Online Learning Experience Research Articles

Understanding Inclusivity in Online Learning from a Socio-material Lens

The global pandemic in 2020 has led to a recent rise of digital technologies in higher education internationally, which seems to make learning less restricted in terms of time and space (Oztok, 2019) and enhance inclusion and engagement in learning. However, it is necessary to distinguish the presence and interaction in online learning from true connectedness and inclusivity. Networked learning, as a concept being constantly explored by a small group of researchers since the 1990s and attracting increasing current attention, is built around the different kinds of connections between students and instructors, as well as human and non-humans (NLEC, 2021). This paper emphasizes the need to be aware of the dimension of connection constructed through the assemblage of humans, materials and discourses. Adopting a socio-material perspective, the assumed high accessibility of online learning and the neo-liberal discourse of a ‘good learner’ are challenged and care is proposed as an approach to improve inclusivity in online learning in higher education. This paper is drawn from the data of a comparative research study that explores the online learning experience of undergraduate students in one case study university in China and the UK respectively. The research consisted of qualitative interviews with students and academics in the case discipline Sociology. The findings suggest a mismatch between students’ and teachers’ perception of what makes effective engagement. Although the teachers recognise certain difficulties in online courses, such as technical issues for organizing small group discussions, arguably the implied neo-liberal message is that hard-working ‘good’ students will always participate, regardless of where or how they learn. However, interviews with students in both contexts show that the specific surroundings in formal and informal educational settings, the interaction and support from peers, and the way their status is recognised in the community concomitantly mediate their experience, in addition to their abilities or motivation. This research contributes by highlighting the potential of emergent forms of networked learning in terms of unveiling the issues of established discourses including neoliberalism. It provides suggestions for future practices by proposing the role of care, supported by the findings, in tackling disengagement and exclusion, and pivoting students around supportive learning. Further, it adopts a socio-material perspective that fills a gap created by the dominance of human-centred research, generating reflections on the use of online materials in higher education.

Enhancing online learning environments through real-time social presence dashboards

Online learning is promoted to play a pivotal role in the future of education, necessitating a focus on student engagement and interactivity as essential components for successful online educational environments. Social presence, as a construct capturing these social aspects, is extensively recognized, and investigated within the realm of education and widely shaping the online learning experience. However, a crucial gap remains in the absence of a real-time measurement of social presence.Drawing from prior research, this study identifies indicators derived from social network analysis as promising metrics for assessing social presence in online learning environments. What remains unclear is the means to effectively convey this information to instructors, enabling them to enhance the educational online experience. To address this gap, we conducted focus groups involving seven experts in online education and pedagogical expertise.Our findings reveal that the development of a social presence dashboard holds immense potential for enriching the online teaching experiences through the utilization of these identified indicators. Furthermore, incorporating additional visualizations and graphical representations with such dashboards can equip online instructors with the necessary insights to foster social interactions and capture real-time social dynamics within online courses.However, the implementation of such dashboards necessitates a careful consideration of important ethical and practical considerations, including informed consent procedures, student monitoring practices, and adherence to ethical standards. This research contributes valuable insights into the ongoing discourse on improving online education by leveraging technology to enhance social presence and pedagogical effectiveness.

Beyond Stereotypes

The Chinese government provided a narrow window for Chinese students during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, enabling them to remain in China and enrol in online courses provided by foreign universities. This was not authorised before the pandemic (Ministry of Education [MOE], 2020). As a result, there was limited research focusing on Chinese overseas students’ distance learning experiences before the pandemic (e.g., Kung, 2017). Furthermore, these studies have been criticised for their overuse of monolithic approaches and the underuse of theories, producing stereotypes and misunderstandings about Chinese students (Lee & Bligh, 2019; Xu, 2022). Despite the increasing number of studies on Chinese overseas students conducted during the pandemic, their online learning experiences have been significantly influenced by the unique situation, which may not be applicable in a post-pandemic scenario. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to investigate Chinese overseas students' networked learning experiences in the post-pandemic era. Building on the ongoing conceptualising effort (NLEC, 2021a), the authors have used learner-content interaction (Moore, 1989) and Berry’s acculturation theory (Berry, 2005) to explore online international Chinese students’ experiences of interaction with learning contents. The focus is on developing a holistic and balanced perspective of these students. Twelve students, enrolled in online graduate degree programmes offered by Western universities while residing in China, were recruited and interviewed. The results of the authors’ thematic analysis of the interview transcripts suggest that online Chinese international students are active agents in their interaction with the learning content and their adaptation to the new settings, in which they bridge a strong connection between Chinese and Western learning content to enrich their understanding of knowledge and promote cultural diversity in both their new environment and their home country. Here, online Chinese international students predominately employ an integration strategy to engage in learning content. Similar to international students from other countries, online Chinese international students encounter challenges due to differences in educational backgrounds, including differences in learning materials and extensive reading requirements. However, online Chinese international students proactively cope with these challenges by integrating knowledge and skills from their home country into their studies, facilitating successful adaptation to the new environment. In addition, the student interaction experience is undermined by a loss of diversity in content provided by Western universities. Therefore, the recommendations are for online educators and universities to take into account the cultural backgrounds of their students and design diverse course content.

