Attention during lectures often declines due to high cognitive demands, challenging student learning. The increasing popularity of online education, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, has added to the attention-sustaining difficulties students face during lectures. Online lecture breaks are a promising intervention to enhance attention and learning; however, there is limited research on how they should be designed. In the current study, I investigated the effects of break duration and frequency (Experiment 1) and break activity (Experiment 2) during an online lecture on student attention and learning. In both experiments, undergraduate students watched a 50-minute video-recorded online lecture and then completed an immediate comprehension quiz and a post-lecture survey that included questions about their lecture engagement and experiences. In Experiment 2, attention was measured through probes during the lecture, and a second comprehension quiz was administered one week later. Contrary to my predictions, findings from Experiment 1 revealed that taking three 2-minute open-ended lecture breaks led to significantly lower performance on the immediate quiz compared to taking one 6-minute open-ended lecture break or no breaks. Interestingly, participants in the combined break(s) conditions reported engaging in significantly more media multitasking behaviour and decreased levels of motivation during the lecture compared to the no breaks condition. Consistent with my predictions, Experiment 2 demonstrated that taking stretching breaks during an online lecture significantly improved immediate quiz performance compared to taking social media breaks or no breaks. These findings suggest that structuring online lectures with well-designed breaks can enhance learning outcomes, with stretching breaks showing particular promise. However, further research is needed to explore other factors that influence the quality and effectiveness of lecture breaks, as poorly designed breaks may inadvertently hinder learning. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Maintaining attention during online lectures can be particularly challenging for students, which ultimately impacts their learning. Lecture breaks are often recommended as a tool to help improve attention and learning, but there is limited guidance on how they should be designed and implemented. In this study, I examined the effectiveness of different types of breaks in an online university lecture among university students. Surprisingly, frequent short open-ended breaks led to lower quiz scores compared to one longer open-ended break or no breaks. Interestingly, students who took at least one break engaged in more media multitasking and had reduced motivation to learn during the lecture. However, stretching during these breaks resulted in better quiz performance compared to using social media or taking no breaks. Therefore, while breaks can be poorly designed and unintentionally hinder learning, they can also be strategically integrated into online lectures by incorporating stretches to promote learning.

This article examines the online book club called Victober, which is held every October on Youtube and other social media apps. As a qualitive case study, the research uses interviews, observations, and digital documents to explore the interactions and informal learning experiences of four women who participated in Victober 2022. The author identifies five overarching themes that emerged from the data: content creation, community identity, individual identity, rewards, and anticipation. These themes highlight the significance of content creation for YouTube and social media platforms, the sense of community fostered by Victober, the balance between individuality and belonging, the rewards of participation including creative exploration and social satisfaction, and the excitement leading up to the event. The research reveals the informal learning opportunities provided by Victober, including the development of reading and writing skills, exploration of the Victorian era, and the practice of content creation. It also emphasizes the social nature of reading and the role of social media as a venue for literary discussions. The article has implications for the understanding of informal learners in online affinity spaces.

Thesis advisor: Ana M. Martínez Alemán / This qualitative research study examined the design of collaborative learning experiences in an online graduate course in educational leadership. Based on principles of design-based research, this single case study analyzed the design process among the faculty member and learning design team who created the course. Data were also gathered from the first time the course was completed by students. Content analysis was the primary method to analyze data sources that included design documentation, interviews with faculty and the learning design team, images of course modules in the university Learning Management System, transcripts of synchronous learning exchanges among students and the faculty, team-based assignment submissions, and a survey of students. Findings revealed that the design of collaborative learning experiences was dependent on the nature of the learning goals. The instructor oriented students toward the collaborative culture of the online course and employed numerous learning supports and facilitation strategies to aid them. Collaborative learning design was rooted in the learning sciences, social interdependence theory, and the conceptualization of the virtual classroom as a space for play and creativity. Student collaboration involved synthesis of readings, team-based design exercises, and supporting each other in making progress towards program-level goals. Students regularly engaged in metacognitive activity to reflect on their learning individually and as a collective. Students found the learning supports valuable and collaborative learning experiences challenging but affirming of their identities as graduate students. This study contributes to theory about designing and facilitating online collaborative learning in graduate programs and offers design considerations to guide future efforts in learning design. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Instructional video is a common staple for delivering content in online courses. However, if the included videos are not properly created, many students will skip the video and its content. Improving instructional video has been the topic of many research projects, and we can learn from these studies how to create effective and engaging instructional videos--this is the topic of my dissertation. The first paper is an extended literature review that examines which key instructional design principles are supported in the literature. This helps developers to know which principles to focus on when designing video. The second paper is a practitioner's guide for redesigning instructional video. It details the lessons learned during an evaluation and redesign project completed on an online course. It categorizes the various videos, based on the evaluation data, into three different levels depending on the amount of work required to redesign each. This explains how developers can realize some improvement with a minimum amount of effort and which practices to use when a full reshoot is required. The final paper is a quantitative research paper that looks at the impact of adding bookmarks to the videos of an online course. Analytic data was collected on a semester of students before and after the bookmarks were added and using this data we graphed the number of times each video was watched, re-watched, and abandoned before being completed. We also compared the video usage to how often the reading was done for each lesson. This data will help video designers determine if this improvement helped make the videos more valuable to the students.

