ProFuturo Self-Assessment of Digital Skills of Teachers (https://competencyassessment.profuturo.education/?lang=en). The results show an improvement in the competency of teachers following their participation in the program and confirm that they considered digital transformation in the classroom to be of great utility. Teacher training remains a cornerstone of high-quality education and research as this contribution proves a positive impact on learning experiences, where there was a significant transference, driven by an improvement in digital skills applied to the teaching process.

This paper examines the pervasive discourse of disruption in OER literature by recounting a facilitated conversation hosted at the 2023 Open Education Global conference held in Edmonton, Alberta. This dialogue used Bacchi’s “what is the problem represented to be” (WPR) approach to structure the conversation in four movements. The first movement problematized the concept of OER by discussing the educational challenges OER supposedly addresses, such as the high cost of textbooks. The second movement considered the genealogy, historical development, and philosophical underpinnings of OER. The third movement accounted for the disruptors within the OER movement, exploring what OER have disrupted and discussing if disruption is even a legitimate goal of OER. The fourth and final movement pivoted to examine resistors and forms of resistance to OER, including the protection of intellectual property rights, copyright concerns, and Marcuse’s idea of repressive tolerance. This single conversation generated a small but important piece of social intelligence within a much larger dialogue about open education, open pedagogy, and OER during a time of flux (characterized by intense politicization, the relentless progression of educational technology, the intensification of marketization, and the growing popularity of all-inclusive textbooks). This social intelligence can be used to guide the next transition phase for OER development. While the conversation does not offer tidy solutions or even clear recommendations, it does suggest that the next wave of OER practitioners would always do well to focus on the goals OER can achieve, not what they hope to disrupt.

During the last decade, a growing interest in open educational resources (OER) has developed among educational researchers worldwide. This trend involves the examination of possible effects over diverse learning domains such as the development of literacy and digital skills in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. To address this matter, a systematic literature review was conducted using PRISMA processes on 62 research articles published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals indexed in two major academic databases (Scielo and Scopus). Data collected during this literature review showed certain conditions that must be met to ensure a successful learning setup when OER are involved. Moreover, qualitative analysis revealed that certain attributes of openness are often more influential than others in the development of adequate literacy skills for the artificial intelligence era; also, there is an overall positive perception, from students and teachers alike, about the introduction of the attributes of openness and open materials into learning practices.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many things changed in people’s educational lives as individuals transitioned to remote learning. While technologically advanced countries swiftly adapted to the new normal, less developed countries encountered substantial obstacles. This study aimed to compare distance education practices during the lockdown in four OECD countries (Belgium, Japan, Spain, and Türkiye) and provide future-oriented suggestions. A systematic literature review was conducted using OECD documents on distance education practices accessed through the OECD iLibrary database with a keyword search. Nine papers out of 1,294 meeting inclusion criteria were thoroughly reviewed, focusing on categories such as general information, sample practices, implementation challenges, conducting courses, supporting students during the lockdown, and evaluation and national examinations. A descriptive analysis was performed based on coding categories. Findings revealed that school closure durations varied by country and educational level, with each country adopting approaches suitable for distance learning. Online learning platform development was similar across countries, except for Japan, which has a distinct curriculum structure. Challenges, including technological limitations and resistance to change, were common, exacerbated by a lack of expertise and the need for rapid adaptation. Distance education primarily relied on computers, television, and homework, with radio use varying. Decision-making processes differed across countries, with centralized decision-making observed in Türkiye. Supporting disadvantaged students and addressing learning losses were prioritized, and national exams were postponed with changes in content and the number of questions.

