scholarly journals Switching to Fully Online EFL Learning Environments: An exploratory study on learners’ perceptions

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-42
Author(s):  
Marco Cancino ◽  
Daniel Avila
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Research Findings

One aspect of online classes that has recently experienced a paradigm shift is fully online language environments (FOLEs) – that is, learning settings where 100% of the content of the class is being delivered online. The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak in 2020 called for the use of fully online teaching in schools and universities in many countries due to confinement measures. Accordingly, schools have made extraordinary efforts towards implementing home-based schooling and delivered online courses to their students during the pandemic. In many universities, online platforms such as Blackboard Collaborate are being used to fulfil the need to keep up with the requirements of academic programmes. However, research findings addressing specific FOLE platforms are scarce, with even fewer studies focusing on learners’ engagement perceptions in those settings. Therefore, the purpose of this mixed-methods exploratory study was to delve into aspects involved in engagement, such as participation, group work, instructional materials, and learning strategies, regarded as key factors influencing the success of FOLEs. Thus, a FOLE questionnaire was administered to 54 EFL university learners, which was followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with seven participants. Our analysis drew from FOLE engagement research (Sun, 2014) and the community of inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007; Garrison et al., 2000). The main findings revealed that the poor interactions with peers and the lack of peer rapport negatively influenced the social presence of students (Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007), that the instructor can use teaching presence to increase student awareness of the relevance of the online environment and overcome adaptation issues (Kebritchi et al., 2017), and that teaching presence can help increase cognitive presence and facilitate effective interactions with the content. Implications for pedagogy were put forward as part of a FOLE approach.

scholarly journals Should Instructors Require Discussion in Online Courses? Effects of Online Discussion on Community of Inquiry, Learner Time, Satisfaction, and Achievement

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moon-Heum Cho ◽  
Scott Tobias
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Significant Difference

<p class="Style2">Online discussion is a commonly used means to promote student understanding of a topic and to facilitate social interaction among students or between students and instructor; however, its effects on student learning in online learning environments have rarely been investigated.  The purpose of this study was to examine the role of online discussion in student learning experiences measured with community of inquiry, learner time, satisfaction, and achievement.  One instructor taught the same online course for three consecutive semesters using three different conditions.  During one semester enrolled students engaged in no discussion, during another semester they engaged in discussion without instructor participation, and in the remaining semester they engaged in discussion with active instructor participation.  No significant differences were found among conditions in cognitive presence and the instructor’s teaching presence, whereas significant difference was found in social presence among conditions.  No significant differences among conditions were found time spent on Blackboard, course satisfaction, and student achievement.  Implications for online teaching and learning as well as for designing an online course conclude the paper.</p>

scholarly journals The teacher as leader: Effect of teaching behaviors on class community and agreement

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Rubin ◽  
Ronald Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Teaching Behaviors ◽  
Group Leaders ◽  
Class Level ◽  
Class Leaders ◽  
Group Agreement

<p>This article examines the effects of teaching behaviors in online university classes, focusing on the agreement among class members. Literature on group leaders’ effects on group agreement about workplace climate is reviewed. Hypotheses are generated about the effects that teachers of online courses, as class leaders, have on both the level and agreement about the community of inquiry. They are tested with a sample of 874 students in 126 online courses. The aggregate class level and strength of agreement about the teaching presence have significant effects on the level and agreement about cognitive presence and social presence. Although the aggregate levels and agreement about community of inquiry are related, different patterns emerge.</p><p>The paper explores the interaction effects of level and agreement, finding that in classes with high levels of teaching presence, the higher the agreement about teaching presence, the higher the agreement about cognitive and social presence especially for classes reporting stronger levels of cognitive and social presence. In classes with lower levels of teaching presence, agreement has a different effect.</p>

scholarly journals Major barriers for participating in online teaching in developing countries from Iranian faculty members' perspectives

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibi Eshrat Zamani ◽  
Azam Esfijani ◽  
Sayed Majid Abdellahi Damaneh
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Research Findings

Although higher education systems in developing countries such as Iran have embraced the online education approach, they are confronted with significant challenges in this transition, one of which is lack of instructors' participation in online teaching. Therefore, this research is aimed at exploring barriers and influential factors for this lack of participation. The researchers developed their theoretical framework based on a thorough review of the existing body of knowledge while considering the cultural features of Iran as a developing country. A tailored questionnaire asking about the existence of three groups of barriers, namely personal, attitudinal and contextual inhibitors, was distributed among all faculty members who were candidates for delivering online courses in one of the top universities in the country. Data was analysed using the descriptive and inferential tests of Friedman, <em>t</em>-Test and ANOVA. The results were in line with research findings in other developing countries in which the contextual barriers had the most inhibition effect against faculty members’ participation in online teaching. Certain cultural barriers also are highlighted by participants, pertaining to the context of Iranian online education systems.

