Present Education Research Articles

Building bridges to engineering interest: Connections between student perceptions of instructor actions and interest in engineering classes

AbstractBackgroundDevelopment of subject‐matter interest can motivate long‐term learning. Prior research indicates that what instructors do in learning environments and how students feel about their relationship to instructors influence students' learning via the motivational mechanism of interest. This study's research into instructor actions in online learning contexts and in student perceptions of relatedness and interest was inspired by the 21st century transition to online instruction accelerated by COVID‐19.Purpose/Hypothesis(es)This study sought to determine links between student‐perceived teaching presence and immediacy behaviors, perceptions of relatedness to the instructor, and course subject interest. We hypothesized that student interest develops from instructor actions mediated by perceptions of relatedness to the instructor.Design/MethodMultiple methods were used to investigate associations between instructor actions in college‐level engineering courses taught synchronously online and students' perceptions of relatedness to instructor and interest. Qualitative interviews with engineering instructors corroborated use of teaching presence and immediacy behaviors as constructs to describe online instructional actions. Quantitative surveys were administered to undergraduate students (n = 141) enrolled in synchronous, online engineering classes. Qualitative interviews with 10 students supplemented survey findings.ResultsPath modeling and regression models of results indicated that students' perceptions of teaching presence online, but not immediacy behaviors, were predictive of relatedness to instructor and situational interest in course content. Qualitative data corroborated the survey findings by giving voice to students' lived experience.ConclusionsSynthesis of results suggests strategies that could develop teaching presence and enhance student perceptions of relatedness to instructors online, ultimately enhancing interest in engineering.

Effects of Research Evaluation on Balkan Post-Socialist Countries

Research evaluation (RE) strongly affects actors in higher education nowadays. Accordingly, this article unveils the effects of RE on Balkan post-socialist countries (BPSCs). Stakeholder theory, systematic literature review, K-means cluster analysis, a sample of 25 papers, expert evaluations and synthesis/analysis underpin it. Main results: 1. Data was found for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH), Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Slovenia. 2. The negative RE effects outnumbered the positive (30 vs. 22). They were also more frequently cited (65 vs. 53). 3. The most cited negative effects were unfair evaluation in some disciplines and the rise of authors per publication, while enhanced collaboration was the most cited positive. 4. Specifics of RE effects on BPSCs were elucidated. 5. BPSCs 3-cluster maps were created for the positive, negative, and all RE effects. The maps of negative and all RE effects were the same, covering BIH and Romania in cluster 1 (titled ‘least positive, mid negative’), Bulgaria and Serbia in cluster 2 (‘mid positive, least negative’), Slovenia and Croatia in cluster 3 (‘most positive, most negative’). The positive map differed only for Serbia, assigned to the ‘least positive’ cluster. The primary role of this article is as a landmark for BPSCs research evaluation effectiveness.

Designing Group Work in Online Courses to Develop Preservice Teachers’ Professional Collaboration Skills

With post-secondary institutions increasing offerings of online courses, there is much to learn about how online group work is designed. This is of particular importance for professional certification courses where group work is used to develop skills needed to prepare students for their chosen field, such as K-12 education. As part of case study research, the authors synthesize findings collected from both instructors and students at Western Canadian post-secondary institutions offering online courses in their Bachelor of Education degree pathways. Seeking to understand how group work can be designed to build essential professional skills required in the teaching profession through online course delivery, data was collected through one online survey, semi-structured interviews, and course documents. Findings suggest four design considerations for online group work: (1) clearly articulate the purpose of group work, (2) provide learner support through teaching presence, (3) be intentional in how groups are established, and (4) leverage digital tools for collaboration. The results will serve to benefit faculty, students and educational policy makers in understanding how group learning in online courses can be designed to develop critical professional skills. This will particularly benefit post-secondary institutions providing online courses in professional fields.

Temporary instructor presence in lecture slides does not enhance online learning

Temporary instructor presence in lecture slides does not enhance online learning

Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, and Nomological Network of Teaching Presence in Online Foreign Language Education.