Disabled students are increasingly choosing to attend higher education. Online learning has the potential to meet the needs of disabled students in unique ways. However, questions remain about how well online learning is meeting the needs of disabled students and in what ways institutions are prepared for and actively providing students with accessible and inclusive online learning opportunities. This paper presents the results of a literature review of 91 sources focused on accessible and inclusive online learning. Themes that emerged from the literature are discussed, as are future implications for research and practice.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the structural relationship among the job demands and job resources of institutions regarding online teaching, faculty’s emotional exhaustion and autonomous motivation in online teaching, and their satisfaction in teaching. Since the pandemic, regardless of the capacities of universities where faculty work, there has been an increasing sense that the quality of online education and institutional decisions to offer more online courses and programs would be one of the most significant strategic steps for the universities. This has brought new job demands and at the same time new resources, for faculty’s work in the area of teaching. Situated in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, we collected survey data from 261 faculty members at US higher education institutions who teach online courses. The findings indicate the significant effect of job demands associated with online teaching on faculty’s emotional exhaustion. The study also highlights the mediating role of faculty exhaustion from online teaching on the relationship between job demands and satisfaction with their teaching. Moreover, emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between job demands and motivation for online teaching. This study contributes to the current literature by sharing insights on the motivation and well-being of university faculty who face constantly changing job demands and workplaces. Implications for future research and practices to extend and apply the findings are discussed.

Educational Data Mining (EDM) has recently received significant attention, leading to the development of various Data Mining (DM) methodologies for extracting hidden knowledge within educational data. This knowledge is crucial for enhancing teaching methods and improving student learning experiences, ultimately contributing to better student performance and overall educational outcomes. Students confront difficulties in selecting appropriate courses and suitable departments, which is regarded as the most important factor in avoiding career failure. Predicting students’ academic performance is vital for evaluating the success of educational institutions. In this study, eleven Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and three Deep Learning (DL) algorithms namely Support Vector Classification (SVC), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Logistic regression (LR), Decision tree (DT), Linear discriminant analysis (LDA), Quadratic Discriminant Analysis (QDA), Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting (GB), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (Light GBM), Extra Trees, Deep Artificial Neural Network (DANN), Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), were evaluated using real dataset from the Faculty of Computers and Information Sciences (FCIS) at Mansoura University (MU). A prediction model was developed to predict students’ academic grades in upcoming courses based on their past performance, alongside a recommendation model for guiding students towards suitable courses and departments. The results demonstrate that the Support Vector Classification (SVC) model outperformed others, achieving a 78.04% multi-classification accuracy and a 75.37% F1-Score. This study underscores the potential of individual ML and DL models to predict students’ academic performance based on real dataset features.

Digital technologies hold considerable promise for fostering both active and self-directed learning (SDL). However, understanding of how and to what extent educators employ them in higher education to meet this dual objective is still in its nascent stages. This study explored techno-pedagogical competencies among college educators for facilitating active and SDL. Techno-pedagogical competencies refer to the integration of technological skills with pedagogical knowledge that educators require to effectively facilitate learning with digital technologies. We also examined the educator’s perceptions of SDL involving the use of digital technologies. The research population comprised 156 educators from diverse academic disciplines across five Israeli teaching colleges. Utilizing a questionnaire, tailored for this study, and semi-structured interviews, the research reveals that the educators deployed digital technologies primarily to enhance their instructional methods and foster active learning and collaboration among students. Notably, only a limited number of the educators actively encouraged SDL by involving students in the selection and adaptation of digital tools. The interview findings revealed that their pedagogical perspectives on SDL often lacked depth and that they did not provide their students with choices. However, participants underscored the pivotal role of group and collaborative learning within digital contexts as a mechanism to foster SDL, unveiling an interesting perspective. To foster active and SDL it is vital to enhance technological skills while simultaneously fostering a pedagogical understanding of the significance of direct learners’ involvement in the use and selection of digital tools adapted to their educational needs. This dual approach is essential for the effective implementation of active and SDL methodologies within digital teaching environments.

Extensive studies have been conducted to examine the effectiveness of the personalized games on students’ engagement and flow. However, engagement and flow were examined separately rather than concurrently in previous studies. In fact, engagement and flow are two interrelated entities and share similarities but the occurrence differs. How the interrelationship between engagement and flow impacts student learning in the personalized gaming environment has been seldomly investigated. Aiming to fill this gap, this study examined the impact of personalization on student engagement and flow concurrently within a gaming environment. The results showed that personalization had a significant impact on students’ engagement, specifically students’ focused attention. However, a significant difference in flow was not observed. Flow (primarily concentration, autotelic experience, and loss of self-consciousness) exhibited a strong correlation with engagement (primarily focused attention). The findings indicated that the personalization game feature could be used to engage students but needs to incorporate additional non-game features, such as instructional features, to promote the flow.