Recommendations to Improve Education for Students with Autism through Distance Learning Strategies and Assistive Technologies during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Dr. Dalliah Alkhoui
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Students With Autism

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new educational challenges and presented new opportunities for educators and students with learning disabilities, especially due to the increased awareness and focus on inclusive education. While extensive research has been done on effective strategies for teaching students with autism in an inclusive classroom environment, there is minimal research conducted on strategies for distance learning education for students with autism. This group is at a higher risk of being excluded from online education compared to their peers who have no learning difficulties. Recommended strategies for enhancing effective online education for students with autism include strategies for developing instructional materials. Another is collaborative engagements with all stakeholders to develop an understanding of each student’s strengths and weaknesses. The other is the provision of teacher training and continuous professional development. Next up is developing strategies for creating effective home-based learning environments such as providing all the required infrastructure for online learning. Finally, are strategies for instructional delivery such as the use of effective assistive technologies such as Zoom, collaboration with caregivers, and ensuring the active engagement of the students during instruction delivery.

Bridging the Social and Teaching Presence Gap in Online Learning

2015 ◽  
pp. 158-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Web Conferencing ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
The Social ◽  
Students Satisfaction

Feelings of disconnection and isolation from teachers and other classmates could have a major negative impact on students' satisfaction and success when learning online. This chapter describes how a variety of Web 2.0 tools have been used to establish and maintain teaching and social presence in online learning. Rather than limiting contact to the virtual world created by well-designed interfaces of learning management system platforms, the creative use of Web conferencing in online teaching not only brings students and teachers together as real human beings but also generates interactions that create more interest and higher engagement. The combined use of synchronous and asynchronous tools, together with mobile devices, has made online learning more flexible, accessible, and credible.

Active Learning Strategies for Online Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 199-231
Author(s):  
Josh Gordesky ◽  
Andrew Cohen ◽  
Oliver Huebler ◽  
Olivia Jardine ◽  
Raphaela Brandner
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Spacing Effect ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Active Learning Strategies

Online concept maps and digital, adaptive learning flashcards are introduced as two active learning resources that increase the social presence in online courses. These resources apply the spacing effect, which improves learning when the study sessions are appropriately spread out instead of cramming the information into one long session. Also, retrieval practice, which occurs when the learner is required to visualize the response instead of passively reviewing the answer, is used with these resources as well. Strategies for using online concept maps and digital, adaptive learning flashcards are discussed to provide online instructors with ideas on how they can use these tools to build rapport in the online classroom that leads to meaningful learning experiences.

The Journey from Dissenter to Advocate

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Terry S. Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Online Student ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
The Social ◽  
University Professor

This chapter details the experiences of a university professor whose perspectives shifted from one of initial dissent to eventual advocacy for online learning as a delivery mode for her reading/literacy courses. Spanning eight years, her distance education teaching practices were shaped by her personal ventures as an online student, the outcomes gained by enhancing the social presence of her online courses, collaboration with colleagues, and systematic examination of her online teaching practice relative to its rigor, quality, and effectiveness within a teacher preparation program. Insights gained while teaching online conclude with recommendations for faculty members, institutions, systems, and organizations with vested interest in the future of teacher education.

scholarly journals Online Teaching Effectiveness: A Tale of Two Instructors

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Gorsky ◽  
Ina Blau
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Very High

Upon completion of a graduate level course at the Open University of Israel, one instructor received very high student ratings while the other received very low ratings. We utilized this exceptional situation to perform ad hoc analyses of their course forums. The objective of this study was to map the dialogic behavior that occurred and to create suggestions for best practice and for worst practice in terms of active and passive participation, instructor response time, and the extent of teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence.

scholarly journals The switch to remote instruction in Spanish heritage language courses: Why social presence matters

