Students In Online Courses Research Articles

Factors affecting student engagement in online courses in bachelor of education programmes

This study explores factors contributing to the low engagement of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) students in online courses at the Faculty of Education, Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). Despite integrating a Learning Management System (LMS) into a blended learning model, learner participation in online activities remains suboptimal. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine students across three B. Ed programmes in Natural Sciences, Drama and Theatre, and Special Needs Education using an exploratory qualitative design. The findings reveal organisational factors such as technical issues, delayed course availability, insufficient tutor feedback, and course-related issues, significantly affecting engagement. Student-related factors include reliance on mobile devices and the need for more motivation due to a lack of incentives. This study highlights the need for more responsive support systems, better course design, and enhanced interactive features to foster greater student engagement in online learning.

Does Written vs. Video Feedback Affect Students’ Online Learning and Alliance with Their Teacher?

The demand for online college courses has increased, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research regarding methods of providing feedback to students in online courses has demonstrated that there may be many benefits to providing feedback to students in video rather than written format. Their research suggests that recorded video feedback provides a deeper bond between teachers and students. The main goal of this study was to add to the growing body of evidence around the use and impact of video feedback and to build upon these studies by using a larger sample size and assessing teacher/student bond with a reliable and valid measure (i.e., the Learning Alliance Inventory [LAI]) through a field experiment. A sample of 119 students enrolled in two psychology courses at a public southwestern university were randomly assigned to receive personalized written or video feedback on course written assignments. Results indicate that LAI scores and academic performance measures were not significantly different between students who received video or written feedback. Future research and educational implications are discussed in the context of the use, value, and implementation of video and written feedback.

Latent space bias mitigation for predicting at-risk students

Researchers have observed the relationship between educational achievements and students' demographic characteristics in physical classroom-based learning. In the context of online education, recent studies were conducted to explore the leading factors of successful online courses. These studies also investigated how demographic features impact student achievement in the online learning environment. This motivates the use of demographic information alongside other features to predict students' academic performance. Since demographic features include protected attributes, such as gender and age, evaluating predictive models must go beyond minimizing the overall error. In this work, we analyze and investigate the use of neural networks to predict underperforming students in online courses. However, our goal is not only to enhance the accuracy but also to evaluate the fairness of the predictive models, a problem concerning the application of machine learning in education. This paper starts by analyzing the available solutions to fairness in predictive models: bias mitigation with pre-processing and in-processing methods. We show that the current evaluation is missing the case of partial awareness of protected features, which is the case when the model is aware of bias on some protected attributes but not all. The in-processing method, specifically the adversarial bias mitigation, shows that debiasing in some protected features exacerbates the bias on other protected features. This observation motivates our proposal of an alternative approach to enhance bias mitigation even in the partial awareness scenario by working with latent space. We implement the proposed solution using denoising autoencoders. The quantitative analysis used three distributions from The Open University Learning Analytics dataset (OULAD). The obtained results show that the latent space-based method offers the best solution as it maintains accuracy while mitigating the bias of the prediction models. These results indicate that in the case of partial awareness, the latent space method is considered superior to the adversarial bias mitigation approach.

Quantitative analysis of student learning progress in online curses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract The pandemic of COVID-19 forced the transition of education to online platforms. This shift allowed for a more in-depth study of the learning process of students, as it provided access to information about their activities and interactions with the course’s contents [1-3]. In this work, we apply quantitative methods to analyze the student learning progress of students for two first year courses of the B.Sc. degree in Physics (Universidad Católica del Norte). The data are collected from activity logs of digital platforms during Academic year 2021, which were employed to characterize the student learning habits along these processes (experience, selectivity and workflow). Statistical analysis is based on the distribution of the time spent on learning activities, such as the daily time distribution and the cumulative attention per online materials. The results show that the learning process of students in online courses is complex and adaptive. We report statistical patterns similar to those found in financial markets. These empirical results provide evidence about the importance of economic principles and methods in the understanding of the teaching-learning process.

Course Design, Belonging, and Learner Engagement: Meeting the Needs of Diverse International Students in Online Courses

International students comprise a growing population in U.S. higher education institutions, including online courses. Online international students’ experiences and needs have been largely understudied, but their increased presence in online courses offers a rich opportunity to understand better and improve their course experiences. This qualitative study draws upon interviews with international and domestic online learners to illuminate the importance of inclusivity and how it can be improved through course design and facilitation. To address our research questions, we interviewed 27 graduate students at a large public research university in the United States. The sample included 17 international and 10 domestic students. The findings show opportunities for enhancing the online learning experience for international learners through culturally attuned teaching, supporting both social and cognitive presences along with clear course expectations, and encouraging instructor’s responsiveness and peer engagement. This study concludes with four major implications for online instructors.