Minecrafters

In response to significant global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, educational environments are undergoing a fundamental transformation towards collaborative online spaces and networked learning. Networked learning includes (a) the process of learning with and through other people and resources and (b) the environment (i.e., the internet) and platforms (i.e., YouTube, websites, social media, discussion forums) that support these connections or networks (Hodgson & McConnell, 2019). This shift in how learning is done necessitates a reevaluation of pedagogical methods to foster the development of students' global skills and competencies. These competencies, as defined by the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC), are recognized as essential for individuals to not only adapt but thrive in our current and future world. This world is characterized by unprecedented simultaneous challenges, often referred to as a 'polycrisis,' and rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (A.I.) that have the potential to reshape every aspect of human existence. Therefore, it is imperative that we delve into a deeper investigation and understanding of innovative pedagogical approaches to ensure students are adequately prepared for the evolving landscape. Collaboration is arguably one of the most important of the global skills and competencies as it underpins many of the essential skills youth need to thrive in educational and non-educational settings. More specifically, collaboration underpins the type of networked learning rising in popularity in formal and informal learning settings (Bülow & Nørgård, 2021). As a result, this exploratory research focuses on Minecraft: Education Edition (M:EE) as a tool for developing collaboration through critical making and team-based learning. Over a five-day spring-break camp, two cohorts of students (grades four to six and grades seven to eight) participated in open-ended design-based learning challenges online (in the virtual meeting platform, Google Meet, and in the virtual world, M:EE). Data analysis revealed that collaboration manifested itself in three primary modes: co-constructing knowledge, peer-teaching, and conflict management. Analysis further revealed that younger versus older students build and collaborate in the online environment very differently, which at times mirrored the 'real world' classroom. These findings have implications for designing age-appropriate online learning experiences to support collaboration in a networked environment, especially within virtual simulation and creation worlds like Minecraft.

Co-Constructing A Praxis for Critical Pedagogies of Care in Postdigital Tertiary Education

Like others in 2020, we found ourselves grappling with the sudden shift to fully online teaching and learning during COVID19 and the very pronounced negative impact of the sudden shift on students and faculty alike (Authors and colleague, 2022). In Aotearoa New Zealand emerging research revealed how tertiary students’ experiences of online learning during COVID19 were characterized by stress and anxiety, compounded by difficulties in communication between students, instructors, and support staff as well as by loss of income and limited access to campus resources. These challenges were even more pronounced among already marginalized students, such as Māori tertiary students. Simultaneously, messaging from ‘managers’ in our neoliberal university context was increasingly about ‘pastoral care for students,’ a message which we struggled to make sense of given the nature of the very real socio-political challenges our students faced. Confronting the uncertainties of COVID and related future crises we set out to explore how we could better plan for and accommodate increased flexibility and adaptability in instruction that is responsive to both students and current social contexts–given that, a) throughout the COVID19 pandemic, students and instructors were frequently absent due to illness even when on campus instruction resumed in New Zealand, and b) periodic lockdowns were part of the COVID19 management strategy in NZ, which meant sudden shifts to fully online instruction throughout the 2020-2022 academic years. Our premise was that the crisis required thoughtful deliberation on how we, as tertiary educators, might collectively address such a significant global challenge in our local context. We (authors) applied for and were awarded a 2-year leadership in teaching fellowship, a new fellowship program that aimed to support faculty innovation in teaching. The fellowship allowed us time to slow down and interrogate our approach to postdigital education during the period of Covid19, as well as beyond it. We sought out to ask critical questions of ourselves, such as those related to the form/manner in which we were using digital tools, what was meant by ‘pastoral care’ for students and what that should/could look like in postdigital pandemic times, questioning the discourses and aspirations around a post-pandemic ‘return to normal’.

