As shown in previous studies, collaborative group projects promote a sense of learner community and social presence in the synchronous and asynchronous environment that is essential in fostering motivation and learning (Chism & Faidley, 2021; Kannan et al., 2021; Thomas and Yamazaki, 2021). This forum will discuss a study that investigates the relationship between project-based e-learning and a sense of belonging and social presence, as well as their impact on academic achievement. The modes of small-group interaction (synchronous and asynchronous), the amount of interaction and the duration of the projects are also examined. Opportunities for attendees to share their experiences will be provided through polls, Jamboard, and open discussion.

The participants of the study include university students in three different online courses: an intermediate-level Spanish course with a project-based curriculum; an intermediate-level intensive Portuguese course that integrates project-based learning; and a case study project-based education course on e-learning communities. Data are collected through a questionnaire and interviews which examine the role of online project-based learning from the students’ perspectives. The results could potentially reveal an important relationship between small-group projects, a sense of learner belonging and e-learning, including insights into the modes of communication and duration of these projects for building social presence.

To conclude, pedagogical implications will be discussed as a group for the use of small-group project based e-learning to establish a sense of community and social presence essential in an online classroom. This will include open discussion and Jamboard for written comments.

This session will share the collaborative techniques, materials and tools used to develop and facilitate an online professional development program on online ADA accessibility for University of Hawai‘i faculty. Participants will be invited to join in a discussion of techniques for gaining faculty buy-in for professional development on topics faculty may resist and to share relevant experiences of their own.

Is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) the secret ingredient for empowering students and increasing student engagement and belonging?

Student engagement and student persistence play an important role in Higher Education. Engaged students are more likely to persist which in turn benefits the university and educational partners. Students need a welcoming, engaging, and inclusive environment to thrive and to help foster engagement and empowerment. As the world continues to change, higher education must reflect the changing demographics. Diversity, in terms of ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, mental, and physical ability has continued to increase over the past decade. The number of people of color continues to increase in the USA, and by 2050, according to the Center for American Progress, there will not be a clear racial or ethnic majority (Kerby, 2021). Colleges and universities must have diversity and inclusion practices and processes that reflect the changing demographics. An educational institution that supports and fosters a culture that cultivates DEI, improves the student’s cultural and intellectual engagement, and citizenship (Tsuo, 2015). An organization’s goals, practices, and processes need to reflect the communities and the organizations they serve.

This presentation and discussion will explore how DEI practices impact belonging, student engagement, and student persistence. Presenters will share DEI best practices and diversity training techniques that may contribute to increased student engagement, and persistence. Presenters will explore the importance of diversity student organizations, working with diversity committees, diversity curriculum policies, and how acknowledging diversity and inclusion could increase feelings of belonging, student engagement and persistence. DEI may be the secret ingredient for empowering students and increasing student engagement, belonging and persistence.

While the use of virtual manipulatives is rising in classrooms, especially with the rise in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still limited research regarding teacher experiences with and perceptions of virtual manipulatives. Most of the research regarding teacher perceptions of VM has focused only on short-term uses following professional development sessions and none has highlighted the experiences of teachers using them during emergency remote teaching during COVID-19. This session will cover a study in which the purpose was to explore teacher perceptions and experiences with virtual manipulatives following distance learning during COVID-19. To achieve this, the researchers conducted an online survey to gather data on educator’s (n=103) experiences, perceptions, and usage of virtual manipulatives. The qualitative and quantitative data show that educators feel that VM are a valid and feasible support of mathematics instruction when physical manipulatives are not available. Results regarding usage of virtual manipulatives including frequency of use, standards taught, and types used are presented and discussed. This presentation will leave participants with a greater understanding of how VM are being used in the classroom and online learning environments post-pandemic, and how teachers plan to use them in the future. Additionally, there will be discussion of barriers to use of virtual manipulatives in both classroom and online learning environments.

Academia is often focused on cultivating students’ research skills, with limited opportunities for students to develop industry connections and professional, transferable skills before entering the workforce. According to a McKinsey Global Survey, 87% of executives reported that college graduates often lack experience in professional skills, resulting in a skills gap in the workplace. Unlike other university courses, the tech boot camp offered by the Epicenter emphasizes skills-building for students. The boot camp aims to professionally prepare students as future entrepreneurs and expose them to real-world problems that arise in the technology workplace. In the beginning of the course, students focus on creating pitches for finding a technology solution to a social impact problem. Students are split up into teams based on the social focus on their pitch, with an industry coach for each team to guide students through their projects. During the boot camp, guest speakers from startups and the technology industry share knowledge with students on critical topics, such as project management, data analytics, UI/UX, and how to pitch.At the end of the 10-week bootcamp, students demonstrate their solutions to industry professionals from private and public organizations, academia and non-profit sectors. At the boot camp’s inception in 2018, only 40+ students applied. Fast forward to today and applications have increased to about 150-200 students each quarter.