Curiosity promotes self-regulated learning and achievement in online courses for students with varying self-efficacy levels

The mass migration to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased students’ burden of self-regulating their learning. Amid this change, students with low self-efficacy may struggle due to their tendency to exhibit poor self-regulated learning and course outcomes. This study investigated the potential buffering role of students’ curiosity in the impact of self-efficacy on self-regulated learning and course outcomes. Three surveys were administered to 363 undergraduates enrolled in online courses across a semester. Both self-efficacy and curiosity directly predicted self-regulated learning and course outcomes. The interaction between the two had significant effects on help-seeking and course grade. Students were less likely to seek help in online courses when either their efficacy or curiosity was low. High curiosity mitigated the negative effects of low self-efficacy on course grades. Students’ self-regulated learning mediated the link between motivation and course outcomes. These findings have implications for supporting students’ success in remote learning.

Studying online with special needs: A student perspective

AbstractAs diversity is increasing in higher education, the number of students with disabilities (SWD) grows. In parallel, technological development and online education change the conditions for teaching and learning. Previous research indicates that the digitalisation provides both challenges and opportunities for equal participation. This study explores the experiences of SWD in online higher education, using the Communities of Inquiry model as a theoretical framework. A questionnaire with 6256 students (430 SWD) examines the differences and similarities between SWD and other students in online courses. The results show that SWD are a heterogeneous group with diverse needs and preferences, and that online education can offer both advantages and disadvantages for them. The main advantages are using technology to compensate for disabilities, enabling more equal participation, and the flexibility and convenience of online courses. The main challenges are difficulties in planning and self‐regulation, decreased motivation and increased stress, perceived uncertainties about examination requirements and proceedings and the unfulfilled need for interactive environments and feedback. The importance of faculty–student relationships is highlighted, and the significance of clarity and accessibility, feedback and interaction and flexibility and variation in creating inclusive online courses is emphasised. Implications for policy and practice are suggested.

The roles of online courses’ design and evaluation in nursing student satisfaction with online learning

One of the essential criteria in determining the quality of online learning is student satisfaction, this study looked into the influence of infrastructures on nursing student satisfaction with online learning. In this cross-sectional study, 300 nursing students filled out the online questionnaire (demographic, student perceptions of an online course, student satisfaction) from September to November 2021. Multiple linear regression model showed that the remaining variables, namely the design and organization of online learning and student evaluation in online courses, explain about 69.2% of the variance of satisfaction with online learning ( p < .05). The critical criteria in determining students’ satisfaction with online learning are “how to design and arrange online learning” and “how to evaluate students in online courses,” among other things. As a result, optimal planning should focus on these two variables, particularly the student assessment system, in order to reach a better level of satisfaction.

The Effect of Teacher Support on the Sustainable Online Academic Self-Efficacy of College Students: The Mediating Effect of Academic Procrastination

Academic self-efficacy is an important condition to ensure learning effectiveness and improve the sustainability of online learning quality. The present study intended to examine the relationship among online teacher support, academic procrastination, and academic self-efficacy by employing a questionnaire survey and structural equation modeling in the online learning environment. We report on survey data from N = 827 college students from China. The results showed the following: that online teacher support and its emotional, cognitive, and autonomy support dimensions have significant positive effects on academic self-efficacy, and it can predict the academic self-efficacy of college students through the mediating effect of academic procrastination. Therefore, in order to enhance the academic self-efficacy of online learners, it is crucial to increase online teacher support, provide guidance and motivation to online learners, reduce academic procrastination, and improve the emotional, cognitive, and autonomy support perceived by students in online courses and learning activities. The findings contribute to the exploration of the impact and mechanism of online teacher support regarding the academic self-efficacy of learners, providing theoretical and empirical support for enhancing academic self-efficacy in online learning and the development of a sustainable quality of teaching.

