Today the digital divide is measured not so much by access to the internet but by people's ability to interact in cyberspace, which calls for specific digital communication skills. These skills are also required for participation in e-learning, bearing in mind that the deaf and hard of hearing have certain characteristics related to their condition.  This study aims to identify inequalities in access to e-learning by those who are deaf or hard of hearing, observe how they are related to social and demographic factors, and confirm whether the accessibility of the e-learning environment has a direct influence on their satisfaction. More...

Lecture videos have become an increasingly prevalent and important source of learning content. Lecturer-generated summaries may be used during a video lecture to improve student recall. Furthermore, the integration of a guest lecturer into the classroom may be a beneficial educational practice drawing the learner’s attention to specific content or providing a change of pace. The current study measures the effects of lecturer-generated summaries and the inclusion of a guest lecturer on students’ ability to recall online video lecture contents. More...

As online courses become more common, practitioners are in need of clear guidance on how to translate best educational practices into web-based instruction. Moreover, student engagement is a pressing concern in online courses, which often have high levels of dropout. Our goals in this work were to experimentally study routine instructional design choices and to measure the effects of these choices on students’ subjective experiences (engagement, mind wandering, and interest) in addition to objective learning outcomes. More...

Online professional development (OPD) programs have become increasingly popular. However, participating in professional development does not always lead to profound professional learning. Previous research endeavours have often focussed on measuring user acceptance or on comparing the effectiveness of OPD with a face-to-face delivery, but there is little knowledge of how the process of professional learning actually occurs in OPD. More...

In a teacher education context, this study considers the use of social media for building a professional online presence and learning network. This article provides an overview of uses of social media in teacher education, presents a case study of key processes in relation to professional online presence and learning networks, and highlights issues and challenges for wider consideration. Specific practical illustrations are provided, relating experiences when starting out with social media, integrating coursework challenges for student teachers, and considering feedback and future planning. More...