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-214
Author(s):  
Angélica Amezcua ◽  
Anel Brandl ◽  
Evelyn Durán Urrea ◽  
Estrella Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
Virtual Courses ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
On Line

EN The pandemic amplified the educational disparities that Latinx students face in virtual courses. This research project describes Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) learners’ experiences with remote instruction, and it proposes using the Community of Inquiry Model (Garrison et al., 2000) and modified versions of the Theory of Social Presence (Fayram, 2017; Hauck & Warnecke, 2012; Strong et al., 2012; Whiteside, 2015) as guiding frameworks to obtain information about social presence (SP) aspects in the online classroom. A total of 126 SHL learners took a validated online survey to evaluate the challenges of switching to a remote modality of instruction. This research emphasizes the need to design effective online courses that foster SP as a key element to diminish feelings of isolation and encourage active participation in the classroom. We propose that teaching presence is an important component of social presence in online SHL courses, and we offer pedagogical implications for practitioners. Parole chiave: LATINX STUDENTS, SPANISH HERITAGE LANGUAGE COURSES, ONLINE CLASSES, SOCIAL PRESENCE ES La pandemia amplificó la disparidad educativa que el alumnado latino sufre en los cursos virtuales. Este proyecto describe las experiencias del alumnado latino en las clases virtuales de español como lengua de herencia (SHL) y propone el uso del modelo de la Community of Inquiry (Garrison et al., 2000) y la teoría de la Presencia Social (junto con sus modificaciones: Hauck & Warnecke, 2012; Fayram, 2017; Strong et al., 2012; Whiteside, 2015) como guía para entender la presencia social (PS) y sus factores en las clases virtuales. Un total de 126 participantes respondieron a un cuestionario en línea validado para evaluar los retos que supuso el cambio a una enseñanza a distancia. Los resultados indican la importancia de diseñar cursos virtuales efectivos que promuevan la presencia social como el elemento clave para disminuir el aislamiento y promover la participación activa en las clases. En este estudio proponemos que la presencia docente es un componente importante de la presencia social en la enseñanza virtual del español como lengua de herencia y ofrecemos implicaciones pedagógicas para el profesorado. Palabras claves: ALUMNADO LATINO, CURSOS DE ESPAÑOL COMO LENGUA DE HERENCIA, CURSOS EN LÍNEA, PRESENCIA SOCIAL IT La pandemia ha aumentato le disparità educative che studenti/esse latini/e affrontano nei corsi a distanza. Questo studio descrive le esperienze di apprendenti di Spagnolo come Lingua Ereditaria nella didattica a distanza (DaD), e propone l’uso del modello della Community of Inquiry (Garrison et al., 2000) e della Teoria della Presenza Sociale (con le sue variazioni: Hauck & Warnecke, 2012; Fayram, 2016; Strong et al., 2012; Whiteside, 2015) come modelli per ottenere informazioni su aspetti della presenza sociale (SP) durante le lezioni online. 126 studenti hanno risposto a un questionario validato online per valutare le sfide poste dal passaggio alla DaD. I risultati evidenziano la necessità di corsi online efficaci che promuovano la SP come fattore chiave per diminuire il senso di isolamento e incoraggiare una partecipazione attiva alla lezione. Viene suggerita la presenza dell’insegnante come componente importante della SP nei corsi online di SHL e vengono trattate le implicazioni pedagogiche per i docenti stessi. Parole chiave: STUDENTI LATINI, CORSI DI SPAGNOLO COME LINGUA EREDITARIA, LEZIONI ON-LINE, PRESENZA SOCIALE.

Expanding the CoI

2013 ◽  
pp. 429-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastián Romualdo Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Knowledge Communities ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Parallel Processes

This chapter explores how the foundational principles of the Community of Inquiry survey can be used to assess and evaluate parallel processes for Knowledge Workers, given that online teaching and learning is quite similar to “online working.” The phenomenon analogous to teaching presence in online learning is a knowledge worker’s ability to create and disseminate knowledge. Communities of Practice provide a measurable phenomenon analogous to social presence. Finally, data-driven decision-making’s use for evaluation, coupled with innovation, serves as a phenomenon parallel to cognitive presence. Together, these three measures, developed in parallel with teaching, social and cognitive presence, provide an effective framework for evaluating online work, which is quite similar to online learning.

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