Teaching Online Courses Research Articles

Exploiting EEG to identify confused students in online learning: A machine learning model comparison

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most schools, including universities, to adopt online courses for teaching. Due to the breaking of the constraints of time and space, online courses still occupy a large proportion in education until now, and large-scale open online education courses will become a major trend in the future. Of course, problems also arise in this process. As teachers cannot receive feedback from students anytime and anywhere in online courses, such as micro expressions, body movements, etc., they cannot know whether students are confused. Therefore, how to effectively detect students' learning status has grown in popularity. In the last few years, machine learning has developed rapidly, and a large number of artificial intelligence have emerged, making it possible to detect whether students are confused by combining electroencephalography with machine learning. In order to determine whether students were confused, this study used a wireless single channel Mindset device to collect Electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Six machine learning modelsrandom forests, eXtreme Gradient boosting, K-nearest neighbors, gradient boosting machines, logistic regression, and support vector machineswere then chosen. The findings indicate that other machine learning models have a high accuracy rate in classifying students' bewilderment, with the exception of the logistic regression model. With a 99.69% accuracy rate, the eXtreme gradient boosting model performs better than a number of other models.

Improving the Effectiveness of a Stock Simulation Trading Course via Blockchain and Social Networking: A Taiwanese Study

Online courses in higher education became prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, their application requires technology to be fully integrated into the curriculum. This study explores the integration of a blockchain-based platform in a private online stock simulation trading course during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a pre–post experimental design with 142 college students, it assessed learning behaviors and outcomes. Students collaborated with teaching assistants via LINE groups, fostering discussion and engagement. They received cryptocurrency rewards, which enhanced motivation and connected the course to their career goals. The findings suggest that combining blockchain and social networking is an effective approach to improving online education. This contributes to the literature on educational technology and online learning by exploring the integration of blockchain and social networking in higher education, specifically within the context of stock simulation trading courses, and demonstrates its impact on student motivation and learning outcomes.

Mentoring Experiences of New Online Teachers: Voices of Graduate and Early Career Instructors

This research study explores the mentoring experiences of graduate student and early career instructors who teach online courses at a mid-size public university in the United States. As members of a centralized online learning unit that works with instructors teaching online courses across a range of disciplines, we sought to better understand the mentoring experiences of instructors who are new to online teaching. Using a narrative methodology, we analyzed interview transcripts and found that graduate student and early career instructors have variable access to mentoring, experience different sources of mentoring, and engage with multiple types of mentoring. We found that graduate student instructors have more access to different sources and types of mentoring than early career instructors, but that both groups desired additional mentoring opportunities. Participants recognized the value of mentoring experiences as part of their overall professional development. We conclude with suggested actions for units looking to support mentoring for online instructors.

Bridges between evidence on vaccination intervention and Ukrainian migrant community needs in Poland

Abstract Background Vaccination coverage in Ukrainian migrants’ (UM) children is lower compared to their Polish counterparts. We aimed to identify and adapt effective evidence-based interventions which would address health system barriers to HPV/MMR vaccination in this community. Methods With the help of the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, 4 researchers, 6 experts, 6 UM, 7 Ukrainian GPs and 3 teachers identified and discussed transferability of promising HPV/MMR vaccination interventions and their adaptation from the Polish and contextual perspective. The Population-Intervention-Environment-Transfer Model of Transferability (PIET-T) model was used to accompany the steps for determining transferability. Results Three intervention elements were considered as capable for increasing HPV/MMR vaccination uptake: a health promoter, group educational sessions and an online provider training. Adaptations were needed to make them consistent with the contextual needs. The intervention was adapted to involve Ukrainian GPs delivering culturally sensitive education and a Ukrainian coordinator offering navigation support; barriers (lack of information/language barrier) were addressed. The education sessions for parents were taken into account as having potential to increase knowledge and facilitate making informed decisions regarding vaccination. The online education course was assessed as a strategy to possibly enhance GPs knowledge to let them make strong HPV/MMR vaccine recommendations to UMs. Conclusions Both, community-based PAR approach, and the PIET-T model, facilitated the assessment of intervention transferability and adaptation in terms of covering the individual context, pattern and needs of UMs community in Poland, to finally increase HPV/MMR vaccination uptake.