Digital Inequalities and Student Engagement in Higher Education

During the COVID-19 pandemic, education systems worldwide were forced to shut down and transition to online learning. While distance learning and digital technology offer a practical solution to mitigate the negative effects of university closure, there is also a risk of exacerbating the pre-existing digital disparities by reducing opportunities for those from less privileged backgrounds. China, as one of the first education systems to experience system-wide closure during the COVID-19 crisis, adopted emergency online learning, following a policy entitled Suspending Classes Without Stopping Learning. In the past three years, we have witnessed a growing number of studies on students’ online learning experiences. However, most of these studies have focused on a behavioural perspective which centres on student behaviour and effective institutional practices, thereby neglecting the exploration of broader sociocultural contexts that may influence student experiences. Moreover, the majority of empirical studies have laid particular emphasis on quantitative measures of student engagement through large-scale surveys, while very limited studies have explored in-depth factors that influence student engagement. This short paper offers a brief overview of an ongoing research project that focuses on exploring the day-to-day digital practice of students in two different types of universities in China. Adopting a digital ethnographic approach including visual methods, online observations, semi-structured interviews and comparative ethnographic analysis, this study aims to provide a detailed qualitative understanding of student experiences working with digital technologies in both research-oriented universities and teaching-oriented universities. Throughout the theoretical discussion of different approaches to digital inequalities, this paper hopes to stimulate thinking about the forms of the digital divide that might exist in higher education and ultimately contribute to both academic and policy debates on the subject. By exploring the different meanings of student engagement, this paper exhibits some of the challenges and issues relating to conceptualising and measuring student engagement in the digital age. It is hoped that this paper will bring insights into reframing and conceptualising student engagement from a socio-material perspective that moves away from the dominance of behavioural and quantitative studies. The finding of this study will contribute to providing a nuanced understanding of the relationship between initial socioeconomic inequalities, differences in student engagement and resulting inequalities in post-higher education, which will potentially inform future educational practitioners and scholars alike in developing effective strategies to enhance student learning experiences in the digital sphere.

An fsQCA approach to identifying pathways to K-9 students’ online learning engagement

Student engagement has been shown to function as a pathway leading to valued educational outcomes. This study used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to reveal how various configurations of sex, grade level, teaching presence, social presence, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and parental support lead to high online learning engagement (OLE) in a sample of 516 compulsory education (K-9) students from three provinces in Central and Eastern China. The results indicated that eight configurations of the conditions were required to attain high OLE. Of these, one configuration was sufficient to explain high OLE for all students regardless of sex and grade level, five different configurations lead to high OLE for elementary school students, and one configuration explained high OLE for boys and girls regardless of grade level. Identifying these specific configurations could help teachers to design and provide personalized online learning experiences that enhance student engagement.

Fostering Digital Communities

As online education expands, fostering digital communities that support networked learning becomes imperative. However, many universities lack comprehensive digital strategies to facilitate engagement and connections in distributed environments. This research examines the development of an inaugural digital master plan at a university where half of the student population is online. Guided by Moore's theory of interactions (1989) and Garrison's Community of Inquiry framework (2017), the plan aimed to enable meaningful student-to-content, student-to-instructor, and student-to-student interactions. The digital master plan was designed to provide high-level guidance on the intentional and purposeful use of the educational technologies, tools, platforms, and systems necessary for a robust online learning experience. It creates a cohesive vision and strategy for the digital learning experience, just as a campus master plan aligns the physical learning spaces. The digital master plan leverages the Community of Inquiry framework as a key reference point in its comprehensive gap analysis. The collaborative process involved multiple methods to assess gaps in the university’s infrastructure including: National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data, three internal surveys, an external diagnostic analysis and plan, and audits of the learning management system's tools and usage. Quantitative data provided insights into student perceptions, while qualitative findings explored the depth of social relationships and learning networks enabled through digital platforms. Throughout the process, the research team aimed to understand the social learning processes that support how learners develop and utilize technology to learn and foster a sense of belonging (Garrison, 2017). The process harnesses the natural motivations underpinning social network formation - namely information sharing, support seeking, and sense of belonging. Further, it operationalizes these motivations to achieve CoI's high-order learning community goals. Analysis revealed key gaps related to: clearly defining and measuring online student success, expanding engagement opportunities in courses, leveraging technologies to facilitate connections, building a collaborative faculty culture, and improving communication. In response, the final digital master plan put forth five recommendations focused on these priority areas. Implementation and evaluation of digital platforms aligned to the recommendations indicate positive impacts on online students' sense of connectedness, learning experience, and academic performance. This research makes important theoretical and practical contributions by developing a replicable institutional process for assessing and strategically enhancing a digital ecosystem to foster networked learning. The digital master plan provides guidance for the adoption of social technologies and pedagogies to increase community, connectivity, and collaboration. As online education continues to expand, insights from this case study can inform strategic digital planning efforts at other universities striving to overcome transactional distance and cultivate impactful virtual learning communities.