The present study conducted two experiments to investigate the impact of pedagogical agent’s emotional expression on multimedia learning from multi-faceted perspectives. Experiment 1 explored the overall impact of the pedagogical agent’s emotional expression (positive vs. neutral) on learning from a macro perspective. The positive pedagogical agent (PPA) had a smiling face and an enthusiastic voice, while the neutral pedagogical agent (NPA) displayed a neutral facial expression and a neutral voice. Sixty undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Results showed that compared to NPA, PPA increased enjoyment but also induced frustration. Furthermore, it had no significant impact on intrinsic motivation or learning performance. Building on the results of Experiment 1, Experiment 2 explored the dynamic impact of the pedagogical agent’s emotional expression (positive vs. neutral) on learning processes from a micro perspective. Results showed that the dynamic impact of the pedagogical agent’s emotional expression was emotional-specific: PPA had an obvious advantage over NPA only when learners were enjoyable. However, presenting a PPA when learners were surprised could hinder learning. When learners felt frustrated and confused, PPA and NPA had their own advantages and disadvantages. Learners could benefit from both types of pedagogical agents when their emotions were neutral but disengaged from learning when they were bored. Therefore, pedagogical agents should identify learners’ emotions in real time and exhibit positive emotions on appropriate occasions.

Task complexity emerges as one of the factors affecting the computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) process, group dynamics, and processes. Upon reviewing the literature, it becomes apparent that there are conflicting results regarding the impact of escalating task complexity on group dynamics and collaboration processes. The lack of clear findings in the literature on how task complexity affects group processes in CSCL makes instructors uncertain about how to adjust the level of task complexity in CSCL processes. This uncertainty may lead to the negative effects of assigning tasks that are too difficult or too easy on group processes. The starting point of this research is whether giving complex tasks in CSCL improves group dynamics and collaboration. This study aimed to explore the effects of task complexity on group atmosphere, group cohesion, and the group’s transactive memory system in CSCL. One distinctive feature of this research within the educational context is the utilization of Zoom as the platform for CSCL. Although Zoom is used extensively for cooperative learning, especially after the pandemic, less research is examining its use in terms of CSCL. Zoom has been widely used due to its ease of use, high speed, and capacity, and CSCL features such as a whiteboard. However, there is a need for research in the literature regarding the collaborative learning process and outcomes using Zoom as a CSCL tool. The research was conducted on 166 university students studying in the field of computer science education. The analysis was carried out in the programming education course, which was taught with the CSCL method. Self-report scales of perceived task complexity, group atmosphere, group cohesion, and transactive memory were used in the research. Path analysis was performed in the study of the data. Research findings show that perceived task complexity greatly influences the transactive memory system. As task complexity decreases, the group's transactive memory system develops. It was seen that the transactive memory system had no effect on group cohesion, and group cohesion had a significant effect on the group atmosphere. Depending on the increase in group cohesion, the group atmosphere develops. Based on the research findings, several recommendations were provided for researchers and educators to manage the structure and processes of CSCL groups and to adjust task complexity.

The rise of online and hybrid learning in universities, especially due to the pandemic, has not only revolutionized how students learn, but also blurred the boundaries between work, school, and leisure activities because of the pervasive use of technology surrounding students in their daily lives. The purpose of this study is to investigate, using coping theory, the relationships among academic self-efficacy, academic procrastination, and techno-overload, three constructs especially crucial in the current education climate. Using a sample of 179 undergraduate students, we found that techno-overload partially mediates the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic procrastination. This finding demonstrates that techno-overload helps further explain how academic self-efficacy is negatively associated with procrastination. Specifically, academic self-efficacy is negatively related to techno-overload which is then positively linked to procrastination. Consistent with coping theory, our findings highlight the importance of mitigating technology-related stress in order to reduce academic procrastination. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Providing pre-training on new material can simplify complex content for learners who may need guidance to understand basic facts and organize their efforts. However, the effect of pre-training on learning outcomes is controversial because it tends to vary by context. Our aim was to investigate the effectiveness of pre-training in reducing intrinsic cognitive load and improving learning in a computer-based learning environment. Predictors of learning were also investigated. A total of 384 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to experimental conditions within a Solomon four-group design (n = 293). An additional manipulation control group (n = 91) was also included to determine the effectiveness of the current pre-training activity in improving achievement scores. Results showed significant relationships between cognitive load and achievement. Intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load were negatively correlated with performance, while germane cognitive load was positively correlated. Cognitive load explained 20% of the variance in achievement. In addition, topic interest and achievement motivation were associated with cognitive load. Interestingly, despite evidence of the usefulness of pre-training from the manipulation control group, it did not significantly affect learning gains. That is, all groups exposed to the video instruction had significantly better post-test scores, but pre-training did not make a difference between the groups. However, pre-training did appear to be somewhat effective in reducing intrinsic cognitive load. Findings underscore the importance of considering cognitive load dynamics and motivational factors in instructional design strategies aimed at optimizing learning experiences and outcomes for undergraduate students.