Unpacking the Dynamics of Online Motivation: A Study of Short-Term Changes in Task Value and Cost Utilizing Multiple Change Analyses

Motivation is critical to student success in learning environments. However, changes in situation-specific motivation over time are rarely explored among online learners. Drawing from the Situated Expectancy Theory (SEVT), in the current study, I examined changes in situational task-specific task value and cost over the short term and tested the impact of these changes on achievement. I collected task value and cost over four time points from 68 students in an upper-division online Educational Psychology course. Grades on two discussion posts and one exam represented academic performance. I used multiple analytic techniques, scarcely used in the literature, to measure change across time, including task value-cost switching and group and individual-level task value-cost intensity. Group-level intensity analyses revealed task value and cost stability across most time point comparisons. However, individual-level analysis demonstrated variability in task value and cost across comparisons. There was no evidence of task value or cost switching. One significant increase in cost across tasks predicted academic performance in the subsequent assessment. The study highlights the importance of using various techniques to explore motivational changes among online learners and demonstrates the applicability of SEVT in online learning environments.

The relationships between online program formatting, technology satisfaction, and course quality

This study aims to explore students’ perceived quality of graduate courses in relation to their satisfaction with the technological tools used in online master’s level courses. Invariance testing and structural equation modelling were used to demonstrate the validity of technology usage scales and effectively test links between course type, technology satisfaction, and course quality. The study participants included 364 graduate students enrolled at a large university in the Midwest who were taking blended and fully online courses. The participants responded to a scale regarding their experience with the course. Interestingly, program type (blended vs. fully online) did not significantly impact technology satisfaction or the perceived quality of the course, even after taking into account the technology satisfaction mediator on course quality. Program type is not related to course quality, although technology satisfaction does contribute to quality ratings. The implications for instructors suggest that the development of technology-centric activities is warranted to improve the quality of online education courses.

STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS IN E-LEARNING EDUCATION OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

Successful implementation of e-learning platforms in education requires careful consideration of all parties involved, commonly referred to as stakeholders. Understanding their interests, power and expectations is key to strategies for creating e-learning educational platforms. The article examines the principles and methods of stakeholder analysis for the development of e-learning platforms in education. In particular, the research work identified the main groups of stakeholders of e-learning processes, dividing them into different groups. Various analytical tools were also used for stakeholder analysis, such as the stakeholder map, which determines the power and influence of a group of stakeholders on the development of e-learning educational projects. Moreover, the article analyzed the development of the online education market at the global level in recent years. In particular, the educational app sector in the world was examined, including the number of educational apps and the usage of educational apps in recent years. It also analyzed the world’s most popular online education course applications, which have become more integrated into workers’ career development. In this regard, the development of various online learning platforms in Kazakhstan is also relevant in the era of the development of new digital technologies. This topic affects not only the individual perspectives of students but also the country’s competitiveness in the global economy. Keywords: e-learning education, digital economy, digital transformation, stakeholder analysis, stakeholder map, IT project.

Every voice counts – Embedding the principles of Universal Design for Learning into higher education online course design

University classrooms are diverse settings. With online courses becoming increasingly more common instructors in post-secondary institutions must create inclusive learning environments that meet the needs of adult learners with exceptionalities. Goldberg et al. (2003) asserted that innovative technological tools can be used to promote student engagement, motivation, and enhance the quality of learning for students with disabilities. One such tool is the Voice Thread which can be thoughtfully and intentionally incorporated into the course design phase. Friedman and Lee (2009) contend that using visual images to present content is a necessary pedagogical strategy and provides an opportunity to reduce visual clutter. Making content visual and auditory rather than exclusively in print is a Universal Design for Learning strategy that makes the information more accessible to all students not just those who struggle with reading. Hampton and Mason (2003) reminded us that many students with learning disabilities require additional time to formulate their thoughts to make meaningful contributions to an online discussion. The features of the program offer a comfortable way for students to share their knowledge and understanding, analytical skills and personal reflections related to a particular concept. Offering a choice in the response format allows students to utilize their strengths and concentrate more fully on demonstrating their learning. Fostering an inclusive learning environment using innovative technologies, such as Voice Thread, offers online instructors a meaningful way to adopt inclusive approaches to curriculum and assessment. Pre-existing structures such as the Community of Practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) provide inclusive leaders the opportunity to share these innovations with colleagues and ensure that every voice counts.