Unlocking The Black Box: Validating an Online Learning Experience Model for Digital Training Effectiveness in Vietnamese Enterprises

Unlocking The Black Box: Validating an Online Learning Experience Model for Digital Training Effectiveness in Vietnamese Enterprises

The development and cross-cultural validation of a Student Online Learning Experience Scale

ABSTRACT A growing body of research has explored the effects of Covid-19-induced online learning on students’ experiences. However, there is a lack of validated tools that measure the perceived online learning experiences of domestic and international students in various national and cultural contexts. To address this gap, this article aims to develop the Student Online Learning Experience Scale (SOLE-S). We conceptualised four potential dimensions of students’ perceptions of their online learning experiences: online interactions with students, teachers, university, and technology (i.e. students’ capacity to participate in online learning). Confirmatory factor analysis determined three distinct factors: online interactions with students, the university (including teachers), and technology. Based on multiple validation studies reported in this article, the 10-item SOLE-S demonstrated sound internal consistency, discriminant validity, and convergent validity. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis on data from domestic and international students transitioning from conventional classroom learning to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, France, Poland, and the UK showed a stable factor structure across different cultural contexts. Bivariate and point-biserial correlation analyses revealed that the SOLE-S is associated with students’ adjustment, performance, satisfaction, and loyalty to the university. This tool will assist higher education institutions in monitoring students’ online learning experiences and developing relevant support structures to enhance their academic experience and well-being during the pandemic and post-pandemic online learning.

Student impressions of instructors based on Zoom backgrounds: investigating perceived technology skills of instructors and affective learning of students

The purpose of this study is to identify how Zoom backgrounds affect students’ affective learning and perceptions of an instructor’s technology use skills in online learning experiences. Data collected from undergraduate students in the U.S. indicate that with certain Zoom backgrounds, male students perceive the instructor having lower technology skills and experience less affective learning towards the instructor and course content than do female students. Overall, the study’s findings provide meaningful contributions to instructional communication research and suggest recommendations for strategic use of Zoom backgrounds to cultivate the best impression of an instructor and positive learning experiences.

Building belonging in online classrooms: relationships at the core

ABSTRACT Understanding students' sense of belonging in Higher Education is crucial for designing courses that improve retention, learning, and wellbeing outcomes. With the rise of online learning, educators face new challenges in fostering belonging in virtual environments. This study delves into the experiences of twenty postgraduate students in online learning settings. Through surveys, focus groups, and interviews, participants shared insights about their online learning experiences, their feelings of isolation or inclusion, and the aspects of online learning that helped keep them engaged. The findings reveal a complex cross-hatching among the themes of learner-instructor interaction, learner-learner interaction, and learner-content interaction, with the subject architecture and pedagogy enabling meaningful relational connections with both peers and instructors resulting in enhanced sense of belonging. By examining how online strategies and environments can be used to support students’ connections, we demonstrate how universities could reduce student attrition, enhance student wellbeing, and improve student achievement.

When at home: a phenomenological study of zoom class experience during the COVID-19 pandemic

In a preliminary study conducted during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, i.e., the spring 2021 semester, this paper explores the integration of Zoom into online learning while in-person teaching was paused. This pilot study aims to offer initial insights to improve inclusivity and accessibility in teaching and learning. While more robust empirical research has since been conducted to enhance Zoom-based learning environments, the findings from this study remain foundational and complementary to ongoing and future pedagogical research in online education and digital pedagogy. During a one-month ethnographic study involving five participants, including college students and professors, Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological concepts were applied to investigate how students and educators navigate temporal and spatial challenges in Zoom meetings and the strategies they use to overcome these obstacles. Additionally, an experiential autoethnography was employed to document personal experiences beyond the Zoom classroom, providing insight into participants' daily lives. By capturing a snapshot of the initial transition to remote education, particularly through Zoom meetings, this study offers valuable information for improving the online learning experience for both students and educators.

