Online teaching and learning in higher education: Lessons learned in crisis situations

Area of Science:

• Education
• Sociology
• Information Science

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an unprecedented shift to online teaching and learning in higher education globally.
• Despite decades of research, fully online university programs remain relatively uncommon.
• This special issue addresses the challenges and practices of emergency online education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize research on online teaching and learning in higher education during the crisis.
• To frame online education within the theoretical lens of communities of practice (CoPs).
• To connect CoP concepts with the C♭ model for technology-enhanced learning activities.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of international research presented in this Special Issue.
• Theoretical positioning of online teaching and learning within the communities of practice framework.
• Integration of CoP concepts with the C♭ model for technology-enhanced learning.

Main Results:

• Online teaching and learning in higher education can be conceptualized through the framework of communities of practice.
• Key artifacts for online learning communities include scaffolding for regulation processes and communication platforms.
• Insights derived from a synthesis of international emergency online teaching research.

Conclusions:

• Communities of practice offer a valuable framework for understanding and improving online higher education.
• Strategic use of technological artifacts, like communication platforms and scaffolding, is crucial for effective online learning.
• Further research and development are needed to enhance the quality and accessibility of online study programs.