Online courses for adults: do they replace or supplement on-site courses?

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic led to a marked increase in the number of online courses in adult education. However, such courses are viewed ambivalently because, on one hand, they are associated with digitalisation processes and an increased accessibility, reach, and flexibility of learning opportunities, whereas, on the other hand, there are concerns about acceptance issues and participation barriers. Given this context, the present study examines whether new online courses for adults have supplemented or replaced existing on-site courses by conducting a program analysis of online courses at public adult education centres (Volkshochschulen, VHS) in Germany. VHS are the largest providers of adult education in the country. A comparison of programs from the years 2018, 2019 (pre-pandemic), and 2024 (post-pandemic) shows that most online courses supplement the existing program, and that the content of approximately every second online course can also be learned on-site at the educational centre. In contrast, 29 per cent of online courses have replaced an earlier on-site course. Hybrid courses, which enable both online and offline learning, are rare. Results are discussed along with their implications for adult education centres and adult learners.

“LSP teaching – current trends, desiderata, research perspectives”. Institute of Applied Linguistics of Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland, 05-06.07.2023

The “LSP Teaching – Current Research Trends, Desiderata, Research Perspectives” conference was held in Poznan on July 5-6, 2023. The venue of the conference’s was the Collegium Novum, and it was organized by the institute of Applied Linguistics UAM and the LSP Teacher Education Online Course for Professional Development Consortium. The conference included many renowned participants and was distinguished by its intimate and supportive atmosphere, fostering a collaborative spirit that resonated with both academics and practitioners in the field of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP).

Assessing Lecturers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Teaching Online Courses at Selected Universities in Liberia

Assessing Lecturers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Teaching Online Courses at Selected Universities in Liberia

Knowledge diffusion and convergence in open learning environments as a social contagion

ABSTRACT Online learning has become increasingly prevalent, offering accessibility and flexibility in education. Learners often engage in discussions and share ideas through posts and blogs, creating a form of "group wisdom" that generates and transforms new knowledge. Thus, this study examines how knowledge diffuses in online learning environments using a contagion model. Factors such as cohesion (familiarity relationships) and structural equivalence (similar network positions) that influence this process were tested. By analyzing 683 blog entries from 50 participants in a five-week higher education online course, we employed a word vector approach to create a knowledge similarity network.Our findings indicate that knowledge diffusion occurs through social contagion, leading to knowledge convergence. Notably, structural equivalence plays a more significant role in this process than cohesion. This research provides new insights into the social dynamics mechanism of knowledge diffusion in online learning environments.

Asynchronous online training increased knowledge, confidence, and intent to screen and treat substance use disorders among primary care clinicians practicing in Texas

IntroductionDespite increasing prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD), few patients are diagnosed and treated in primary care settings. This study evaluated changes in knowledge, confidence, and intention to implement screening and brief intervention (SBI) and SUD treatment after clinicians participated in an asynchronous online education course. MethodsA self-selected sample of primary care clinicians in Texas participated in online SBI and SUD education March 2021–July 2023. Baseline and post-training surveys evaluated changes in knowledge, confidence, and intent to implement SBI and SUD treatment. Changes were compared using paired t-tests. Multivariable linear regression examined factors potentially associated with confidence and intention to implement changes. Clinician feedback regarding the course was included. ResultsOf 613 respondents, 50.9% were practicing family medicine clinicians. Knowledge of adolescent screening tools increased from 21.9% to 75.7% (p < 0.001). Knowledge about the number of drinks that define excessive drinking among non-pregnant women increased from 24.5% at baseline to 64.9% (p < 0.001). Clinicians reported lowest confidence in providing opioid use disorder pharmacotherapy, which improved after program participation. Intent to implement SBI and medication for alcohol, nicotine and opioid use disorders increased (p < 0.001) after training. No factors were associated with change in confidence or intention to implement in multivariable models (p > 0.05). Satisfaction was high and nearly 60% reported intention to change their clinical practice because of the program. ConclusionKnowledge, confidence, and intent to implement SBI and SUD treatment increased after completing the online course. Clinician satisfaction was high and demonstrated improved intention to implement SBI and SUD treatment.