This multiple case study explored the differences in online course design across disciplines using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework as a lens. While the CoI framework was developed to be generic, research on the CoI and disciplinary differences has called for changes to the framework, yet none of the studies have considered the instructors’ design decisions. Twelve cases were selected to represent the four disciplinary categories per Biglan’s framework (1973): hard-applied (n = 3), soft-applied (n = 3), soft-pure (n = 3), and hard-pure (n = 3); each case was a combination of instructor/teaching assistant and course, allowing us to deeply examine the course design elements and juxtapose the implemented design with the instructors’ reasoning behind their design decisions. Data sources consisted of pre-interview surveys, semi-structured interviews, and online course observations. A general case analytic strategy and a cross-case synthesis technique were employed to (a) construct case descriptions informed by the CoI framework and (b) compile and analyze patterns both within and across disciplines. The results indicated that CoI was a fit across all four disciplinary areas, regardless of instructors’ intention to purposefully design for a CoI. However, differences were observed in how indicators were applied within disciplines potentially due to differing values and emphasis of each discipline and individual instructor. This study has implications for both research and practice. Further research is needed to consider meaningful strategies for each CoI presence that are aligned with specific disciplinary practices while simultaneously updating the indicators traditionally used to represent the framework. The examples of different CoI indicators resulting from this research offer many useful possibilities for instructors to consider.

Evaluation is a crucial part of the teaching and learning process in any higher education institution and one that has gone through a deep change. This has been particularly true since the Bologna Declaration (http://www.ehea.info/page-ministerial-conference-bologna-1999, 1999) ushered in the European higher education area, with the subsequent major rise in the employment of continuous assessment methods focused on student participation. This article analyses the impact on academic performance of e-continuous assessment based on e-tests on a virtual platform as a previous step towards the substitution of the traditional evaluation system, based on a final exam, with a continuous evaluation system, prescribed as an alternative preferred by the regulations of multiple Spanish universities. Microeconometric models have been applied to a database of 250 first-year students on the Business Administration and Management course at the University of Seville (Spain). Our findings show that e-tests could prevent the risk of students dropping out and could also provide a credible predictor of students’ academic marks in the theoretical contents of the subject, but not in those of a practical or applied nature. Based on the results of this evaluation, an e-continuous assessment has been developed in the subject, which has become the majority option for students, with 90% participation, while also increasing pass rates. Moreover, the positive effect of a computing environment does not appear to be limited to the classroom, but also extends to students’ home environments. This teaching experience shows that the swift feedback that e-tools provides, especially in especially in environments of large class size such as in the class evaluated, could support instructors’ personal tutoring of students’ progress and promote a greater implementation of e-continuous assessment in Spanish higher education.

Use of online video lectures is increasingly common. However, students may struggle to self-regulate their attention and passively process the content. This study examined whether, and for whom, different types of embedded learning prompts improve student learning from video lectures. Undergraduate physics students (N = 253) watched an online, asynchronous physics lecture video as part of their course content. Students were randomly assigned to receive embedded cognitive prompts, metacognitive prompts, or a no-prompt control condition during the video, then took a quiz. A subset of students also reported perceived cognitive load after the video. Overall, students who received cognitive prompts exhibited higher quiz scores than students in the control condition. Scores in the metacognitive prompt condition did not differ from those of either other condition, demonstrating a middling effect. Perceived cognitive load did not differ between conditions. A subset of students additionally completed measures of individual differences in study approaches and metacognitive skills. Students who reported having more disorganized study approaches benefited the most from cognitive prompts. Individual differences in surface/deep processing approaches and metacognitive skills did not interact with prompt condition. These findings detail a simple intervention to increase cognitive engagement during online lectures while not increasing the reported mental effort required. These prompts may be most effective for students who otherwise have difficulty organizing their study time.

