Online Teaching Environment Research Articles

Profiles of teachers' emotional labour during COVID-19 and the consequences on mental health: A comparison between online and offline teaching.

Despite increasing attention on emotional labor in teacher well-being research, person-centered studies are relatively scarce, particularly concerning the emotional labor of online teaching during COVID-19 and its effects on teachers' non-work-related mental health. This study aims to address these gaps by examining emotional labor profiles and their consequences on job satisfaction, depression, and anxiety among Chinese teachers involved in either online or offline teaching during October-December 2022. Two samples of teachers were analyzed altogether: one engaged in online teaching (N=605) and the other in offline teaching (N=394). Latent profile analysis was used to identify emotional labor profiles based on three strategies: surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions. A total of four subgroups of emotional workers were identified: natural expressors, actors, flexible regulators, and authentic regulators. Significant differences were found between online and offline teaching, with a higher proportion of actors and fewer flexible regulators in the online condition, suggesting that the screen acts as a barrier to authentic emotional display. Among the four classes, actors scored lowest on job satisfaction and highest on depression and anxiety, whereas authentic regulators were the most adaptive, especially in online settings. The findings highlight the impact of online teaching on teachers' emotional labor profiles and mental health, with practical implications for optimizing online teaching environments and supporting teacher well-being.

Research On The Influence Of Online TeachingGenerated Content On The Learning Decision Process Of Students

In the online teaching environment, marketer-generated content (MGC) and user-generated content (UGC) have become the key information sources that influence students’ learning decisions. Although the academic community has paid considerable attention to this issue, the direct comparison of their roles in the learning decision process of students is still scarce. Therefore, based on cognitive fit theory, this study constructs a model of how online teaching-generated content types (i.e., MGC and UGC) jointly affect the learning decision process of students, and makes an in-depth discussion through empirical methods. The results show that MGC and UGC in the online teaching environment have significant effects on different stages (i.e., cognition, attitude, and learning decision) in the learning decision process of students. Furthermore, there are differences in the roles played by MGC and UGC at different stages. In addition, online course types have a moderating effect on the influence of online teaching-generated content on the learning decision process of students. This study not only enriches the theoretical discussion in the field of how generated content in the online teaching environment affects the learning decision process, but also provides practical suggestions for optimizing the design of online teaching courses

An Analytical Study of Training Needs of University Teachers in Online Environment in Perspectives of Physical Resources and Pedagogical Skills in the Subject of Social Sciences

The objectives of this research study were about finding out the availability of physical resources, the pedagogical requirements of teachers training for online teaching and examining the ICT skills that the teacher needs to teach in online teaching. The mode of teaching has widely got more importance from regular mode towards online teaching and learning from post COVID time. These days it is very familiar concept. The study aimed to investigate the teachers training need assessment for online teaching at university level. This is the descriptive research study. The population as well as sampling units for this study was 150 male along with female university educators. It was concerned in this study about the needs of training of them for online mode of teaching. Questionnaire was used to collect data from the teachers of social science currently serving in various universities in Islamabad. The data were analysed through SPSS by using mean, frequencies, and standard deviation. The data revealed that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) structure needs to be strengthened for online education environments with the concept of blended education and learning techniques self-paced learning and online interactions as an effective and alternate mode of learning.

Conceptualizing Extended Reality Metaverse-based Pedagogy Model: A Hospitality and Tourism Education Perspective

The prevalence of online learning has significantly increased, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the shift to online education has presented numerous obstacles and concerns. The correlation between a lack of enthusiasm towards online learning and subpar academic achievements suggests the necessity to tackle the issues that impact students' involvement. Educators need to address obstacles encountered by students in online learning, including diminished concentration and inadequate learning delivery. Metaverse technologies have attracted growing interest among academia and practitioners for their possibilities in online education. Although metaverse technologies show promise for online education, there is a lack of research on their suitability for hospitality education. Comprehending how metaverse technologies can be seamlessly incorporated into online hospitality educational environments is crucial for the progression of such technology. Therefore, this study aims to conceptualize an extended reality metaverse-based pedagogy model for online hospitality education. The conceptual paper is a great resource for stakeholders who are interested in investigating the possibilities of metaverse technologies for hospitality education. This work also establishes a basis for future research that investigates the application of metaverse technologies in online educational environments.

