Educational Technology Commons^™

The Human Side Of Policy: Rural Teachers And Alberta’S 2024 Mobile Device Ban, Kelly A. Smith

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Technology-restrictive educational policies are increasingly shaping classroom practice, yet limited qualitative research has examined how teachers experience implementing these mandates in rural contexts. This study explored how rural elementary teachers experienced Alberta’s 2024 Ministerial Order banning personal mobile devices during instructional time. Using a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight rural elementary teachers and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: policy ambiguity, reduced professional autonomy, emotional labour, and leadership as a mediating force. Findings suggest the policy functioned as more than a classroom technology restriction, shaping trust, instructional flexibility, teacher well-being, and school relationships. The study …

The Open Wiki Of Electrochemical Methods (Owem): A Community-Driven Educational Resource, Anderson Fuller, Devin Rappleye

Reviews, Analyses, and Instructional Studies in Electrochemistry (RAISE)

The traditional resources for learning electrochemical methods—textbooks, academic literature, and university coursework—remain essential but are limited in accessibility, update frequency, and practical usability. This paper introduces the Open Wiki of Electrochemical Methods (OWEM), an open-access, community-driven platform designed to complement these resources. OWEM organizes content into equations, definitions, methods, tutorials, and supplementary articles, with a heavy emphasis on experimental relevance. A case study on cyclic voltammetry demonstrates how OWEM consolidates foundational theory, lesser-known results, and practical guidance within a continuously maintainable framework to benefit the broader electrochemistry community.

Spotlight: Resources For Listening Proficiency In Russian, Molly Godwin-Jones

Russian Language Journal

The Digital Resources Corner (DRC) offers reviews of new digital resources that could be beneficial in the teaching and/or learning of Slavic languages. It is intended for instructors looking for or evaluating different materials to use in the classroom.

Book Review: Dynamic Teaching Of Russian: Games And Gamification Of Learning., Olesia Hubrich

Russian Language Journal

This review examines Dynamic Teaching of Russian: Games and Gamification of Learning, a collection of empirically grounded case studies on integrating games and creative activities into tertiary-level L2 Russian language instruction. The volume highlights the pedagogical value of gamified, student-centered approaches in enhancing linguistic proficiency and affective factors such as motivation, confidence, and engagement. While offering a wide range of innovative teaching practices, the volume also identifies gaps in research, particularly regarding game-based learning and diverse learner populations. Overall, the book is presented as a valuable resource for instructors and researchers seeking to incorporate play and gamification into Russian as …

Spotlight: Russian Aspect In Conversation And Russian Grammar Youtube Channel, Margaret Godwin-Jones

Russian Language Journal

The Digital Resources Corner (DRC) offers reviews of new digital resources that could be beneficial in the teaching and/or learning of Slavic languages. It is intended for instructors looking for or evaluating different materials to use in the classroom.

Artificial Intelligence In Educational Research And Scholarship: Seven Framings, Eamon Costello, Giselle Ferreira, Stefan Hrastinski, Jason K. Mcdonald, Ahmed Tlili, George Veletsianos, Victoria I. Marin, Henk Huijser, Sharon Altena

Faculty Publications

In a recent interview (Bender et al., 2025), Professor Emily M. Bender discussed the limitations of technical solutions in addressing harmful Artificial Intelligence (AI) bias. She described a particular point we may reach at which technical solutions stop working, and when we should then widen the lens to ask about the problem framing itself. This is a crucial step in any inquiry that is of concern to both novice and experienced researchers alike: moving from problem-solving to problematisation. This commentary aims to provide educational researchers with a glimpse into the wide array of research problems and problematisation of AI in …

Encouraging Self-Regulation In An Online University Course For Preservice Teachers: An Intervention Study, Karen T. Arnesen, Charles R. Graham, Heather Leary, Alison I. Mcmurry

Faculty Publications

Although self-regulation (SR) has long been seen as an important educational concept, we know little about how to foster it in higher education online student populations. This research addresses this need by introducing an SR intervention into a preservice teacher course. The 30 students who participated used an intervention consisting of weekly student goal setting and self-reflection. Using data collected from a self-regulation survey, weekly reflections, final exam reflections, and interviews, all but one student indicated that the process of setting a goal weekly and especially reflecting on their actions during the week increased their self-regulation abilities. More than half …

Ai-Powered Genre-Based Writing Assignments For Intermediate And Advanced Russian Learners, Natalia Petrova, Iuliia Rychkova

