What about online doctoral students? A review of e-Learning literature

Abstract

Recent increases in accessibility, enrollment in e-learning, and diversification of distance learning format delivery (such as MOOCs) have put e-learning in a state of perpetual evolution. The result is a dynamic environment where research as recent as five years ago may no longer be relevant. A review of contemporary e-learning research is needed to understand current trends in the industry of e-learning as well as determine where further research is needed. This article describes six themes identified in the literature by reviewing journal articles centric to e-learning from 2014 to 2019 using qualitative content analysis. The themes represent what is largely covered in the literature (e-learning anxiety, e-learning pedagogy, and student-centered models), and what is underserved in the literature?namely the dissemination and investigation of online doctoral programs. This article will briefly discuss these themes using highlighted works. The researchers will also explain the need to continue researching specialized e-learning subgroups, specifically online doctoral students.