Though online learning has gained popularity in foreign language (FL) education, there is a lack of measurement tools with robust psychometric properties to comprehensively assess the quality of online FL instruction. This study explored the factor structure and measurement invariance of teaching presence in the framework of Community of Inquiry (CoI), a critical construct to understand instructors' responsibilities in precipitating and facilitating successful online learning. Data was collected from 564 college-level online learners of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL). Results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported a five-factor structure of teaching presence, including design and organization, facilitating discourse, direct instruction, assessment and feedback, and technological support. Further evidence was also found to support the internal consistency and convergent validity of the derived factor structure of teaching presence. The nomological validity of the developed scale was established with the positive relationships between each subcomponent of teaching presence and online interaction (learner-instructor interaction, learner-learner interaction, learner-content interaction, and learner-technology interaction). Multi-group CFA indicated strict measurement invariance of the 27-item teaching presence scale across gender, age, and prior online experience. The findings extended the theoretical strengths of the teaching presence construct into FL education and highlighted its important role in fostering interactive online FL learning environments. Furthermore, the developed teaching presence scale can serve as an effective tool for future teacher educators and practitioners to evaluate instructional quality from the learners' perspective, thereby ensuring meaningful online FL learning experiences.

Navigating the virtual landscape: A systematic review of approaches to cultivating a sense of community among distance learners in health and allied health disciplines

Recent years have seen an increase of distance learning in higher education, particularly accelerated due the COVID-19 pandemic with necessary social distancing measures. The present study concerns a systematic review focused on how educators foster and maintain a sense of community among distance learners in health and allied health disciplines. It uses a theoretical framework of communities of practice, groups united by shared interests, learning, and pursuit enhancement. Allied health students need a supportive environment that fosters resilience and camaraderie, preparing them for the collaborative nature of their profession. For the analysis, thematic content analysis was used on the content of nine relevant studies. This stepwise procedure of content analysis revealed three interconnected themes: instructor presence, collaborative interactions, and the learning environment's impact on students' sense of community. The results highlight the need for community-building in distance learning education and emphasize the importance of collaborative learning in virtual learning platforms to foster allied health student engagement and persistence. This research provides valuable insights for allied health educators seeking to enhance distance learning practices and create a more connected and inclusive learning environment for their students.

Seeking the optimal SPOC-based blended learning approach to enhance deep learning from the community of inquiry perspective

To equip students with 21<sup>st</sup> century skills to be competent global citizens and succeed academically and professionally, information and communication technology tools are being utilized to facilitate deep learning in higher education. This study integrated a small private online course (SPOC) with face-to-face (F2F) classroom learning to design and implement a blended English as a foreign language (EFL) course for deep learning. A mixed-method design was employed to investigate the learning experiences and perceptions of EFL students in the SPOC-based blended learning (BL) environment. The primary objective was to examine whether and how the teaching, social and cognitive presences were established from the perspective of the community of inquiry (CoI) model. Participants were 60 students enrolled in an eight-week English communicative course in a Chinese college. Quantitative data was obtained from the CoI and BL surveys, while qualitative data was gathered through individual interviews with 10 students. The results showed that a CoI was established, and deep learning happened in both SPOC and F2F learning areas with a more salient teaching presence in the SPOC area, a stronger social presence and a higher frequency of resolution phase reached in the F2F area. Furthermore, learners expressed satisfaction with the BL course, perceiving it as effective for English language acquisition. Pedagogical implications were offered to assist educators and institutions in optimizing the use of SPOC-based BL to enhance deep learning.

Designing values-based Learning Development spaces

Learning Development is emerging as a transformative force in the constantly evolving landscape of Higher Education (HE) requiring LD to adapt to the technological, cultural and pedagogical changes while embracing cultural diversity and weaving values into their pedagogical practices in the physical and virtual spaces that are available to them. Learning spaces play a crucial role in education, impacting student engagement, comfort and overall learning outcomes and therefore, it is crucial for LD to thoughtfully design diverse spaces for “Working in partnership with students and staff to make sense and get the most out of HE” one of ALDinHE’s (2024) Five Values of Learning Development and “promote engagement in learning and equity of opportunity for all to reach their potential” (PSF 2023). The poster illustrates how the campus-based LD office and ClassCollaborate for 1:1 and group tutorials in one UKHEI were intentionally designed to develop agentic, empowered learners who engage in meaningful conversations with the tutor and/or their peers, co-construct knowledge and navigate HE through respectful dialogue to make sense of their academic journey, thrive and achieve their goals. These dynamic, sustainable spaces are underpinned by Vygotsky's Social Constructivism (1978) and Laurillard's Conversational Framework (2002) demonstrating Teaching Presence (TP) and Social Presence (SP) fostering critical thinking essential for learning and Cognitive Presence (CP). LD spaces where TP, SP and CP, the interrelated elements of Garrison, Anderson, and Archer’s (2001) Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework interact, are inclusive places for creating deep and meaningful (collaborative-constructivist) learning experiences taking into account diverse learning needs including social justice issues. It is noteworthy that spaces influence how learning developers facilitate learning and how students learn on a case by case basis and the CoI can be a blueprint for designing future physical and virtual spaces for LD promotion.