Russian Language Journal

The integration of AI into language education has been a subject of growing interest among researchers and educators, but the adoption of even basic AI tools in the classroom has been slow and cautious (Vogt & Flindt, 2023). Most available research on integrating AI tools to improve L2 writing proficiency focuses on services that provide automated written corrective feedback (e.g., Tran, 2024; Wiboolyasarin et al., 2024). In contrast, this report explores the possible implementation of AI tools as teacher-facing systems (Baker & Smith, 2019), that is, how language instructors can use ChatGPT and Gemini to lower their workload in class …

Introduction To The First Thematic Issue: Artificial Intelligence (Ai) & Machine Translation In The Teaching Of Slavic Languages And Literatures, Liudmila Klimanova

Russian Language Journal

This editorial introduction frames Russian Language Journal’s first thematic issue on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine translation in the teaching of Russian and other Slavic languages, literatures, and cultures. It argues that the rapid spread of large language models makes AI impossible to treat as an optional add-on, pushing educators to revisit authorship, genre, literacy, and assessment while avoiding both moral panic and “quick-fix” approaches. The article synthesizes contributions that (1) integrate chatbots into genre-based writing and conversational practice while emphasizing critical AI literacy; (2) design context-aware conversational agents for Russian and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, noting pedagogical benefits alongside risks such …

Spotlight: Tako Lako, Diverse Russian, & Professional Russian, Margaret Godwin-Jones

Russian Language Journal

The Digital Resources Corner (DRC) offers reviews of new digital resources that could be beneficial in the teaching and/or learning of Slavic languages. It is intended for instructors looking for or evaluating different materials to use in the classroom.

Behind The Screen: Exploring Parental Roles In K-12 Online Education, Barbara T. Sandberg, Charles R. Graham, Jered Borup, Richard E. West, Rocio Quiroga Velasquez

Faculty Publications

Independent engagement can be challenging for K-12 online students. Parents’ physical presence makes them an important source of engagement support. Previous research on parental support in online courses is limited and focused on asynchronous learning within a single program. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online enrollments have grown and instructional modalities have evolved. To better understand parental support post-Covid, we interviewed 21 parents across eight online programs with asynchronous, synchronous, and bichronous course offerings. Parents identified their affective, behavioral, cognitive, and other support roles. Implications for parental roles in addressing the academic engagement gap are provided to both researchers and practitioners.

Theory And Tools: The Future Of Technology-Based Learning (Script), Andrew S. Gibbons Iii

Faculty Publications

We are entering a narrow passage that will see great instability in learning technology, instruction, and distance education. My purpose is to talk about two changes that I believe will redirect the entire future of technology-based education.

Theory And Tools: The Future Of Technology-Based Learning (Slides), Andrew S. Gibbons Iii

Faculty Publications

We are entering a narrow passage that will see great instability in learning technology, instruction, and distance education. My purpose is to talk about two changes that I believe will redirect the entire future of technology-based education.

Examining The Self-Regulation Abilities Of Students Enrolled In An Online Secondary Charter School, Karen T. Arnesen, Charles R. Graham, Heather Leary

Faculty Publications

This exploratory research addresses the state of student selfregulation (SR) in an online secondary school. Students are more likely to be successful, especially in online schools, when they are self-regulated. Understanding these students’ current SR abilities can facilitate targeted interventions. Data for this study was gathered from a student survey and interviews of students, parents, and teachers from an online secondary school. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that many students perceived their SR as being adequate to strong and that students were more aware of the help-seeking and time management dimensions of SR than of the other dimensions. This awareness …

Learning From Secondary Blended Teaching Practitioners: Selecting Activities And Connecting In-Person And Online Learning, Michelle Jensen, Charles R. Graham, Cecil R. Short

Faculty Publications

Implementation of blended teaching (BT) practices is increasing rapidly in K-12 classrooms. This trend creates an urgent need for professional development to support BT. An understanding of how experienced teachers implement BT can inform teacher educators and professional development leaders as they develop training to support this practice. We interviewed 24 secondary educators implementing BT strategies to determine what activities they include in the online space and how they connect them to in-person learning. Qualitative thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that experienced blended teachers used a variety of online activities, providing opportunities for learners to interact with content, other …

Parental Support Challenges For K-12 Student Online Engagement, Qi Guo, Charles R. Graham, Jered Borup, Bobbie Sandberg, Richard E. West

Faculty Publications

This research seeks to understand parental support for online students. Using a survey, this study examined perceptions from 567 parents from eight online K-12 programs in a Midwestern state regarding their support for students’ online affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. Guided by the Academic Communities of Engagement Framework, our analysis identified eight main challenges parents faced when supporting their online student: (a) focus; (b) keeping on pace; (c) lack of motivation; (d) lack of organization, learning materials, live sessions, and support from online schools; (e) lack of feedback, support, and communication from teachers; (f) parents in need of additional skills …