Requirements and principles of designing online course for students with disabilities in the modern digital space of the university: theoretical analysis

Introduction. In the present, the issues of digitalization of education continue to form the agenda of leading international organizations (UN, UNESCO). It is recognized that the use of digital technologies makes it possible to diversify the means of involvement in the learning process, taking into account existing differences in individual educational needs. It was also noted that there is still a problem of the lack of clear guidelines for the implementation of technologies in practice, which determines the relevance of issues of the quality of digital content in terms of its accessibility, compliance with various educational needs, including those with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to identify the key requirements and principles for designing an online course for students with disabilities in the modern digital space of the university. Materials and methods. Methods of analysis, synthesis, extrapolation, and document analysis were used in the study. The systematic approach allowed us to formulate an important methodological principle of the relationship between the requirements and conditions put forward for the design of online courses for students of different groups with disabilities. To achieve this goal, we relied on the regulatory framework of the Russian Federation on the accessibility and quality of the digital educational environment for people with disabilities, data from the NAFI analytical center on the assessment of the level of digital competencies for the period from 2018 to 2022. As one of the examples, we relied on a study conducted among students and graduates with disabilities in a number of universities in the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Kurgan regions. Results. Debatable issues in the light of the digitalization of the university still remain: the predominantly formal nature of the creation of digital environments, their demand in the educational space, taking into account the individual needs of target groups, etc. The research problem consists in explication of general approaches and requirements, principles of designing online courses for students with disabilities in the context of the development of the modern digital space of the university, which will allow creating (correcting) a universal constructor of such an educational resource that ensures the implementation of the educational route for students inclusively. The article shows that when designing an online course, the following conditions must be taken into account: technological, psychological and pedagogical, organizational and methodological. Of course, special attention should be paid to providing methodological requirements for the development of content by users with hearing and vision impairments. This should be reflected in the structure of the organization of educational content. It is necessary to take into account the psychological and pedagogical features of such a contingent of users. Conclusion. We believe that the immediate tasks in designing online courses for students with disabilities at the university, taking into account the digitalization of the educational space of the university, will be: conceptualization of the digital educational space of the university, taking into account the principles of universal design; regulatory and legal support of the process of integrating online resources into the educational environment of the university; methodological support and content filling.

Success Rate Disparities Between Online and On-campus Economics Courses

Students enrolled in online courses tend to be less successful as measured by the rate of A’s, B’s, and C’s than students enrolled in face-to-face courses. Yet little work has been done addressing whether these gaps vary depending on students’ broader relationship with the university, including whether they are degree-seeking students and whether they take any face-to-face courses. We use institutional data on Economics enrollments between 2012 and 2018 at a mid-sized land-grant university to deconstruct online/face-to-face success gaps into a student’s term modality (or modalities) and institutional affiliation components. We identify these components by using a fixed effects regression methodology and comparing outcomes across four student groups: affiliated students who are enrolled in exclusively online courses, exclusively face-to-face courses, or in a mix of courses each term, as well as unaffiliated (external) students exclusively taking online courses. Although students in online courses are less successful on average, part of this gap is explained by the student’s institutional affiliation and whether they exclusively take online courses. External students are the least successful in online courses while students who are affiliated with the institution fare much better. We examine potential reasons for these patterns using survey data from several online courses. These findings suggest that institutions should take steps to ensure that institutional support services and activities exist and extend to students in online courses.

Design and evaluation of a revised ARCS motivational model for online classes in higher education

In recent years, online MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have been quite popular among universities which helps learners to enhance their competency skills apart from learning the regular college/university curriculum. Although distance education and online learning have been adopted gradually recently, it has become the 'New Normal.' In this situation of uncertainty, facilitators must keep themselves updated with the various teaching/learning strategies and encourage learners to get accustomed to the online classroom environment. Furthermore, assisting the learners with active engagement in the classes is essential. Hence, to create an instigated environment for assessing the competency level and addressing the motivational behaviour of the learners in the online courses, a modified version of the "ARCS" (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) model is used in this research work. The core objective of this model is to apply a modified motivational model, namely "ARCS-PC," where PC represents Professional Competency. Professional competency includes Critical Thinking skills, Digital literacy, Creative Thinking, Problem-solving, and Time Management. The incorporation of digital quizzes, assignments, and interactive activities using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools was done in the ARCS-PC Model. The online classroom lectures and activities were conducted using the Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) educational platform. Linear regression is performed to analyze the modified ARCS-PC model. These technology-enabled online classes and ICT tools have helped teach lifelong learning, collaborative learning, a student-centric approach, and better competency skills to effectively engage students in online courses. In our proposed method, an improvement of 11.21 % was observed in the student's performance compared to a maximum of 8.8 % in the existing traditional models. Detailed analysis and quantification of the proposed method are given in the paper.