Exploring Preschool Teachers’ Obstacles in Helping Children Teaching Malay Reading Skills

Reading problems among preschool children are not a new thing for preschool teachers. This article discusses the constraints and difficulties when helping preschool children master reading skills. This study used a qualitative method design involving 12 preschool teachers who teach in 12 National Schools in 7 states in Malaysia. The criteria of the non-random sampling selection were based on employment in the preschool field, having eight years of teaching experience, and being a Principal Trainer (JU) in the preschool field. Analysis by the interview method was conducted online. Each interview conducted was recorded. The NVivo software has been used to facilitate the data management and analysis. The research design used Grounded Theory to obtain the findings. The results of this study show that there are 11 factors representing the constraints and difficulties related to helping preschool children master reading skills. Among them are different levels of mastery, being forgetful or having a poor memory, being unable to recognise the alphabet, getting lost or lacking focus, diverse mastery, a lack of family support, limited time, background differences, a lack of interest in reading, the differentiation of the methods used or applied, and also the attitude or maturity of the preschool children. Preschool teachers also use various methods that can stimulate the children's interest and increase their confidence by having fun lessons to help them focus during the reading process, whether in the classroom or at home. This is because the practice of reading is not only focused on school but also elsewhere. In conclusion, the teacher's presentation plays an important role and effective methods need to be taken into account in order to attract children's interest to be involve in the learning session and subsequently increasing the level of mastery in reading. The importance of mastery of reading skills among children is emphasised in relation to their age. This is because reading is an important activity in human life, and because it is a basic skill of self-development related to gaining knowledge.

A Systematic Review of Blended Learning in Higher Education: Second Language Acquisition through the Community of Inquiry Framework

This study examined the application of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework in blended learning environments for second language acquisition in higher education. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA protocol, analyzing 25 peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2023 from Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC databases. The review investigated CoI implementation characteristics, the interplay of CoI elements, research methodologies, challenges, and best practices. Findings revealed a predominance of studies on undergraduate English learners, with mixed-methods approaches being most common. The integration of social, cognitive, and teaching presence significantly enhanced language acquisition and student engagement. Key challenges included technological integration, maintaining online engagement, effective instructional design, and addressing varying language proficiency levels. Best practices emphasized the strategic use of mobile applications, fostering online communities, enhancing teaching presence, and implementing personalized learning approaches. Gaps identified in the research included a predominant focus on English language studies, limited exploration at the graduate level, and a scarcity of longitudinal investigations examining long-term outcomes of CoI-informed blended learning. This review provided valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in blended language learning, offering a foundation for future research and implementation strategies. However, the study was limited by its focus on peer-reviewed articles from specific databases.

Mathematics Teachers’ Experiences of Using Online Teaching Resources for Professional Learning in a Context of Disadvantage

This interpretative phenomenological study adopted the Community of Inquiry framework to explore 30 South African teachers’ experiences of the effectiveness of Grade 9 online mathematics teaching resources. A survey questionnaire with open-ended questions and a semi-structured interview guide were used to obtain data on the teachers' experiences. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic coding approach. The findings were that the teachers positively experienced the efficacy of online teaching materials for their professional development in terms of cognitive, social, teaching and learning presences. Using WhatsApp groups to share and discuss the online materials enhanced a common identity (social presence), deep engagement with the mathematical and pedagogical content knowledge of the materials (cognitive presence), (peer) teaching and (peer) learning from one another via WhatsApp (social media) chat groups (teaching and cognitive presences) that collectively eased curriculum implementation and enhanced student learning. However, limited facilitator teaching presence and limited internet access for both teachers and learners constrained the platform's benefits. Participating teachers reported spending at least three hours per week searching for online teaching resources, sometimes fruitlessly, indicating a need for more digital literacy training. The study makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the potential benefits of online resources for teaching complex mathematics topics such as fractions and familiarity with the obstacles that need to be overcome. The more teachers and students turn to online resources, the more the findings of this study can inform the development of such resources to improve mathematics learning outcomes for schools in contexts of disadvantage.

