Research Article
Naureen Shehzad, Tendai Charles
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep484
ABSTRACT
Digital pedagogies have impacted traditional approaches towards teaching and as this phenomenon continues to expand, a clearer understanding of the role of instructors’ social presence in online learning environments is imperative. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, this study investigates instructor social presence and its impact on student engagement at higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates. The study includes data collected through a survey, which was distributed amongst faculty members (n=30), followed by several in-depth interviews. The study explores the relationship between constructs of instructor social presence and student engagement. Findings suggest that instructor social presence positively influences student engagement and attrition. The study also identifies different strategies and barriers instructors face in establishing their online social presence. The study has practical implications for stakeholders and curriculum designers seeking to improve and enhance the learning outcomes in online education.
Keywords: higher education, social presence, student engagement, community of inquiry
Research Article
Amka Amka, Juhriyansyah Dalle
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep334
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 had a disastrous impact on the education sector resulting in a boom of online learning systems. This shift has severely impacted the underprivileged students with special needs due to the sudden implementation of prolonged distance learning. Thus, it creates an immense need to analyze distance learning media’s effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic for students with special needs. The E-learning readiness and satisfaction of special needs students are scarcely investigated areas in education and e-learning literature. Established on the community of inquiry (COI) model, this study aims to determine the factors that underpin students’ satisfaction with their e-learning experience through the mediated mechanism of students online learning readiness. Surveying 178 special needs students from various Indonesian universities revealed that teaching presence, cognitive and social presence, and content quality, directly and indirectly, influence e-learning satisfaction. This extended and more comprehensive model would help educators better understand e-learning’s use as an effective pedagogical platform, especially in the context of special needs students. Key policy implications and directions for future research are suggested.
Keywords: community of inquiry model, content quality, online learning readiness, students’ cognitive presence, social presence, students’ satisfaction with e-learning experience, teaching presence
Research Article
Lawrence Meda, Areej ElSayary
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep318
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has forced many universities across the globe to implement emergency remote teaching as a preventative measure. Many faculty staff members were not adequately equipped with knowledge and skills of facilitating remote teaching. This made the establishment of social, cognitive and teacher presences difficult for them. The purpose of this study is to examine ways in which certified online instructors established social, cognitive and teacher presences during emergency remote teaching at a university in the United Arab Emirates. The study is guided by one critical question: How did certified online instructors establish social, cognitive and teacher presences in their online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic? The study adopted a qualitative case study within an interpretivist paradigm. Two certified online instructors were purposely selected to reflect on their experiences in establishing social, cognitive and teaching presences in their remote classes. It was found that students’ engagement, critical thinking and self-directed learning and continual engagement play an indispensable role in students’ remote learning. The study concludes that the establishment of the three components of a community of inquiry enhance students’ learning experiences and allow instructors to cater for the diverse learning needs of all students in an online community.
Keywords: emergency remote teaching, social presence, teaching presence, cognitive presence, online learning