Innovations in online classes introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and their educational outcomes in Japan

BackgroundThe novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic emerged in Japan in February 2020, forcing the adoption of online education by university medical schools across Japan. The advantages and disadvantages of online education have been studied in Japan; however, the educational outcome of online classes conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been completely evaluated. In this study, we examined the relationship between lecture format (e.g., face-to-face or online) and performance of third-year university students in their organ-specific cardiovascular course examination.MethodsThis retrospective, nonclinical, and noninterventional comparative educational study included 550 third-year medical students who took a cardiovascular course between April 2018 and May 2022. Cardiovascular coursework was conducted in-person in 2018 and 2019, online in 2020 and 2021, and again in-person in 2022. The course comprised 62 lecture and 2 problem-based learning (PBL) sessions. A quiz was set up in advance on Moodle based on all lectures conducted in 2021 and 2022. A written examination was administered at the end of the course to evaluate the knowledge of students. The student online course evaluation questionnaires were administered in 2020 and 2021. Examination scores and proportion of failures in each year were compared.ResultsThe mean examination scores were significantly higher in 2021 and 2022 than in 2018, 2019, and 2020 (p < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses adjusted for the class type, online quiz, and PBL revealed that only online quiz was significantly associated with better examination results (p < 0.05). A student course evaluation survey indicated that the online format did not interfere with the students’ learning and was beneficial.ConclusionsThe introduction of online classes into medical education due to the COVID-19 pandemic was as effective as face-to-face classes owing to learning management system and other innovations, such as online quizzes. Online education may confer more benefits when provided in a combination with face-to-face learning after COVID-19 pandemic.

Text-Based versus video discussion boards to promote a sense of community with graduate online students: A student perspective

For university administrators creating an engaging online course where students feel part of an online community can be challenging even for the most experienced online educator. Online discussions are a common tool used to connect students in online courses, but it is often limited to text-based posts. This research paper will compare the use of text-based versus video-based discussions in online courses to ascertain students’ perceptions of social presence in the course room. This paper will discuss which method of discussion would be an appropriate exchange for a live classroom discussion, this is not always the case online. Research has demonstrated that text-based discussions often do not promote genuine communication and an alternative to text-based discussion forums is video-based discussion. The strategy of text-based discussion is employable in most popular learning management systems such as Canvas or Blackboard or with a variety of other tools such as YouTube or Voice thread to accommodate the use of video discussion in online courses. Researchers have been keenly exploring the implications of these two formats on engagement, comprehension, and overall effectiveness. This study delved into the key findings from community experiences by online students comparing and contrasting text-based and video-based discussions, examining their impact, and shedding light on their relative advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of this research paper was to compare the sense of community experienced by online students taking part in text-based versus video-based discussions. The implications of this study indicated that most of the students reported that they preferred text-based discussions; however, the students in this study felt video-based discussion boards promoted the ability to form connections with their learning community.

Effects of an intelligent cues recognition-based multilevel knowledge graphs generation method on students in online learning environments

ABSTRACT Online learning has been greatly widespread since the explosion of COVID-19. However, due to the lack of interaction between teachers and students in online courses, it is very difficult for students to focus on course content and complete the learning. Therefore, we developed a novel intelligent multilevel knowledge graph to help students quickly and systematically grasp the framework and key content of video lectures. Specifically, our method introduced cues into the interactive knowledge mapping. This approach not only allows students to interact with the graphs but also displays different levels of knowledge based on its importance. In addition, a quasi-experiment was implemented to verify the effectiveness of our method. Specifically, we compare the effects of knowledge graphs in three weighting strategies for cues with traditional manual concept maps on students' learning effectiveness and learning perception. Our study shows that although static artificial concept maps do enhance student learning to a certain extent compared to traditional learning, its development efficiency and enhancement of student learning outcomes are not ideal. In contrast, interactive graphs presenting overlay cues can effectively help students to restructure and systematize their knowledge, direct their attention and thus improve their learning outcomes.

Promoting peer connection in online courses: exploring the effect of media richness on presence and social connection

ABSTRACT Online learning provides a variety of benefits to the educational experience, including accessibility and flexibility, but is often limited in terms of peer-to-peer interactions and relationship development. Using media richness theory as a guiding framework, this study extended prior research to determine the impact of using richer channels in a fast-friendship task on feelings of co-presence and social connection among undergraduate students in online courses. Participants (N = 106) were assigned to one of three conditions (text, phone or video) for the fast-friendship task, which took place over the course of nine weeks. The results revealed that there was no indirect effect of channel richness on social connection through co-presence. Additionally, the direct effects of channel richness on co-presence and co-presence on social connection were not significant. These null findings have theoretical and practical implications for understanding media richness in online learning and improving course design among contemporary college students.