Research on Personalized Education Intervention Strategy Based on Barrage Emotional Analysis

With the development of online teaching, the interactive feature of bullet comments has increasingly highlighted its potential in reflecting learners' emotional attitudes. This study employs bullet comment sentiment analysis as a tool to explore its application in personalized educational intervention. By collecting and processing bullet comment data and utilizing cutting-edge sentiment analysis techniques, the study aims to uncover learners' cognitive and emotional needs. Furthermore, this paper analyzes educational intervention strategies and focuses on the specific needs of personalized education. Through the construction of a scientific empirical research model, the effectiveness and practicality of sentiment analysis of bullet comments in personalized intervention strategies have been validated. Experimental results support the research hypothesis, indicating that sentiment analysis based on bullet comments plays a significant role in enhancing the personalization of educational intervention strategies. The conclusions of this study contribute to optimizing the online teaching environment and improving educational quality and efficiency.

When boosting gender stereotypes increases flow experience and reduces self-handicapping in gamified tutoring systems

The threat of stereotypes affects various psychological mechanisms, including affective/subjective, cognitive, and motivational ones, and can be present in gamified online educational environments in various ways. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether gender stereotypes in gamified virtual environments could affect the flow experience, self-handicapping behavior, and performance of Brazilian students. To achieve this, we experimented with 147 participants (60 males and 87 females) who were high school and higher education students from public and private institutions in the state of Alagoas, located in the northeastern region of Brazil. We randomly allocated the participants to three distinct virtual environments: a neutral environment, a male-stereotyped environment, and a female-stereotyped environment. We introduced the stereotype threat condition when the participant was in an environment that did not correspond to their gender. In contrast, the boost condition occurred when the environment corresponded to their gender. The results of this study indicate that the presence of gender stereotypes can influence both the flow experience and the self-handicapping behavior of Brazilian students in gamified virtual environments. We observed statistically significant differences that suggest that the implementation of stereotypes can influence the relationship between variables.

Preparing Health Professions Educators for Online and Blended Learning Environments: A Mixed Methods Study

Online and blended teaching and learning (OBTL) are integral to the future and success of higher education, including health professions education. Institutions with a goal of developing high-quality online and blended programs must prioritize time and resources dedicated to professional development and training. This research study utilized an online professional development course as an intervention to gain deeper insights into the scope of faculty development to effectively teach in online and blended learning environments. The study, utilizing a convergent mixed methods approach, gathered data through a pre- and post- intervention survey measuring health professions faculty readiness to teach online, a knowledge-based test, and post-intervention focus group discussions. Statistically significant differences in survey and test scores were observed between pre- and post-intervention and advantages of the intervention were highlighted in the focus group discussions. These key findings suggest the efficacy and influence of the educational intervention. Additionally, barriers and recommendations for enhancement were identified, including a notable gap between perceived importance and perceived capability among faculty members. This information pinpoints areas where professional development and support may be beneficial. Outcomes of the study provide valuable insights into health professions faculty members' knowledge, readiness, and perceptions related to teaching in online or blended educational environments.

Investigating the learning self-efficacy of a fully online teaching environment among undergraduate Chinese medical students: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundFully online learning has become a common option in many universities worldwide in the post-COVID-19 era. The study aimed to evaluate the dimensions and characteristics of the fully online learning self-efficacy among Chinese undergraduate medical and nonmedical students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from January to August 2023 at Xihua University in China. A stratified cluster sampling method was used to enroll participants of undergraduate students. The Chinese version of the online learning self-efficacy scale (OLSES) was used to collect the demographic information. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and linear regression analyses were conducted in the study.ResultsA total of 203 college students were included in the study. One hundred and twenty (59.1%) of the participants were medical students and 83 (40.9%) were nonmedical students, and most of them (64.5%) were from rural areas. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were determined to be 0.90, 0.86, 0.87, and 0.95 for the learning in a fully online environment, time management, technology use subscales, and the whole scale, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis revealed the justifiability of factor analysis. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the majority of the goodness-of-fit indices reached an acceptable threshold (χ2/df = 3.14, RMR = 0.06, RMSEA = 0.10, NFI = 0.84, RFI = 0.80, IFI = 0.89, TLI = 0.85, CFI = 0.90). More than half of the students reported insufficient self-efficacy for learning in a fully online environment and time management, whereas 55.7% showed good self-efficacy for technology use. Although more medical students than non-medical students had higher self-efficacy scores in the three domains of self-efficacy, the proportion of students with good self-efficacy was slightly lower among medical students than non-medical students, with no significant differences between the medical students and nonmedical students.ConclusionsMost Chinese university students’ that participated to our study found self-efficacy for fully online learning as insufficient (results on the three domains, ranging from 36.5 to 55.7%) and had a good level of fully online learning self-efficacy. Medical students and nonmedical students are not differences in the self-efficacy of fully online learning. Thus, pedagogues should take measures to help students including medical and nonmedical improve their self-efficacy in online environment learning, time management and technology use, ultimately enhancing their academic success.

