Teaching with Instructional Assistants: Enhancing Student Learning in Online Classes

Aim/Purpose: One of the most critical challenges to the student learning experience in online classes would be providing interactions between students and instructors as effective as in face-to-face learning. This study introduces perceived instructor presence as a way to promote such interactions and investigates its effects on student learning experience in online learning. Background: Drawing upon theories of constructivism and social presence, this study proposes a research model to explore the causal relationships from the interactivity of a communication tool to the perception of instructor presence and to student learning experiences such as engagement and satisfaction. Methodology: The survey method was used to collect data from online business classes where an interactive communication tool was required to use for class communication and collaboration. Partial Least Squares analysis was used as the primary data analysis tool. Contribution: This study introduces perceived instructor presence in the online learning context and empirically tests its effects on the online learning experience. This study also contributes to the online learning literature by confirming the constructivist’s point of view on learning that interactions lead to better learning experiences, in the online learning environment. Findings: The study results show that the use of an interactive communication tool in online learning fosters strong student-instructor interactions and promotes students’ perceptions of instructor presence, which eventually enhances student engagement and satisfaction in online classes. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study recommends practitioners (e.g., teachers and professors) to use more interactive communication tools such as Microsoft Teams and Slack to promote the instructor presence in their online classes, which ultimately increase student engagement and satisfaction. Practitioners are also recommended to develop and use any other teaching methods or activities that can increase perceived instructor presence, which has a direct impact on student engagement in online learning. Recommendation for Researchers: While the fellow researchers can take one of the future research directions in this paper, it is recommended to consider more fundamental approaches to the study of online learning. For example, the concept of presence is a radical difference when courses are moved from face-to-face to online learning. Future research could investigate how various types of presence can play differently in online learning. Impact on Society: Better learning experiences are likely to have a significant impact on society’s well-being, and the findings of this study suggest how student learning experiences can be improved in online classes. Furthermore, this is particularly useful when many face-to-face classes were forced to switch to online classes abruptly during the COVID-19 pandemic as many students, parents, and educators were concerned with online learning experiences. Future Research: A replication study with different communication tools in various courses would be good future research to support the generalizability of the findings. Another interesting future research is to employ other types of dependent variables, such as tool adoption and academic performance. It would be worth investigating how different types of learning experiences can be associated with various learning tools. As this study finds that an interactive communication tool is associated with student engagement, gamification can be associated with student enjoyment in online learning.

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Cyber Truancy on Online Classes: An Examination of its Impact on Student Learning and Involved Legalities in Light of the Pandemic

2021 12th International Conference on E-Education, E-Business, E-Management, and E-Learning ◽

10.1145/3450148.3450152 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

JAVIER JOSE RAMELLE E. ◽

DELA ROSA RONNELL D. ◽

SALAZAR JASTHYNE CATES B. ◽

MIJARES RALKEE E. ◽

CRUZ JOCELYN P. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Student Learning ◽

Online Classes

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Como fazer um telejornal universitário em redena pandemia:O caso doESPM no Ar

Pauta Geral - Estudos em Jornalismo ◽

10.5212/revistapautageral.v.7.17115.114 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Leandro Olegário ◽

Heidy Vargas

Keyword(s):

Student Learning ◽

Social Distance ◽

Media Convergence ◽

Online Classes ◽

Porto Alegre ◽

Remote Education ◽

Teacher Student ◽

The Social ◽

The Face

This article maps elements of laboratory production of the ESPM no Ar newscast conducted by ESPM / SP during the pandemic period of the new coronavirus. The context of remote education promoted the integrated work of subjects from the Journalism courses in São Paulo, Porto Alegre andRio de Janeiro in a program shown live. The case study is adopted as methodology in order to observe aspects of the construction of the informative audiovisual product in the light of the changes stressed by technology and media convergence. Changes in the production routine and changesin the teacher-student learning relationship are identified in the face of the social distance and entirely online classes.

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Measuring Effectiveness in Online Instruction

Web-Based Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-61520-963-7.ch016 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 222-227

Author(s):

Louis B. Swartz ◽

Michele T. Cole ◽

Daniel J. Shelley

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Student Satisfaction ◽

Student Learning ◽

Online Courses ◽

Educational Programs ◽

Traditional Classroom ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

Future Trends ◽

Access To Education ◽

Online Classes

To remain competitive, expand access to education, and meet the needs of students, institutions of higher education are offering larger numbers of online courses. Asonline instruction increases, educational institutions, students and society need to make sure that onlinecourses and programs are as effective as traditional classroom courses and educational programs. To address this need, this paper focuses on the question, “Are onlinecourses and programs as effective as those taught in the classroom?” Numerous authors have addressed the question of the effectiveness of online classes (Keegan, D., 1996; Russell, T., 1999; Schulman, A.H. and Sims, R.L., 1999; Harasim, L. 2000; Ryan, R.C. 2000; Rivera, J.C. and Rice, M.L., 2002; Bernard, R.M., et al, 2004; Frantz, P.L. and Wilson, A.H., 2004; Suanpang, P., Petocz, P. and Kalceff, W., 2004; Fjermestad, Hiltz, S. and Zhang, Y. 2005; Weaver-Kaulis, A. and Crutsinger, C., 2006). Most studies center on student satisfaction and/or student learning. The studies have produced mixed results. This paper provides a summary of a number of important studies on theeffectiveness of online courses and educational programs. It synthesizes the results from the studies and presents possible reasons for the differences in findings. It concludes with a discussion of future trends and suggestions for areas of further study.

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Collaborative Learning in the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Classroom

Perspectives on Issues in Higher Education ◽

10.1044/ihe11.1.9 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 9-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carolyn S. Potts ◽

Sarah M. Ginsberg

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Student Retention ◽

Student Learning ◽

Student Learning Outcomes ◽

Retention Rates ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Traditional Lecture ◽

Language Pathology ◽

Improve Student Learning

Abstract In recent years, colleges and universities across the country have been called upon to increase the quality of education provided and to improve student retention rates. In response to this challenge, many faculty are exploring alternatives to the traditional “lecture-centered” approach of higher education in an attempt to increase student learning and satisfaction. Collaborative learning is one method of teaching, which has been demonstrated to improve student learning outcomes.

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Redesigning Introduction to Communication Disorders

Perspectives on Issues in Higher Education ◽

10.1044/ihe13.2.40 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 40-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John Wm. Folkins

Keyword(s):

Student Learning ◽

Student Evaluation ◽

Good Practice ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

Team Experience ◽

Team Activity ◽

Class Period ◽

Written Assignments ◽

Principles Of Good Practice ◽

Overall Effectiveness

A class of 58 students in Introduction to Communication Disorders was divided into eight teams of approximately seven students each. The teams sat together all semester and participated in at least one team activity (team discussions, in-class written assignments, and team quizzes) in every class period. Teams also were used for taking roll and reviewing for examinations. There was no decline in student evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the course or in examination scores when compared to when this course was taught with half the number of students and no teams. Students evaluated the team experience highly and appeared to enjoy competition among teams. Using teams was successful in creating experiences that foster student learning as embodied in Chickering and Gameson’s principles of good practice.

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