This study examined and compared the effects of two types of online peer assessment, namely, “free selection and invitation” (FS&I) assessment and the commonly implemented “assigned-pair” (AP) assessment, on undergraduates’ research competencies, flow, motivation, and interaction, supported by the Cloud Classroom online learning system. Ninety-three undergraduates from a research methods course participated in this study. They were randomly divided into two groups: an FS&I group and an AP group. The two groups experienced exactly the same teaching conditions except for different online peer assessment types. The study was conducted over one semester (16 weeks). Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to examine the effects of the two types of online peer assessment. Regarding research competencies that were represented by conceptual knowledge and research proposal, this study found that the FS&I and AP groups showed no significant difference in conceptual knowledge score, and that the FS&I group performed significantly better in the quality of research proposals than the AP group. The FS&I group also manifested higher levels of flow and motivation than the AP group. Additionally, social network analysis (SNA) revealed that the FS&I group exhibited more interactions and closer connections with peers than the AP group. These results suggest that FS&I online peer assessment is an effective scaffolding that can improve undergraduates’ research competencies, learning engagement and willingness to interact. The implications of this study are also discussed.

COVID-19 dramatically influenced students’ and staff’s learning and teaching experiences and approaches to learning. While many papers examined individual experiences in the context of higher education, synthesising these papers to determine enabling and hindering influences of digital adaptation was needed to guide the next phase of online learning reforms. This study explored the main dimensions of digital technology adaptation in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The consequences for student and staff experiences and what aspects should be sustained and developed were discussed in this review. A total of 90 articles (published between 1st January 2020 and 30th June 2021) were identified and analysed based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses framework. Four dimensions (with associated sub-factors) were found to influence student and staff experiences: techno-economic; personal and psychological; teaching, learning and assessment; and social. The findings highlighted that an integrated approach, across institutional, technical platforms, and individuals would be required to sustain digital learning initiatives during the crisis time.

HyFlex learning environments have been meeting the unique needs of students and institutions for nearly 20 years. However, it was the pandemic that gave HyFlex its widespread acceptance and application. Literature suggests that HyFlex may now be considered part of the new norm in education and therefore, further study is needed on how it affects both teaching and learning. Our flipped design thinking course leverages active learning requiring the instructor and students to interact extensively. We piloted a specific version of HyFlex we named “Interactive Synchronous HyFlex” where students can participate on a daily basis in person or synchronously online. In this specific instance of HyFlex we explore: (1) Does student academic performance differ in the HyFlex environment compared to the Face to Face only environment? And (2) Does student academic performance differ based on how they chose to participate in the HyFlex course? Data were collected for this quasi-experimental study design on overall semester grades and three significant design projects during the semester. We compared the course offered as a Face to Face only experience to the course offered as a HyFlex course enabling remote participation. Second, we parse students in the HyFlex course into two categories: those who did not participate remotely vs. those who participated remotely once or more times. Students in the HyFlex course had a significantly different grade distribution earning more A’s and more F’s than their Face to Face only counterparts. Given the positive results of the Interactive Synchronous HyFlex approach, we plan to continue implementing it in our introductory design course though we will increase our attention on the remote students as they may need additional scaffolding to be successful.

Cheating in online exams without face-to-face proctoring has been a general concern for academic instructors during the crisis caused by COVID-19. The main goal of this work is to evaluate the cost of these dishonest practices by comparing the academic performance of webcam-proctored students and their unproctored peers in an online gradable test. With this aim in mind, we carried out a randomized field experiment using a simple video surveillance system through Google Meet during an online closed-book final exam of an Introduction to Microeconomics course. Given that all conditions except for webcam monitoring were identical, differences in between-subjects scores are attributed to academic dishonesty. After controlling for potential confounding factors, including gender, academic degree, instructor, previous score and whether students were repeaters or not, we found that those students who were proctored via webcam obtained statistically significant lower scores in the final exam than those who were not using this surveillance system with a low level of invasiveness. Inspection of the potential factors behind these differences in scores suggests that the poorer performance of proctored students is more related to academic dishonesty than to reasons involving anxiety or heterogeneity factors.