Emotional Support in Online Teaching and Learning Environment: A Systematic Literature Review (2014–2023)

The provision of appropriate emotional support is influential in establishing a positive and stimulating online learning environment that can elevate students’ emotional well-being, improve their learning experience and enjoyment, and increase their academic achievements. In the present study we examine 16 papers on emotional support in online teaching and learning environments. We aim to understand (a) the emotional support given to online learners and (b) the effectiveness of emotional support in online teaching and learning environments. The review shows that the emotional support given to online learners includes empathy, understanding, motivation, and encouragement. These verbal and nonverbal emotional supports are mainly from teachers, family members, and peers as well as some online agents or applications. Most of the emotional supports influence online learners’ performance and have a favorable impact on their emotional states. The systematic review shows that there has been little research on technology-based emotional support and synchronous teaching and learning environments. We propose that more research should be carried out in these areas.

Supporting students effectively in an online teaching environment at the beginning of their student journey

We report that introducing online teaching to Access students studying a Level 3 pre-degree Higher Education module at The Open University has long-lasting beneficial effects. This study shows that a single online teaching session, which focuses on a heavily-weighted summative final piece of assessment, encourages students who participate to subsequently attend online teaching sessions on future modules to a significantly greater extent than those students who did not undertake the introductory Access module. This effect was seen in students progressing to three subsequent modules. Qualitative interviews of students who had undertaken the introductory online teaching session showed that the students could recall the session some three years after it had taken place, were able to report the benefits of having attended the session and also reported that it made them far more likely to attend future online teaching events in subsequent modules they undertook.

Online space for learning: Perceived educational environment typology, interpersonal interaction typology, and their relationship to international students' ability development in Chinese universities

AbstractThe ways in which learning environments are spatially conceived have undergone a significant transformation from space as “a realm without meaning” into place as “a meaningful location.” In this context, the relevance of online interactions and the significance of online space and place in facilitating positive learning are worth exploration. Drawing on a nationwide survey involving 1010 international students at 41 Chinese HEIs in the COVID‐19 pandemic, this research applied k‐means cluster analyses which produced a typology of international students' perceived online educational environments and another typology of their online interpersonal interactions. The logistic regression results indicated the predictive power of both typologies on ability development. The discussion highlights the importance of considering spatial dimensions of international students' online learning. Promoting international students' online interactions and supporting inclusive, engaging learning experiences require both space for hosting and place enabling intercultural learning. The research holds implications for the sustainable development of online international education in the post‐COVID‐19 era.

Evaluating Universal Design for Learning and Active Learning Strategies in Biology Open Educational Resources (OERs)

With the onset of COVID-19, colleges and universities moved to emergency remote teaching, and instructors immediately adjusted their curricula. Many instructors adapted or developed new online lessons that they subsequently published as Open Educational Resources (OERs). While much has been examined related to how entire course designs evolved during this period, the same attention has not been paid to how individual lessons were structured to meet online learners’ needs. As such, we evaluated OER lessons for the integration of universal design for learning (UDL) guidelines and active learning strategies. We evaluated OER lessons published in CourseSource, which is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on biology lessons implemented in undergraduate classrooms and provides the necessary details and supporting materials to replicate the lesson. We found that biology instructors used a variety of UDL guidelines and active learning strategies to encourage student learning and engagement in online teaching environments. This study also provides a collection of OER online lessons that instructors and educational developers can use to inform the practice of engaging biology students.