The application of curriculum recommendation algorithm in the driving mechanism of industry–teaching integration in colleges and universities under the background of education reform

Abstract At present, there is a poor connection between theory and practice in the driving mechanism of industry–teaching integration in colleges and universities. And with the increasing courses, the recommendation accuracy of the recommendation algorithm has also decreased. Therefore, the research built a teaching platform of the Internet of Things (IoT) based on the integration of industry and education and improved its internal online education course recommendation algorithm. Meanwhile, experiments verified its performance. The experimental results show that the response time of several important interfaces is maintained between 0 and 300 ms. In the verification experiment of the improved algorithm for building the rule engine, when the rules are 50, the traditional Rete algorithm takes the most time. In terms of total time consumption, the traditional Rete algorithm takes more time than the improved Rete algorithm. The mean absolute error of the User-Characteristics and Interest Clustering (CCIC) algorithm is 0.8116, the root mean square error is 0.9455, the accuracy is 0.3043, and the recall is 0.1475, which are better than the comparison algorithms. In the recommendation of actual agricultural courses, the overall satisfaction of the User-CCIC algorithm is more than 70%, with good prediction accuracy. In general, the IoT education platform based on the combination of industry and education established by this research has better application prospects, and the User-CCIC algorithm recommended by this research has a good practical effect in actual course recommendation.

Faculty development to design effective online courses: Responding to requirements

Since the pandemic, the importance of faculty development has been taken much more attention and has gone from being an ‘expectation’ to a ‘requirement’. Therefore, universities have started to step toward faculty development, which is also necessary. A wide variety of professional learning activities has been used for faculty development purposes in universities, but the research examining its effectiveness is limited. Our goal is to investigate the experiences of faculty from diverse backgrounds regarding technology-based, high-quality professional development programs in terms of their effectiveness. The faculty working at a foundation university participated in high-quality professional development programmes implemented in this study. The data were collected through focus group interviews. Using a qualitative methodology, we have found that faculty improved their knowledge and skills in designing and teaching online courses, with some faculty even reporting active use of what they have learned in their class and finding it valuable and effective. Program features such as feedback, facilitation, and best examples are helpful for having faculty grow pedagogically. The faculty has demonstrated that they can participate in learning activities that are meaningful to them in their daily lives. For the professional development programmes designed for the faculty to be effective in future studies, it is recommended that the programmes should be designed in a meaningful way for the faculty. Received: 3 November 2022Accepted: 5 February 2024

The Involvement of Academic and Emotional Support for Sustainable Use of MOOCs.

MOOCs, the Massive Open Online Courses, are online educational courses that offer open access to a large number of participants globally. However, online engagement during MOOC learning remains a problem, as reflected in relatively high dropout rates. This paper involves academic and emotional support, aiming to explore whether they contribute to users' sustainable use of the MOOC platform. A total of 410 college students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and with MOOC learning experience participated in this study. Employing the structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques, we examined the relationships among five factors in the EFL MOOC learning context: academic support (AS), emotional support (ES), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEoU), and platform reputation (PR). The results indicate that academic support influences learners' perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of the MOOC platform, as well as enhancing learners' feelings of being emotionally supported. Simultaneously, platform reputation plays a crucial role in influencing learners' perceptions of MOOC platforms. However, results suggest that emotional support does not have a statistically significant impact on the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the platform in EFL MOOC learning contexts.