Institutions of higher education are interested in supporting the academic success of their students in the most effective ways possible. Increasingly, this means engaging students in a blend of both online and in-person learning activities as well as connecting students with supportive communities in both modalities. This research explores the efforts of an institution that is trying to create positive post-secondary learning experiences for thousands of adults who have experienced significant barriers to accessing higher education through traditional routes. Students around the world are supported through both online and local, in-person communities created to support their academic engagement. In this study we used social network analysis to examine and compare the influence of both in-person and online support communities on student affective and cognitive engagement. We also compared the strength of engagement support from peers, teachers, and personal family/friend networks. We found significant differences in the strength, frequency, and type of support offered by the online and in-person aspects of the program as well as in the students’ self-reported engagement and enjoyment between the two modalities. While in-person communities in this context had the greatest impact on both blended and in-person student engagement, the online community also had a significant effect on student engagement. This research adds to the blended learning literature by illustrating that course communities are not only distinguished based on time and actors, but also by modality. Support communities that occur in blended and online contexts affect student engagement in different, and often complementary, ways.

Sentiment Analysis (SA), a technique based on applying artificial intelligence to analyze textual data in natural language, can help to characterize interactions between students and teachers and improve learning through timely, personalized feedback, but its use in education is still scarce. This systematic literature review explores how SA has been applied for learning assessment in online and hybrid learning contexts in higher education. Findings from this review show that there is a growing field of research on SA, although most of the papers are written from a technical perspective and published in journals related to digital technologies. Even though there are solutions involving different SA techniques that can help predicting learning performance, enhancing feedback and giving teachers visual tools, its educational applications and usability are still limited. The analysis evidence that the inclusion of variables that can affect participants’ different sentiment expression, such as gender or cultural context, remains understudied and should need to be considered in future developments.

The aim of this study is to examine the development of self-regulated learning (SRL) of university students in an EFL course via Flipped classroom through a novel measurement roadmap. Microanalytic techniques were used throughout the process rather than students’ perceptions at a given moment. SRL skills scores are reported as well as sample testimonies from students as qualitative data used to explain the analytic measures. The study was conducted with 12 students studying at a public university and lasted for 6 weeks. A new system FCMWEB is designed throughout to monitor online SRL development taking Zimmerman (2008) SRL model as a basis. While the forethought phase was monitored in the online sessions and the performance and self-reflection phase were associated with the face-to-face sessions. Records from FCMWEB as microanalytic, worksheet, observation notes and self-reflection form were used as data collection tools. During the study, the sub skills of forethought phase, self-reflection phase and performance phase are analyzed and validated through students’ perspectives. The developments in the skills of the forethought and self-reflection phases were between sufficient and advanced levels. The performance phase was mostly sufficient, but also included poor and advanced levels. The results provide implications for course designers and instructors who desire to provide a better flipped classroom experience in EFL for university students.

This paper offers a synthesis on computing identity and the experiences of women and minoritized populations in computing and computer science in higher education. Examining computing identity and its role in the computing experiences of minoritized undergraduates can help us better understand ways to engage and support women and minoritized individuals in the computing field thus increasing participation and persistence of these groups in computing. In this article, we present a review of research literature on computing identity within the experiences of women and minoritized undergraduate students in computing. The research questions guiding this work are: (1) What research literature exists about computing identity?, (2) According to existing literature, what are the experiences of women and racially minoritized undergraduates in computing (e.g., persons who identify as Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous people)?, and (3) What theoretical frameworks are used to guide existing computing identity literature? Emergent themes include the need to focus on exposure to computing, persistence, career expectations, and engagement. While there is no consensus on a computer identity framework, there is research guided by social cognitive career theory, social identity theory, and practice theory. We conclude that computing identity, including its multiple conceptualizations, offers multiple opportunities for informing and broadening participation of minoritized populations in computing. Future research should include further conceptual exploration of computing identity.