Pedagogy of care in online teaching and learning environments at tertiary institutions through the eyes of Freire

Making the most of online or hybrid teaching platforms is essential to making sure that, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), higher education settings in developing universities and places are not left behind. While a number of the technological platforms adopted during the Covid-19 lockdown have the potential to reach more kids, they have also overloaded educators and pupils. Therefore, it seems ironic that the same technology that makes it possible for higher education to offer online courses also frequently impedes student progress and places restrictions on the pedagogy of teachers. Regardless of format, the teaching and learning encounter should not come at the expense of caring for the actual student in the ever-changing hybrid teaching model that most tertiary institutions have since adopted. Therefore, the interest of this article is on how ‘care pedagogies’ might improve online teaching and learning at developing universities. In this sense, the role of university teachers should be reflected not only by the number of students engaged in class content, but also by the embodied cultural capital that students bring to online, face-to-face and hybrid learning spaces.

On the function of teacher professional development (TPD) programs in improving language teachers’ engagement in online education environments: voices from Chinese English teachers

Given the integral role of teacher engagement in the efficiency of education, factors contributing to increased teacher engagement have always been at the forefront of researchers’ attention. Simply put, great attention has been dedicated to the predictors of teachers’ physical, cognitive, and emotional engagement in classroom contexts. However, factors predicting teachers’ engagement in online classes have somehow been neglected. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, no inquiry has considered the role of teacher professional development programs in language teachers’ engagement. To address these gaps, this study looked into the determinants of teacher engagement in virtual language courses and the function of professional development programs in increasing Chinese teachers’ engagement in online English classes. To accomplish this, an open-ended inventory was given to 37 Chinese English teachers. The thematic analysis of the dataset indicated that most of the participants perceived extrinsic factors such as user-friendly platforms, effective professional development programs, and principals’ transformational leadership to be more influential in teacher engagement. Data analysis also showed the majority of respondents viewed professional development programs to be highly effective in promoting teacher work engagement. The outcomes may be instructive for all teachers and educational principals working in online education environments.

An interactive online educational environment to reduce anxiety, improve emotional well-being, and critical thinking for college students

Interactive education can reduce anxiety among students by creating a supportive and supportive learning environment. This approach can also stimulate critical thinking, as it requires active student participation in debates, analysis, and discussions. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of interactive learning on Zoom on the anxiety, emotional well-being, and critical thinking of college students. The experiment involved 80 college students between 18 and 21 years of age. The research was performed by scientists from the [Zhengzhou University of Technology] University. To analyze the impact of the proposed strategy on emotional and cognitive well-being, the study used a set of questionnaires, namely Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, WAM (Well-being Assessment Measure), and Subjective Questionnaire for assessing critical thinking. The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of the interactive learning methodology, which significantly reduced anxiety and increased the level of critical thinking among students. Anxiety decreased by 14 points, and critical thinking improved by 2.5 points, indicating positive dynamics of psychological and cognitive development. Despite the positive results, some contextual factors such as the level of the learning environment, cultural characteristics, and the personalities of students can influence the generalization of the findings. These findings can have practical application in the pedagogical practice of creating a favorable learning environment. Future research may focus on improving the methodology of interactive learning, studying its impact on other aspects of learning and development. It is also necessary to explore the use of interactive learning in various cultural and educational contexts.

Preservice teachers’ beliefs toward online learning and future teaching: Redesigning teacher training

Global health and political crisis lead to the development of educational practices. This study examined pre-service teachers’ beliefs concerning online learning and their future teaching in online environments. Seven hundred sixty four participants responded to online questionnaires at three points in time during the Covid-19 period. It was found that the average level of beliefs in readiness for future online learning and teaching is moderate. Whereas, the level of beliefs in online teaching is consistently high compared to beliefs in online learning. Three of the four components of the Dynamic Change of Personality Traits Theory (DCPT) showed higher levels of Pre Service Teacher (PST) beliefs in future online teaching than beliefs in their ability to learn online. Findings of this study propose that radical changes in learning environments impact the formation of beliefs. As beliefs contribute to the construction of motivation they must be acknowledge as essential for future teaching environments.