Using threshold concepts about online teaching to support novice online teachers

As online learning expands across the higher education sector, individual university lecturers are required to take on roles that incorporate responsibilities for designing and teaching online courses. Their growing capacities to fulfil these roles are sometimes supported by professional development (PD) programs within their institutions while some staff engage in staff development activities outside their home institutions. These programs and activities may take place within Communities of Practice (CoPs) while others are conducted on an individual basis. While much research has been undertaken into the field of online teaching and learning, including investigations into the most useful technological tools to incorporate into the design of online courses, the design of PD curricula to support the needs of novice teachers of online courses has not been as extensively explored. This paper reports on the outcomes of an Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) funded project which purposely set out to identify the threshold concepts about online teaching that university lecturers develop as they engage in both the individual and communal aspects of designing and teaching online courses. The paper explains how the identification of threshold concepts about online teaching informed the development of a set of curriculum guidelines for the PD of novice online teachers. Recommendations for the design of PD for individual teachers (at the “me” level) are provided along with recommendations for the institution (at the “us” level).

Using the perceptions of online university students to improve the pedagogy and practice of distance educators

This paper reports on the findings of an investigation into the experiences of undergraduate and postgraduate distance education students from one higher education institution, Avondale College of Higher Education. All of the institution’s current students who were enrolled in a distance course or who had previously completed a distance component of their course were surveyed using an online questionnaire. A subgroup of this population also contributed to focus group discussions. Findings from an analysis of the combined data gathered from the online questionnaire and the focus groups were used to inform the institution’s professional development (PD) program that supports lecturers to design and teach online courses. Results of the study are outlined in terms of distance students’ perceptions about the institution’s distance education program, specifically in relation to course structure, interaction and communication, presentation of materials, use of media and design consistency. The paper concludes with recommendations for addressing the weaknesses of online learning programs including both curriculum design and PD strategies.

Does checking-in help? Understanding L2 learners’ autonomous check-in behavior in an English-language MOOC through learning analytics

AbstractConcerns over the quality of teaching in massive open online courses devoted to language learning (LMOOCs) have prompted extensive research on learning behavior in such courses. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of autonomous learning check-ins – that is, individuals sharing their own learning records and/or other information about their learning-related experience – a novel behavior that has not been studied in previous LMOOC research. Using learning analytics, we found that just 6.2% (n = 699) of a sample of 11,293 learners autonomously engaged in check-in behavior, and that the content of these learners’ check-ins varied considerably according to their contexts and the language skills they were seeking to acquire. We further found (1) a positive association between check-in behavior and LMOOC completion; (2) that students who chose to check in earned relatively low grades on unit quizzes, especially in their early stage of learning, but outperformed the non-check-in group significantly in final exam scores; and (3) that those who checked in engaged with a significantly wider array of in-LMOOC learning components than those who did not, and thus accessed a wider system of language-learning experiences. Taken together, these results confirm that check-in behavior can aid the process of learning in an LMOOC and further highlight this behavior’s wider potential to aid self-directed autonomous online learning.

A comparison of the level of the ESP language learners' performance and engagement in a synchronous online course and the face-to-face course

Evidence is steadily mounting on the prominence of online and technology-enabled learning in higher education. The present study intended to investigate whether virtual, interactive, real-time, instructor-led (VIRI) online learning has the potential to yield comparable student performance and engagement results to that of a traditional face-to-face (F2F) course. This is of great significance since the study delves into the possibilities of synchronous online learning in environments where resources are scarce and provide valuable insights into how technology can contribute to improving medical education and accessibility to educational resources in Iran and other comparable educational contexts. The participants were 18–30-year-old male (n = 16) and female (n = 24) students of nursing (n = 20) and operating room (n = 20) who enrolled in synchronous online and face-to-face courses as the requisite for the fulfilment of a bachelor's degree. T-tests and descriptive statistics were the study employed T-tests and descriptive statistics to assess variations in both student performance and engagement results. The results revealed that a synchronous course conducted through VIRI classroom technology yields equivalent student performance outcomes to a traditional face-to-face (F2F) learning environment. The findings further showed that while the students did not appear to differ in terms of the levels of expected interest in the course and paying attention in class for the F2F and VIRI courses, they perceived themselves as displaying a different behaviour in the two courses in terms of attending class, participating in class, academic workload and instructor interactions. In fact, the post-semester findings showed that despite the students' earlier expectations, they displayed different behaviour on all six student engagement factors. The findings of this study could have direct implications for the creation, development, and delivery of synchronous online courses in higher education, including medical ones.