Speculative Practicescapes Of Learning Design And Dreaming, Eamon Costello, Jason K. Mcdonald, F. Macgilchrist, P. Jandrić, H. Carbonel, S. Crighton, A. Buch, M. A. Peters

Faculty Publications

This article addresses a serious issue that besets learning design: its over-reliance on frameworks that promise particular outcomes for individual learners that accord with pre-defined metrics. This is partly a function of the nature of learning design and devel- opment itself which is commonly seen as outcome-oriented activity that should ben- efit individual learners in specific ways. An alternative approach is adopted here which calls attention to other happenings at the heart of education, including positive emo- tions we experience that are made known through less measurable and more fleeting points of reference. Hence, we draw on sources such as …

The Naci Way: Connecting Native Groups And Teachers Through Culturally Responsive Instructional Design, Stephanie West, Heather Francis, Cally Flox, Brenda Beyal, Emily Soderborg, Jason K. Mcdonald

Faculty Publications

In 2018, the BYU ARTS Partnership Native American Curriculum Initiative (NACI) was developed in response to teacher questions regarding the teaching of Native topics. Despite increased movements towards reconciliation, Native groups continue to be marginalized in Westernized educational settings. Additionally, teachers lack clear guidelines regarding the respectful teaching of Native topics. Describing the challenges we, the NACI team members, faced in our six-year journey partnering with Native groups in Utah, we outline key instructional design decisions we made and identify the culturally responsive principles that guided those decisions. We also advocate for the application of culturally responsive principles and practices …

Academic Communities Of Engagement: Exploring The Impact Of Online And In‑Person Support Communities On The Academic Engagement Of Online Learners, Kristian J. Spring, Charles R. Graham, Courtney N. Hanny, Sara Tuiloma, Kamal Badar

Faculty Publications

Institutions of higher education are interested in supporting the academic success of their students in the most effective ways possible. Increasingly, this means engaging students in a blend of both online and in-person learning activities as well as connecting students with supportive communities in both modalities. This research explores the efforts of an institution that is trying to create positive post-secondary learning experiences for thousands of adults who have experienced significant barriers to accessing higher education through traditional routes. Students around the world are supported through both online and local, in-person communities created to support their academic engagement. In this …

What I Think I Learned, Andrew S. Gibbons Iii

Faculty Publications

A retrospective review of fifty years of research and development experience showing the connectedness of the author’s theoretical ideas to practical application. An effort to show designers how over the span of a career new ideas begin as work-related insights and discoveries that by problem solving flow together to create a unique personal view of design and designing. Encouragement for individual designers to be willing to experiment with new ideas that may step beyond received practice and to learn from those experiences, even to the extent of testing and adopting new worldviews that may differ from the general view. Encouragement …

Learning Experience Design As An Orienting Guide For Practice: Insights From Designing For Expertise, Jason K. Mcdonald, Tyler J. Westerberg

Faculty Publications

In this paper we consider how learning experience design (LXD) improves designers’ capacities to influence learning. We do this by exploring what LXD offers the design of learning environments that help develop learners’ expertise. We discuss how LXD (a) attunes designers to different learning affordances than are emphasized in traditional ID; (b) challenges the universal applicability of common ID techniques; and (c) expands designers’ views of the outcomes for which they can design. These insights suggest that LXD is useful because it refocuses and reframes designers' work around flexible design approaches that are often deemphasized in traditional ID.

The Everydayness Of Instructional Design And The Pursuit Of Quality In Online Courses, Jason K. Mcdonald

Faculty Publications

This article reports research into the everydayness of instructional design (meaning designers’ daily routines, run-of-the-mill interactions with colleagues, and other, prosaic forms of social contact), and how everydayness relates to their pursuit of quality in online course design. These issues were investigated through an ethnographic case study, centered on a team of instructional designers at a university in the United States. Designers were observed spending significant amounts of time engaged in practices of course refinement, meaning mundane, workaday tasks like revising, updating, fine-tuning, or fixing the courses to which they were assigned. Refining practices were interrelated with, but also experienced …

Informal Practices Of Localizing Open Educational Resources In Ghana, Emily Durham Bradshaw, Jason K. Mcdonald

Faculty Publications

Research on the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) often notes the potential benefits for users to revise, reuse, and remix OER to localize it for specific learners. However, a gap in the literature exists in terms of research that explores how this localization occurs in practice. This is a significant gap given the current flow of OER from higher-income countries in the Global North to lower-income countries in the Global South (King et al., 2018). This study explores how OER from one area of the world is localized when it is used in a different cultural context.