Enhancing technical vocabulary acquisition: a multimedia strategic approach for English for specific purposes during COVID-19

ABSTRACT This study focuses on developing specific vocabulary learning strategies to assist the receptive knowledge of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It aims to provide a practical framework for teaching technical vocabulary. The study introduced the Multimedia Strategic Vocabulary Learning (MSVL) model and investigated its effects on teaching technical vocabulary to pre-engineering students in online courses during the early wave of COVID-19. A total of 88 Saudi undergraduate students randomly assigned to control and experimental groups were treated with an intact pre-engineering ESP course for ten weeks. Vocabulary learning strategies from Schmitt's (1997) vocabulary taxonomy were adopted and incorporated into two stages of the vocabulary acquisition process. The experimental group was treated with the MSVL model through multimedia and explicit vocabulary learning instructions in online classes using Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) to assist them with specialized vocabulary acquisition. The dependent measure in this study was the participants’ receptive knowledge of technical vocabulary, which was assessed using the pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test. The findings indicated that using the MSVL model significantly improved the experimental group's receptive knowledge of technical vocabulary. This study's guidelines help educators create multimedia resources for ESP learners, preparing them for their professions.

Teachers’ Views on Providing Motivation Based on ARCS Model in Online Musical Instrument Education

The aim of this study is to reveal the applications for the tools, methods, and strategies used to provide motivation in online instrument education in line with the opinions of instrument educators. In the study, interview, observation, and literature review, which are among the qualitative research methods, were used. Within the scope of the research, 41 teachers who provided online instrument training were interviewed, and 10-hour lesson observations were made. In the content analysis based on the Arcs model, it was observed that teachers used technological tools and applications to provide motivation in their lessons, included games, and planned their lessons according to age groups and individual differences of students in online instrument education. To provide motivation in the context of the Arcs model, it was seen that they applied the most to establish interest and the least to the satisfaction dimension. Based on this research, it has been proposed to use methods and strategies that motivate students in online courses and to develop online pedagogical approaches and technological course programs.

E-Support for E-Learning: A Tool to Empower Students in Online Courses

E-learning has increased through the years in MLIS programs, a trend that has been intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students choose to take online classes; others have been required to do so by the pandemic. This raises the question: Are students properly prepared to learn online? For this study, researchers created an E-Learning Guide with resources and tips for e-learning. Several sessions were offered during orientation for incoming graduate students in a Library and Information Science program in the northeast United States. During these sessions, the researchers reviewed the E-Learning Guide. Students were surveyed immediately after the sessions and at the end of the semester to learn what, if any, resources were useful. Based on the results, students appreciated having a synchronous session wherein the researchers reviewed the E-Learning Guide, having specific resources to use for e-learning, and having access to a guide with resources for e-learning.

Effects of ATDE Teaching Mode during Online Teaching on Creative Thinking Ability of Learners

Abstract: Online teaching based on computer and network technology has become a vital teaching mode under the current situation of the overwhelming COVID-19 epidemic. Teachers and students who fully understand and master basic knowledge and skills of various information technologies in online learning can stimulate students’ interest in learning information technology and train their ability in information collection, processing, and use. Given the lack of face-to-face communication and deep emotional exchange, online teaching has poor performance in improving the creative thinking ability of learners. During online teaching, teachers train the innovation consciousness quality of students in online courses successfully and improve the creative thinking ability of learners by using “asking,” “thinking,” “doing,” and “evaluation,” that is, the ATDE teaching mode. In this study, a teaching experiment was carried out on 41 undergraduates admitted in 2018 who majored in civil engineering at Zhengzhou University of Industrial Technology, Henan Province, China. Students were divided into the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group adopted the ATDE teaching mode for the course Design of concrete structure, while the control group applied the traditional teaching mode. A questionnaire survey of students’ creative thinking ability was conducted for both groups. Results showed that university students’ creative, emotional attitude under the ATDE teaching mode was far higher than that under the traditional (F=6.490, p=0.015). The creative thinking performance of university students under the ATDE teaching mode was higher than that under the traditional teaching mode (F=7.468, p=0.009). The Pearson correlation coefficient between creative, emotional attitude and creative thinking performance was 0.985 in the late test stage, which was higher than in the early test stage (0.480), which reveals that the ATDE teaching mode was conducive to improving abstract course learning effect of students majoring in civil engineering. Research conclusions can provide some references to investigate the feasibility of ATDE teaching mode in universities and offer a new choice and feasible path to train students’ creative thinking ability.