<p>The Community of Inquiry framework has been widely supported by research to provide a model of online learning that informs the design and implementation of distance learning courses.  However, the relationship between elements of the CoI framework and perceived learning warrants further examination as a predictive model for online graduate student success.  A predictive correlational design and hierarchical multiple regression was used to investigate relationships between community of inquiry factors and perceived learning to determine the predictive validity of these variables for students’ course points (<em>N</em> = 131), while controlling for demographic and course variables. The results of this study clearly supported the foundational constructs of Community of Inquiry (CoI) theory (Garrison et al., 2000) and the role of perceived learning to predict final course points. The entire predictive model explained 55.6% of the variance in course points. Implications, limitations, and recommendations are discussed.</p>

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The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to extend the theoretical foundations of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model to generate a theoretical model explaining the process leading to exemplary integration of technology into special education instructional practice. Data were collected through demographic surveys, interviews, and observations of a purposeful selection of participants. Participants were selected based on exemplary practice criteria determined by an expert focus group. Data were analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to gain a categorical understanding of the pedagogy used by special education teachers in successfully integrating technology into teaching and learning. Final analysis revealed a cycle of four components leading to teachers' initial and ongoing technology adoption into classroom activities: (a) opportunities, (b) dispositions, (c) pedagogical beliefs, and (d) small steps. Skill and knowledge levels were salient themes in the process of technology integration. However, underlying these themes were key beliefs and dispositions that proved foundational in leading to exploration and exemplary integration of technology. While obstacles existed, they were ultimately overcome or overlooked due to these key beliefs and dispositions. Implications provide insight into how educators and researchers can improve preservice coursework and professional development for technology integration within special education instruction.

This quantitative, quasi-experimental pretest/posttest control group design examined the effects of online collaborative learning on middle school students' science literacy. For a 9-week period, students in the control group participated in collaborative face-to-face activities whereas students in the experimental group participated in online collaborative activities using the Edmodo educational platform. Students at a public middle school in central Virginia completed both a pretest and a posttest consisting of the Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-Based Assessment Resources for Teachers (MOSART) assessment to measure science misconceptions as an aspect of science literacy. Results indicated that the students who participated in collaborative activities in the traditional classroom had fewer science misconceptions than students who participated in collaborative activities in the online environment. Moreover, from pretest to posttest, the students in the experimental group increased in their science misconceptions. Suggestions for practice and future research are discussed in light of these results. #