Findings indicated …

Byu-Pathway Area Guide, Joseph Diaz

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

This paper provides a detailed overview of the development of a comprehensive training resource for Area Coordination Missionaries (ACMs) serving with the BYU-Pathway program. The training resource, in the form of an area guide, aims to provide ongoing training and support for ACMs to manage the needs of service missionaries working with BYU-Pathway students. The project was initiated by the Training and Development team with the primary goal of reducing technical training given during onboarding, which can be a time-consuming process for new ACMs.

The area guide created serves as a just-in-time resource for ACMs to access the information and …

“Are These People Real?”: Designing And Playtesting An Alternative Reality, Educational Simulation, Jason K. Mcdonald, Jonathan Balzotti, Melissa Franklin, Jessica Haws, Jamin Rowan

Faculty Publications

In this design case, we report our design and playtest of a form of alternative reality, educational simulation that we call a playable case study (PCS). One of the features that make our simulations unique is how they are designed to implement a principle called This Is Not a Game, or TINAG, meaning that the affordances we design into the simulation suggest to students that the experience they are having is real, in contrast to the way the artificial nature of the experience is highlighted in many computer games. In this case, we describe some challenges we encountered in designing …

知源育利用のガイド, Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization

知源育を応用するための様々な角度からのヒントを学ぶことができるガイドです。実勢んをしながら、時々このガイドを参照することで、より高いレベルでの実践が可能になるでしょう。

“Someone In Their Corner”: Parental Support In Online Secondary Education, Courtney N. Hanny, Charles R. Graham, Richard E. West, Jered Borup

Faculty Publications

Despite increased interest in K–12 online education, student engagement deficits and the resulting student attrition remain widespread issues. The Academic Communities of Engagement (ACE) framework theorizes that two groups support online student engagement: the personal community of support and the course community of support. However, more evidence is needed to understand how members of these communities, especially parents, support students in various contexts. Using insights gleaned from 14 semi-structured interviews of parents with students enrolled in online secondary school, this study adds support to the roles identified in the ACE framework by presenting real examples of parents supporting their online …

Barriers And Enablers To K-12 Blended Teaching, Courtney N. Hanny, Karen T. Arnesen, Qi Guo, Jordan Hansen, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

The attributes of post-pandemic blended teaching (BT) will more closely resemble pre-Coronavirus conditions than the outbreak’s emergency remote teaching. Thus, barriers and enablers for teachers transitioning to BT after emergency remote teaching will be similar to those of early BT adopters. K-12 research has identified external and internal barriers and enablers to technology integration but has largely overlooked those of BT. This study involved analyzing 62 interviews of K-12 blended teachers to discover factors that enabled BT, stood as barriers to initial and continued blending efforts, and helped teachers overcome barriers. Teacher-perceived barriers included, among others, costs perceived as outweighing …

Institutional Support For Academic Engagement In Online And Blended Learning Environments: Exploring Affective, Behavioral, And Cognitive Dimensions, Charles R. Graham, Jered Borup, Sara Tuiloma, Adriana Martínez Arias, Ross Larsen

Faculty Publications

In light of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders of higher education institutions around the world have been contemplating ways to help their universities engage in a digital transformation that must have student engagement and learning as the foremost considerations. This study reports on the work conducted at a university in Colombia that created an evaluation instrument based on the Academic Communities of Engagement (ACE) framework (Borup et al., 2020) to examine how well the institution was supporting the affective, behavioral, and cognitive (ABC) dimensions of engagement in its online and blended learning course offerings. This survey, the …

Digital Learning Transformation In Higher Education: International Cases Of University Efforts To Evaluate And Improve Blended Teaching Readiness, Charles R. Graham, Ganbat Danaa, Tserenchimed Purevsuren, Adriana Martínez, Cinthia Bittencourt Spricigo, Barbara Maria Camilotti, Tserenkhand Batsukh

Faculty Publications

The global pandemic of 2019 brought heightened awareness to institutions of higher education of the need to engage in a digital transformation that extends beyond university business operations to the pedagogy of the classroom. This paper is a case study that explores three international cases of universities in Colombia, Brazil, and Mongolia that are at different stages along the path of a digital pedagogical transformation. This article tells each story, including (1) what is driving the local need to engage in digital transformation, (2) what the major challenges and barriers are to achieving a transformation, and (3) what efforts are …