Mediating Effect of Academic Emotion Regulation on the Relationship Between Self-Determined Learning Motivation and Learning Flow in Nursing Students in Remote Online Classes

Purpose: This descriptive research study explores the relationship between remote online classes, nursing students’ self-determined learning motivation and learning flow, to identify the mediating effect of academic emotion regulation.Methods: The study sample comprised 147 third- and fourth-year nursing students from two universities in Jeonbuk State, all of whom had clinical practice experience. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance were conducted using SPSS/WIN 23.0 for data analysis. Hayes’ PROCESS macro Version 3.5 was used to verify the significance of the indirect effects of the variables.Results: Self-determined learning motivation had a significant positive effect on the mediating variable, academic emotion regulation(β=.21, p=.001), and on learning flow. Additionally, academic emotion regulation significantly positively influenced learning flow. When considering the mediating effect of academic emotion regulation, the indirect effect size between self-determined learning motivation and learning flow was .07, with a bootstrapping confidence interval ranging from 0.02 to 0.13, excluding zero, which was statistically significant, indicating a mediating effect.Conclusion: The findings confirm that academic emotion regulation is a crucial variable that can enhance students’ learning flow, thereby maximizing educational effectiveness during rapid changes in online education methods. Consequently, educational programs should be developed that consider the emotional aspects of learning to improve academic emotion regulation. Furthermore, universities should establish educational policies and measures that expand various digital education platforms to reflect and respond to the online education environment.

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.

Towards automated assessment of participation and value creation in networked learning

This paper investigates the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to improve student engagement and learning outcomes. MOOCs have transformed the landscape of online education, offering wide accessibility but at the price of high dropout rates and limited ability to measure student engagement. With MOOCs' expansive user base, it has been difficult until now to move beyond conventional metrics of course completion and quiz scores, which are insufficient for understanding the multifaceted nature of student engagement. The study addresses these challenges through a novel method of applying a large language model (LLM) to develop a more complex and meaningful understanding of student engagement and experiences in MOOCs.The research is grounded in the networked learning (NL) research tradition by using the Community of Inquiry framework to explore social, cognitive, and teaching presence in online educational environments and automate the assessment of student learning participation. The study focuses on social engagement and interaction, crucial for perceived value creation. Theoretical soundness, data targeting and quality, interpretation benchmarks, and robust data sampling and analysis strategies constitute the foundational pillars of the proposed predictive system. This framework guides the study's approach to address common MOOC issues, such as learner isolation and limited interaction, which are critical factors in students' perceived value and learning.The methodology involves a dual approach of human and LLM coding, testing the ability of LLMs to replicate human coding accuracy. The study was conducted in a non-massive open online course to test system effectiveness before applying it to larger MOOCs. Analysis indicates that an initial noncomplex LLM model can match human coding performance to 60% reliability, representing a significant step forward in automating qualitative analysis in online education, with potential for enhanced results using more complex LLM modelling. Key findings show that AI can effectively measure and enhance student engagement in MOOCs. The use of LLMs in coding qualitative data offers a reliable method for understanding student participation, which is vital for improving educational outcomes in online courses. The research highlights the potential of AI in transforming online education by providing deeper insights into student engagement and learning processes.The study also provides insights into the interplay of AI-measured engagement and learners' value perception, advancing the understanding of networked learning participation and its impact on educational outcomes. Implications extend to curriculum development, pedagogical strategies, and the broader field of online education. Future work includes expanding this methodology to more extensive MOOC environments and incorporating qualitative interviews to enrich the analysis.

A Study on the Effects of Different Interaction Combinations and Language Levels on Continuous Writing in Online Environments

This study was conducted with non-English sophomore students, aiming to explore the effects of different interaction combinations and language levels on continuous writing in an online environment, and compare the differences in lexical alignments and composition quality of learners with different interaction combinations and language levels in the same continuous writing task through experiments. The results show that the mean values of the word-phrase alignment of the paired group were higher than those of the individual group in different interaction combinations, and the two groups showed significant differences; in terms of composition quality, the individual group was better than the paired group, but there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of task continuation. Secondly, the word-phrase alignment and composition scores of the different language-level groups were higher than those of the same language-level groups, and there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of word-phrase alignments, but not in terms of composition scores. The results of this study can be useful and informative for second language teachers in future continuous teaching in online environments.