Managing Satisfaction in synchronous online learning: results of a statistical study on the material of teaching Russian as a foreign language

Introduction. The widespread adoption of distance learning makes it relevant to reflect on the experience gained during the period of ubiquitous transition to the online format in 2019-2021. The purpose of the research is to investigate the factors influencing student satisfaction with synchronous online courses and to develop recommendations aimed at creating a positive educational experience for students in the online environment, specifically for teachers and methodologists. Materials and methods. This study draws upon survey data concerning the synchronous online acquisition of Russian as a foreign language among tertiary education students, both domestically and internationally. The sample comprised 307 individuals representing 16 countries, all of whom had engaged in at least one synchronous online course in the Russian language. Evaluation of satisfaction regarding the online learning experience centered on the variable denoted as "Course Satisfaction Assessment." The survey instrument was constructed based on the three-factor model, Community of Inquiry (COI), recognized for its efficacy in assessing effective online learning. This model, adapted to suit the context of synchronous online learning, comprehensively incorporates cognitive, pedagogical, and group communication factors. Results. As a result of correlation analysis, the ten most significant correlations with the variable "Course Satisfaction Evaluation" were identified. The most significant correlation of satisfaction with learning was established with positive evaluation of the course content – its practical usefulness and relevance to the needs of learners (r=0,44; p<0,01). Factors related to feedback from the instructor (r=0,34; p<0,01) and the motivational effect of the learning showed a high level of correlation with satisfaction with the training (r=0,35; p<0,01). Meanwhile, the factors of group communication did not show significant correlations. Considering the most important factors of satisfaction, recommendations were formulated to improve the effectiveness of synchronous online learning and enhance student motivation through content and organizational aspects of learning. Conclusion. The conducted study contributes to the understanding of significant aspects of student satisfaction management in synchronous online learning. Practical recommendations have application value for the practice of online learning design and teaching in synchronous online format.

Students' Experience of Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The challenges faced by students in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic when participating in online learning are essential things to consider. This research aims to reveal the limitations and obstacles they face in accessing and taking advantage of online education. Focusing on students' online learning experiences, this study seeks to identify barriers and offer recommendations for improvement. This research uses surveys at two different campus locations in Indonesia. The survey used an online questionnaire designed and reviewed by two researchers. This research focused on students aged 17 years and over. Initial data analysis includes the characterization of respondents based on age, gender, university, and significant using tables and graphs. Next, the researchers conducted descriptive analysis, calculated basic statistics, and categorized questions related to online learning. This research also examines the impact of campus location and its significant on student experiences. This study found that online learning did not meet expectations because technical and financial barriers prevented many students from accessing the Internet. These findings underscore the importance of providing affordable and easily accessible internet access and adequate devices for all students. The results of this research can guide education stakeholders in forming policies that enable students to engage in online learning effectively, especially during lockdowns and times of uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

Impacts of Online Studies Including Various Concept and Doubt for English Education in China.

The outbreak of Covid-19 has led to the need for institutions to provide online learning to their students. In this context, it is important to understand the views of both students and teachers regarding online classes. This study aims to explore the opinions of English teachers and students in vocational colleges in China about online English learning. A convenience sampling technique was used in the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire survey from the respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Focused on the perceptions of English teachers and students in vocational colleges about online English learning. The results of the study revealed negative perceptions of both students and teachers about vocational English education in an online learning environment. This study highlights the importance of addressing both teachers' and students' negative feelings about online learning. The findings of this study are useful for educators and academic departments in improving the online learning experience for vocational students. It also emphasizes the need for effective implementation of ICT modules to improve the quality of online education. The study suggested that ICT modules should be implemented in various media platforms and applications to improve the quality of online learning by academic departments. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of understanding stakeholder perceptions in online learning environments and provides insights for improving the quality of online education.

Enhancing Online Learning Through Collaborative Course Development: A Case Study at the University of Botswana

Online education has experienced remarkable expansion in recent years, driven by technological advancements and the increasing demand for flexible and accessible learning opportunities. The University of Botswana, like many institutions worldwide, has actively embraced this transformative trend, recognizing the need to adapt and innovate in the realm of higher education. The digital transformation of education has paved the way for innovative approaches to course development, and at the University of Botswana, one such approach has taken center stage: collaborative course development. To ensure that online courses meet the highest standards of quality and effectiveness, the University of Botswana has established a multidisciplinary team comprising online media developers, graphic designers, Learning Management System (LMS) administrators, instructional designers, and subject matter experts. This collaborative course development team embodies a holistic approach that leverages the unique skills and expertise of each member, ultimately enhancing the online learning experience for students. This article serves as a comprehensive case study, shedding light on the tangible impact of collaborative course development on the University of Botswana's online education ecosystem. Through an in-depth analysis of this multifaceted endeavor, we aim to not only highlight the distinct contributions made by individual team members but also emphasize the overarching benefits derived from their collaborative synergy. The pivotal role of collaborative course development in ensuring the quality of online education cannot be overstated. As the University of Botswana has embraced this innovative approach, it has positioned itself as a pioneering institution at the forefront of the digital education revolution. This case study seeks to unveil the transformative power of collaboration in course development and its ability to significantly elevate the online learning experience.