A situated expectancy-value theoretical perspective of teaching presence and student engagement in blended learning environments

Teaching presence is a key factor affecting student engagement, yet scant research has examined the uniquely longitudinal effect of teaching presence on student engagement. This study, guided by the the processual, situated, and directional lens of Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT), employed longitudinal structural equation modeling to analyze data from 258 undergraduate students at a Chinese university, investigating how initial teaching presence influenced subsequent motivational constructs (self-efficacy and course value) and student engagement in blended learning environments. Our findings revealed there was an evolving and complex interplay among these constructs. Teaching presence demonstrated a sustained autoregressive effect of itself. Meanwhile, teaching presence acted as a situated catalyst that not only impacted immediate student engagement but also later perceptions of course value and self-efficacy, which in turn increased student engagement levels at the end of the semester. Furthermore, while self-efficacy and course value mediated the relationship between teaching presence and student engagement, the mediating effect of course value was more pronounced. Additionally, the directionality of predicting relationships, revealing a predominant influence from teaching presence to student engagement, rather than a reciprocal relationship. This research underscores the importance of instructional strategies prioritizing a robust teaching presence to initiate a cycle of positive student engagement in blended learning environments. By understanding the longitudinal effects of teaching presence, educators can develop more effective approaches to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

From recorded to AI‐generated instructional videos: A comparison of learning performance and experience

AbstractGenerative AI (GAI) and AI‐generated content (AIGC) have been increasingly involved in our work and daily life, providing a new learning experience for students. This study examines whether AI‐generated instructional videos (AIIV) can facilitate learning as effectively as traditional recorded videos (RV). We propose an instructional video generation pipeline that includes customized GPT (Generative Pre‐trained Transformer), text‐to‐speech and lip synthesis techniques to generate videos from slides and a clip or a photo of a human instructor. Seventy‐six students were randomly assigned to learn English words using either AIIV or RV, with performance assessed by retention, transfer and subjective measures from cognitive, emotional, motivational and social perspectives. The findings indicate that the AIIV group performed as well as the RV group in facilitating learning, with AIIV showing higher retention but no significant differences in transfer. RV was found to offer a stronger sense of social presence. Although other subjective measures were similar between the two groups, AIIV was perceived as slightly less favourable. However, the AIIV was still found to be moderately to highly attractive, addressing concerns related to the uncanny valley effect. This research demonstrates that AIGC can be an effective tool for learning, offering valuable implications for the use of GAI in educational settings. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Instructional videos, especially those featuring a teacher's presence, have been widely used in second language learning to facilitate learning. Producing instructional videos is costly and burdensome. Generative AI has great potential for generating educational content. What this paper adds An AI‐generated instructional video (including generated lecture text, voice and appearance) demonstrated greater improvement in students' retention performance in English word learning than a traditional recorded video. Students perceived no significant differences between the AI‐generated instructional video and recorded video in satisfaction, motivation, trust, cognitive load, emotions and parasocial interaction dimensions, although the AI‐generated instructional video group reported slightly lower values. Despite AI‐generated instructional video eliciting a significantly lower value of social presence than recorded video, it led to a reduction in cognitive load and better performance. Implications for practice and/or policy We recommend using the AI‐generated instructional video in both physical and online classes for its positive effects on both learning achievement and learning experience. The findings indicate the equivalence principle in AI‐generated content, highlighting that the appearance, voice and lecture text generated by current AI technology have reached a certain level of quality.

Blended learning and the universal design for learning: Practical implications and students’ perceptions

ABSTRACT The incorporation of universal design for learning (UDL) in higher education holds promise for enhancing student engagement and fostering deeper learning experiences. This case study delves into the implementation of UDL in a blended graduate course by examining students’ perceptions of their learning encounters. Data collection involves an online survey followed by in-depth semistructured interviews, with the aim of gaining insights into participants’ perspectives. This study highlights the significance of thoughtful consideration of instructor presence in blended learning settings where physical presence may be limited. The attributes of UDL courses, such as flexibility, clarity, and rigour, significantly influence student experiences. This study contributes valuable insights to the existing UDL literature in higher education, informing the creation of more inclusive and engaging blended learning initiatives. The study’s outcomes have the potential to offer guidance to educators, instructional designers, and policymakers seeking to effectively integrate UDL principles into blended learning environments.

