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Abstract

Introduction>Online learning in higher education is rapidly increasing in popularity, with millionsof students worldwide enrolling in online courses each year (Broadbent & Poon,2015; Jaggars & Xu, 2016; Kebritchi, Lipschuetz, & Santiague, 2017). This is notsurprising when considering the advantages of online courses regarding flexibility,accessibility, efficiency, consistency, and the breadth of rich digital technologiesand multimedia resources available to deliver course content (Guàrdia, Crisp, &Alsina, 2017; Timmis, Broadfoot, Sutherland, & Oldfield, 2016). However, despitegrowing uptake, the more independent and autonomous online delivery environmentand the requirement for effective self-directed learning have meant that dropoutrates are often higher and achievement lower in online courses when comparedto their traditional face-to-face counterparts (Broadbent & Poon, 2015; Kebritchiet al., 2017). Additionally, university educators have expressed concern over thequality of courses and programmes delivered entirely online (Wingo, Ivankova, &Moss, 2017). In one study, 70% of university educators endorsed the belief thatan online degree was less prestigious than a traditional face-to-face degree (Stewart,Bachman, & Johnson, 2010). Nevertheless, with increased and faster Internet access,growing industry competition, and the fast-paced digitally oriented lives of the typicaltwenty-first century student, online course delivery in higher education will onlycontinue to expand (Kebritchi et al., 2017; Timmis et al., 2016). When coupled with the pressures in higher education institutions to improve student learning anddemonstrate programme flexibility and effectiveness, it is becoming increasinglyimportant to maximise student experiences in the online environment (O’Flaherty &Phillips, 2015).

Item Type:	Book Section
Authors/Creators:	Moffitt, RL and Padgett, C and Grieve, R
Keywords:	online learning, digital cues, social presence, student engagement
Publisher:	Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
DOI / ID Number:	10.1007/978-981-15-5883-2_2
Copyright Information:	Copyright 2020 The Author(s), under exclusive license to SpringerNature Singapore Pte Ltd.
Related URLs:	UTAS Profile: Padgett, C Google Scholar: Grieve, R UTAS Profile: Grieve, R
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

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