Beyond Learning by Videoconference: Findings from a Capacity-Building Study of Kosovan Teachers in the Post-Covid-19 Era

During the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers were exposed to technology-enhanced learning as an emergency measure, yet despite decades of advancement in educational technology, the online learning experiences lacked deliberate design. Recent research highlights a gap concerning the design elements of online professional development and teachers’ needs for professional development in online education. Through this Design-Based Research, we therefore sought to offer an intervention in the form of a professional development programme built on the specific needs of teachers. In the present study, we report on the findings from this two-cycle, five-phase online professional development, taken by 90 practising high school teachers across Kosova. The study sheds light on teachers’ experiences and attitudes, as well as their readiness to take hands-on approaches to integrate, when available, complex technologies while leveraging the power of instructional design concepts in the post-Covid-19 era. The evidence indicates that, in order to develop effective teaching capacity in this environment, online professional development programmes must go beyond simple off-the-shelf technology (i.e., videoconferencing) applications. Similarly, our data shows that the inclusion of prior needs assessment in online and blended teacher development instruction positively impacts the development of teachers’ attitudes towards online education. The present paper provides specific recommendations for any innovative education system leader, teacher or scholar hoping to leverage new online learning knowledge to strengthen teacher practice.

Obstacles of Online Learning Facing Nursing Students after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the online style of instruction started to replace the traditional style in Jordan. This study aims to (1) assess the nursing students' perceived obstacles to online learning in Jordan; (2) explore significant relationships between participants' characteristics and their perceived obstacles; and (3) assess for significant differences in the perceived obstacles based on participants' characteristics. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was utilized in this study. A convenient sample of 325 nursing students responded to a self-reported questionnaire utilizing Google Forms. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the dataset using the SPSS software. The mean scores of the obstacles to online learning were 2.94 (SD = 0.95) for the academic obstacles subscale, 2.90 (SD = 0.83) for the technological obstacles subscale, and 3.25 (SD = 1.00) for the administrative obstacles subscale. Significant associations were found between participants' characteristics and perceived obstacles to online learning. For instance, the type of university was significantly associated with academic (r = -0.32, p < 0.01), technological (r = -0.21, p < 0.01), and administrative obstacles (r = -0.32, p < 0.01). Furthermore, significant differences were found in the perceived obstacles based on the participants' demographic and studentship-related characteristics. According to their perceptions of online learning, nursing students in Jordan face three types of obstacles: academic, technical, and administrative. Decision-makers should intervene to enhance the online learning experience by overcoming the reported obstacles.

Development of Listening Comprehension and Pronunciation of Pinyin Characters in Mandarin Chinese Through Online Language Teaching: A study on Chinese Language Students at the Faculty of Education, Uttaradit Rajabhat University

This study explores the effectiveness of online Chinese language courses, focusing on the development of listening comprehension and Mandarin pinyin pronunciation skills among Chinese language students at the Faculty of Education, Uttaradit Rajabhat University. Utilizing a systematic approach, the research employed a pre-test and post-test design to evaluate the impact of the instructional methods on students&amp;rsquo; language abilities. Significant improvements were observed in both listening comprehension and pronunciation skills post-intervention, as evidenced by statistical analysis. Moreover, the study gauges students&amp;rsquo; satisfaction with the online learning experience, revealing high levels of contentment regarding course content, accessibility, and instructional delivery. The research outcomes have demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the skills assessed. Students&amp;rsquo; scores in listening comprehension and Mandarin pinyin pronunciation substantially increased from pre-instruction to post-instruction. Specifically, the average scores in listening comprehension improved from 16.45 to 24.50, while pronunciation scores rose from 10.85 to 16.30, both evidencing significant advancements with a significance level of 0.05. These results underscore the effectiveness of the online Chinese language courses in enhancing students&amp;rsquo; linguistic capabilities.