LibGuides: OTL-7004: Week 3 Resources

Week 3 Resources

Beyond Content: The Value of Instructor-Student Connections in the Online Classroom
Mandernach, B. J., Robertson, S. N., & Steele, J. P. (2018). Beyond content: The value of instructor-student connections in the online classroom. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 18(4), 130-150.
Mandernach et al. feel for learners to be fully engaged in their learning experiences require their engagement in the learning process. Students need to connect with peers and instructors in meaningful ways. This article recommends personalized ways of connecting with online learners.
Cultural Communication Characteristics and Student Connectedness in An Online Environment: Perceptions and Preferences of Online Graduate Students
Green, T., Hoffmann, M., Donovan, L., & Phuntsog, N. (2017). Cultural communication characteristics and student connectedness in an online environment: Perceptions and preferences of online graduate students. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education, 32(2).
There is an increasing number of students that come from diverse cultures studying online. This study reviews cultural communication characteristics and students’ perceptions of connectedness with peers and instructors. The authors examine what elements within an online program help increase these perceptions of connectedness. It was found that social connectedness improves student success and persistence.

Handbook of Research on Developing Engaging Online Courses by Amy W. Thornburg (Editor); Dixie F. Abernathy (Editor); Rob J. Ceglie (Editor)
ISBN: 9781799821328

Publication Date: 2020-01-31

Thornburg, A. W., Abernathy, D. F., & Ceglie, R. J. (2020). Handbook of research on developing engaging online courses . IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-2132-8
Read Chapter 1: Who Are Today's College Students? Understanding the 21st Century Higher Education Digital Learner.
In Chapter 1 of this text, the authors present data regarding college students, including diverse characteristics such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, traditional, and non-traditional learners. The authors include ways to support online students to help instructors consider learner needs while building an online environment that is beneficial for learning.

Read Chapter 2: Engaging Marginalized Students in Online Courses: Engaging and Strategic.
Chapter 2 proposes a continuous contact is necessary for engaging online students. Instructors can create an impression of continuous contact, so learners feel heard and valued. The importance of providing a clear structure in a mutually respectful manner is essential. The concept communicated in this chapter is to design online courses intentionally, so learners feel valued and have increased motivation to engage and learn.

Student Performance on an E-Learning Platform: Mixed Method Approach
Rakic, S., Tasic, N., Marjanovic, U., Softic, S., Lüftenegger, E., & Turcin, I. (2020). Student performance on an e-learning platform: Mixed method approach. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(2).
These authors propose student engagement and their use of technological resources in learning activities is an essential requirement for learning success. This paper explores the utilization and impact of digital technologies in Moodle, an e-learning platform. The author’s results show a significant relationship between the use of digital resources within the e-learning platform and student’s performance.