What is often missing in online learning environments is dialogue. Discussion boards attempt to create idea exchange, but the asynchronous nature is not conducive to a real-time exchange of ideas.

Openness and an abundance of voices define a dialogic space where dialogue is the focus rather than the ownership of ideas. The dialogic space offers the possibility of learning or understanding a new perspective, allowing one to change and grow. New beliefs augment existing beliefs, and it is through dialogue of this nature that authentic learning occurs.

Synchronous live seminars can create a student-centered dialogic space for online learners. An example might be groups of four students discussing a dialogic concept, such as the ethics of artificial intelligence. The students will be taught how to communicate in this dialogic space to ensure that others' perspectives on the topic are respected and incorporated into their own beliefs in a way that expands their existing viewpoint. Participants are not debating but constructing a new blended perspective about a concept.

This presentation will provide several specific ideas for dialogic spaces in an online learning environment, the requirements to create a safe dialogic space for the students, an explanation of the dialogic process, topic ideas, and reflective exercises after the dialogic process.
What do the students learn? A new way of thinking and conversing with others about controversial topics. They leave the dialogic exercise with new perspectives and form a social connection with their dialogic team.

Student engagement is a key lever for increasing academic achievement and other student outcomes (e.g., graduation rates, attendance). This session will examine student engagement and the ways in which students demonstrated engagement in their learning during the 2020-2021 school year, a time when most students participated in distance learning during the pandemic. The presenters will share findings on an engagement survey administered in 792 schools to 162,420 students in grades 3-12 across 33 states. Data will be presented by grade span (elementary, middle, high), by domain, and by engagement type to better highlight potential associations .

Beginning with an overview of academic research and models of student engagement, participants will join the presenters in exploring three domains of engagement (behavioral, cognitive, emotional) and three types of engagement (committed, compliant, disengaged). These domains allow for a more nuanced understanding of how students engage in the classroom via conduct and effort (behavioral), strategic thinking (cognitive), and feelings (emotional).

Collectively, participants and presenters will then interrogate data to discern noteworthy insights and findings. The session will conclude with a brief view of longitudinal data incorporating survey results prior to and following the 2020-2021 school year. Participants will be able to provide feedback and suggestions regarding in-progress research questions describing the relationship between engagement and learning during the pandemic.

The challenges of the past few years continue to have an impact on students, instructors and institutions. However, the transformation of online instruction has turned challenges into opportunities. Instructors continue to use new pedagogical tools such as podcasting to enrich the learning experience. Patterson defines classroom podcasts as “a screen-free, movement-enabling, ear-stimulating and eye opening way to deliver content” (2021). To be sure, there are several benefits to podcasting including downloading the podcast on to a device and listened to offline, podcasts can reduce feelings of isolation and enable students to feel connected to their university community, and podcasts can assist students whose first language is not English (O’Reilly, 2021). The potential downside to podcasts are the inability for the student to ask questions immediately and the inability of the instructor to gauge understanding of the material by the student through non-verbal clues and indeed from questions. Podcasts can enhance learning by following Mayer’s theory of multimedia learning. According to Mayer’s theory, “meaningful learning outcomes depend on the cognitive activity of the learner during learning rather than on the learner’s behavioral activity during learning” (Mayer, 2001). This presentation will offer recommendations for creating podcasts that both engage the learner and ensure meaningful learning outcomes. Included in the interactive presentation will be tools, an example podcast, and the exploration of a free podcast creation website to get instructors started.

While there are several ways an instructor can make the online course content and activities come to life for students, there’s a larger framework that can be put in place. By making yourself real, vulnerable, and present in the online classroom, you can demonstrate that your classroom is a safe space, one that students are enthusiastic to participate in. And by creating a diverse dialogic experience – asking questions and bringing in other voices to help solidify your teaching – you’ll create a more inclusive and engaging online classroom.

The abrupt transition to all-online teaching and learning during the lengthy COVID pandemic and lockdown presented challenges for many higher education faculty members. While this sudden changeover continues to be studied in terms of its impacts, equal attention is warranted regarding the return to the traditional classroom. What were the biggest challenges faced by higher education faculty and their students both during the pandemic and regarding the return? How did students compare online learning during the pandemic to that of the traditional face-to-face classroom? What steps did faculty take to prepare their students for this return to maximize their safety and security in the learning process? We conducted individual in-depth interviews with 10 higher education faculty in a college of education to explore challenges and successes related to online teaching and learning and paving the way for a smooth transition back to the traditional classroom. Understanding these stressors, challenges, and successes will assist faculty and administrators with continuing to monitor for signs of student stress and facilitate their successful future learning in this “new status quo.”