Research indicates that experiential learning enhances learning and increases student engagement. As online education in higher education increases, incorporating experiential learning into the online experience has been occurring. For this case study, interviews with five online instructional designers and three online instructors examined answers to the questions of how online instructional designers and online instructors define, value, and design experiential learning in their online courses. Insights regarding the benefits and challenges of designing online experiential learning are discussed. Online instructional designers discussed coaching online instructors through the process of designing experiential learning for their online courses. Online instructors expressed that they have only begun to identify ways to design experiential education into the online environment. This research provides insight into how online instructional designers and online instructors feel about how they have integrated experiential learning into online courses. They are creatively working together to provide more experiential learning activities in the online environment and bringing the world to their students through online education.

The purpose of this study was to document the perceptions of high school teachers regarding their experiences, challenges, and needed skills related to instruction in an online learning environment during the 2021-2022 school year in one North Carolina school district. This study explored teachers' perceptions of their experience with online teaching. Because COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to close for the 2021-2022 school year, schools suddenly shifted from face to face to online learning. A qualitative research design was used to collect and analyze data. Nine teachers at four high schools who taught math, English and science during the 2021-2022 school year completed 1:1 virtual interviews. The interview protocol was consisted of nine interview questions and was used to collect qualitative data. A data analysis was conducted to analyze teachers' interview responses regarding teaching online during the pandemic. The data showed 100% of the participants had concerns about lack of participation and engagement of student when online. In addition, 100% of participants stated they felt teaching online was more stressful than teaching face to face. Findings suggested that teachers are concerned with the lack of student participation and engagement, increased stress of teaching online, and that in the future more professional development in the use of technology is needed for teachers. By examining high school teacher perceptions regarding their experiences teaching online, data can provide educational leaders with findings and implications which, can help improve online learning in the future. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to document the perceptions of high school teachers regarding their experiences, challenges, opportunities and needed skills related to instruction in an online learning environment during the 2021-2022 school year in one North Carolina school district. Nine teachers who taught online in the 2021-2022 school year were interviewed. From the interviews conducted, the researcher has provided three findings: teachers' concern for the lack of student participation and engagement, increased stress of teaching online, and the need for more professional development in the use of technology is needed for teachers.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been used by healthcare professionals to develop their knowledge and skills. They are an attractive learning option due to their openness, accessibility, and flexibility regarding time and space, but have notably low completion rates. “Fac.Dev” is a platform for faculty development by McMaster’s Office for CPD offering online courses through a Query-based, Ubiquitous Educator and Scholars Training (QUEST) model. QUEST modules use task-based activities and authentic assessment in their instructional design, in contrast to the traditional MCQ assessment methods in MOOCs. PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare learner engagement and experiences of health professionals enrolled in a one-month Twitter skills online course delivered on the Fac.Dev platform through QUEST-format modules versus xMOOC-format modules. METHOD: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial. 27 participants were randomized into either learning Twitter skills through a course with QUEST- formatted or xMOOC-formatted modules. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyse the outcome measures, which included completion rates, barriers to completion, self-rated Twitter proficiency, self-perceived achievement of learning outcomes, likelihood of recommending to a peer, and suggestions for module improvement. RESULTS: Quantitative findings revealed that no significant difference in the completion rates of the course delivered through QUEST or xMOOC format. Lack of time was the primary barrier to course completion. Participants in both arms reported an improvement in their Twitter proficiency and were similarly likely to recommend the course to a peer. Thematic analysis of participant feedback revealed incorporating interactivity, increased use of video and media elements, and providing more time for completion would improve their experience. CONCLUSION: Participants’ feedback for improving the modules were consistent with best practices for digital learning for faculty recommended in literature, which can be implemented in future Fac.Dev course offerings to support and improve learner engagement. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

With the rapid development of the Internet, increasingly universities and colleges transfer some of their teaching assignments online. Online learning plays an important role in assisting or sometimes substituting for the traditional face-toace learning. An online message board is one of several online communication tools which are used to assist online learning. We have conducted a study on the role of the online message board in teaching one of these courses, an introductory course in calculus-based physics. The study analyzed students? use of the message board and investigated whether use is correlated with performance in the class. Results suggest that students have benefited from using the online message board. Both homework related message board activities and non-learning message boardn activities were found to be correlated significantly to the grades the students earned in the course.

No description available.

No description available.