Portrait of Mary and Manggarai Women in “Dere Serani”: The Encounter of Religion and Culture

Catholics hold Mary, the mother of Jesus, in high esteem. The widespread presence of Marian devotions, teachings, dogmas, symbols, titles, art, and places of pilgrimage in various church regions across the globe demonstrates this phenomenon. This study investigates the portrayal of Mary at the Manggarai Catholic Church, which is situated in the Diocese of Ruteng, Flores. This study aimed to analyze the songs performed by Maria that are featured in the book “Dere Serani.” The central investigation focused on whether the depiction of Mary in songs is impacted by the representation of women in the local culture or not. This study utilized two main approaches, namely text content analysis and cultural studies. This study discovered that the depiction of Mary that is adopted by the local community extends beyond local perspectives and incorporates global viewpoints.

Held Captive and Told to Play

Research has demonstrated the need to prepare higher education faculty for transitioning from in-person to online modality. Researchers note the need to train faculty in course design, building classroom community, and establishing a teaching presence, among other things. This paper describes a professor’s participation in a university-funded professional development programme that aimed to boost quality in instructional design and result in rapid deployment of online courses. The programme required the professor to enrol in a foundation course in online teaching during the Summer 2023 semester and to transition two doctoral courses to online modality in time for the Fall 2023 semester. The foundation course focused on course design, accessibility, instructional roles, community, and more. Keys to the successful transition were the incentive offered by the university, one-on-one support for assisting with building the course in the learning management system, the 10-week immersion with a focus on course design, and being given time to play with new technologies. Other important takeaways from the summer experience are described. These meaningful practices for professional development may be useful to universities as they consider how best to enhance online teaching and learning, especially faculty motivation and training.

Does community of inquiry really matter in understanding online learning? A confirmed perspective using mixed method

AbstractHigh dropout rates in online courses, caused by potential factors such as financial issues, low motivation and poor self‐regulation among learners, pose a significant challenge to the sustainable development of online education. Therefore, continuance of online courses has become a critical topic in both the academic and practical fields. By combining the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI) with Expectation‐Confirmation Theory, this study introduces three new constructs—confirmed teaching presence (CTP), confirmed cognitive presence (CCP) and confirmed social presence (CSP)—into the research model to understand how confirmed expectations towards CoI determine online learners' course continuance intention. Utilizing a mixed‐methods approach, the study conducted quantitative analysis on 409 learner surveys using partial least squares (PLS), followed by semi‐structured interviews, which revealed the depth and breadth of the confirmed CoI expectations on learners' willingness to continue learning. Specifically, the quantitative results uncovered the differential effects of CTP, CCP and CSP on learners' course continuance intentions by elucidating the internal mechanisms. The interviews provided deeper insights by illuminating online learners' initial expectations as well as their pre‐course and post‐course expectations. The findings of the study not only provide evidence of the crucial role of confirmed expectations in shaping online learners' course continuance intention but also offer actionable recommendations for improving online course design and fostering lifelong learning. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Online courses have expanded in scale and attracted a large number of learners in recent years, the large base of online learners has brought tremendous and unprecedented challenges to online course development. A high dropout rate is especially considered as a severe issue for online course development. The issue of learners' continuance intention was often explored from a technological perspective and at the platform level by using Information system (IS) theories. The community of inquiry (CoI) framework was extensively utilized as a theoretical basis for understanding online learning experiences and its three elements—teaching, cognitive and social presences—have long been deemed as major antecedents that influence learners' online learning behaviours and intentions. What this paper adds This paper integrated the community of inquiry (CoI) framework with Expectation confirmation theory and proposed three new variables: confirmed teaching presence (CTP), confirmed cognitive presence (CCP) and confirmed social presence (CSP). The study reveals the internal mechanisms by which the three confirmed expectations impact online learners' courses continuance intention. This implies that different confirmed expectations may have varying effects on online learners' learning behaviour. This research collects data from multiple sources to comprehensively explore online learners' expectations and perceptions. It also sheds light on the importance of learners' actual participation in the learning process for predicting their behavioural intentions. Implications for practice and/or policy The finding that learners' confirmed expectations impact their online course continuance intention conveys an important message to course practitioners: exaggerated or false claims for the online course must be avoided to prevent students from forming unrealistic expectations. Improving online learners' course completion rate cannot be hinged upon simply and blindly fostering and extending the three presences. Instead, knowing learners' confirmed expectations of the three presences allows course practitioners to reconsider and organize the important course elements. The research reveals the distinct role that each confirmed presence plays in promoting online learners' course continuance intention and, meanwhile, expands the understanding of learners' learning needs and experiences. Practitioners could make timely and appropriate strategies based on these to better motivate course learners' engagement and retention.

