Effective employment of information and communication technology (ICT) in foreign language teaching and learning has become imperative as a means to support second language development when traditional face-to-face instruction and interaction is not possible. Using a design-based research approach and a theoretical framework that integrates…

This research brief comprises three articles published in the three-article dissertation at the University of Missouri (MU) in February 2023. The three-article dissertation, "An Exploration of Online Information Spaces That Support Instructional Design and Teacher Professional Development," examined three online communities of practice…

Effective communication is essential in every organization, including educational institutions. Often, members of the online community work in isolation. Collaboration across varying disciplines and departments can promote unique professional development activities and create a stronger connection to the entire online community. "Enriching…

This qualitative study will explore how MSW faculty describe a community in online courses and what strategies they use in fostering a sense of community within courses from an online Master of Social Work program at the University of South Florida. There is an imperative need to ensure online courses provide a sense of community to support…

This study focused on the development and validation of the Sense of Online Community Scale (SOCS), which includes 28 Likert-type scale items across six subscales: (1) program community; (2) program academic activities; (3) program social activities; (4) institutional academic activities; (5) institutional social activities; and (6) affiliation.…

In this essay, we have described how we build and sustain community in our online EdD program. Initially, we discussed our understanding of community and its influence on our efforts. Then, we discussed three important theoretical frameworks--Wenger's Community of Practice, Garrison et al.'s Community of Inquiry, and Morris and Stommel's Critical…

As the public health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving globally, many linguistic minorities are struggling to obtain accurate and timely health information about the disease and its prevention and treatment in their native language. This study argues that existing ethnic online communities can play an important role in…

Online courses are gaining importance in higher educationinstitutions, leading scholars to explore how individuals learn in this context and how developing an online community can support their learning. This research examines a graduate-level online course focused on college and university teaching, structured around a social learning perspective…

This explanatory research uses a mixed method design to investigate the effect of using an online community of practice within teaching practices on science and math pre-service teachers' teaching self-efficacy beliefs. 102 science and math pre-service teachers participated in the research. "Teaching Self-Efficacy Belief Scale" and…

Online communities have the potential to help teacher education programs inform and prepare future teachers to teach children equitably and confront social injustices. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the shared values and beliefs of teachers who operate as transformative intellectuals in online places. Findings were…

Social networks have been recognized as a fertile learning environment, particularly in encouraging the exchange of knowledge. Students primarily use online communities and groups to read, exchange textbooks, make joint decisions, or share learning materials. Present work assesses the relationship between informal digital learning and formal…

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented adoption of online learning in community colleges. On one hand, online learning increases access and offers students flexibility and convenience. On the other hand, existing research illustrates online courses increase achievement and equity gaps. Hence, this article contends that online learning in…

This study explores the establishment and evolution of an informal online community, tracing how it developed and evolved. More specifically, the study analyzed the characteristics of the online space, as well as how members engaged within the community, including participation patterns, preferences, and opinions and identity construction. The…

This narrative inquiry involved a vibrant online knowledge community of Chinese novice teachers in colleges and universities. The teachers engaged in conversations with their me/ntor and peers, sharing life experiences and exchanging teaching puzzles. Through capturing the evolution (formation, development, sustainability) of the online knowledge…

This article investigates how members of an online community engaged in historical perspective taking in their discussions of the events and figures portrayed in a historical television show. As a means to justify their interpretations and situate themselves inside the possible mindsets of historical figures, members drew on three aspects of the…