The right to education or freedom of education: constitutional and sectoral aspects

This article analyses the distinction between the right to education and freedom of education in the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the European Court of Human Rights. The article deals with the issues of legislative regulation of the right to education. The author analyses international and national legal acts on the right to education, problems of reforming education and science in the context of the Association of Ukraine and the European Union. The author considers optimisation of the organisation and conduct of scientific research and general approaches to education reform aimed at innovative development of education. In modern societies, we often hear that education is associated with the words “right” and “duty”, but not everyone knows what this means in practice. Although it seems easy to talk about education nowadays, this was not the case in the past and many reforms have taken place over the years to make this right and duty more and more relevant. First of all, it should be said that the right and obligation to education has modern roots in democratic societies that recognise and guarantee education for all individuals. Theoretical issues related to the right to education have not yet been the subject of modern legal science have not yet been the subject of a multidimensional study. The study of the of the human right to education usually involves consideration of the issues of implementation as a public service in educational institutions of various types and the protection of the right by the state authorities of Ukraine. The human right to education regulates social relations related to any form of education and upbringing, has a programme and targeted nature, which is expressed in the need for continuous improvement of legislation on education and state activities related to the realisation of the right to to education. This process is carried out on the basis of joint activities of a person, the state and society represented by represented by commercial and state institutions, whose interests are united by a single focus, and complement each other. Education is a human right in the modern international order. It is one of the so-called second-generation rights, i.e. rights that require the state to ensure positive fulfilment, to act in favour of their observance.

게더타운 플랫폼을 활용한 대학 원격교육에서 실재감과 학습몰입이 학습성과에 미치는 영향

Objectives The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of presence and learning flow on learning outcomes in university distance education using metabus and to examine its educational effects. Methods The subjects of this study are 124 students who answered all of the remote-centered and blended learning students established at J University. An analysis was conducted using SPSS 28.0 and simple regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted to verify the research hypothesis. And to verify the mediating effect, it was analyzed according to the three-step procedure of Baron & Kenny. Results The results of the survey are First, cognitive, social presence and learning flow had a significant impact on learning outcomes. Second, the teaching presence did not have a significant impact on learning flow and learning outcomes. Third, learning flow has been shown to have a significant impact on learning outcomes. Fourth, it has been verified that immersion in learning has a complete mediating effect in relation to cognitive, social presense, and learning outcomes, and that the teaching presence has no mediating effect. Conclusions Through this study, confirmed evidence that in university distance education using the Gathertown platform can improve students learning outcomes. In addition, raised the need to find ways to improve the teaching presence in the Gathertown environment, and discussed ways to activate distance education using the Gedatown platform.

Digital Active Learning Strategies in Blended Environments to Develop Students' Social and Emotional Learning Skills and Engagement in Higher Education

ABSTRACTThe COVID‐19 pandemic has led to a shift towards online and blended learning; however, most students and faculty members still report more challenges in online courses regarding social interaction and engagement. This paper aimed to design an interactive blended course following Merrills' first principles of instruction model to develop students' social and emotional learning skills and engagement in higher education. A mixed‐method design, including questionnaires and interviews, was used with a sample population which consisted of 90 graduate students and divided into two groups, an experimental and a control group. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in‐terms of social–emotional learning skills and students' engagement due to the high perception of the experimental group. The findings also revealed that the most dominant social–emotional learning skills that appeared to be supported by applying these strategies from the students' point of view were self‐awareness and social awareness. The study also found that instructor presence, effective course design and appropriate use of technology significantly influenced students' engagement.