Most of what researchers know about the challenges students with learning disabilities (LDs) experience during postsecondary education is based on experiences during face-to-face learning on campus. Less is known about challenges students with LD face during learning online—the mode of instruction students had to navigate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of our research was to examine the lived experience of undergraduate students with LD during their first full semester of online instruction as a result of the pandemic. We interviewed six students in Western Canada and used a phenomenological approach to analyze their experiences. Overall, we extracted six main themes from their interviews. Two of these themes, (a) the broad impact of having LD and (b) accommodations during COVID-19, were specific to being a student with LD. The remaining four themes were more generally related to their overall student experience: (c) online learning is different, (d) the role of others, (e) emotional impact, and (f) resilience and perseverance. We discuss these results in terms of recommendations for future research and teaching in online learning environments.

The importance of affects in learning has been firmly established in face-to-face learning environments, and now researchers are examining the roles of affects in online learning environments, including massive open online courses (MOOCs). The purpose of this research was to identify profiles of common achievement affects (i.e., relief, anxiety, boredom, and guilt) over the duration of one MOOC and examine the differences in academic engagement. Results from the latent profile analysis revealed unique affective profiles, and these profiles differed significantly in cognitive, behavioral, and social engagement in the MOOC. Our findings therefore highlight the importance of understanding affective profiles in MOOCs and address potential difficulties to engage these learners with a vast diversity in backgrounds.Keywords: massive open online courses, achievement affects, engagement, longitudinal, profilesThe importance of affects in learning has been firmly established in face-to-face learning environments (Pekrun, 2006), and now researchers are examining the roles of affects in online learning environments. A special issue of Internet in Higher Education showed strong similarities between the experience and effects of emotions/affects in online learning environments and traditional classrooms (Daniels and Stupnisky, 2012). However, little is known about the role of affective experience in perhaps the newest and arguably least traditional online learning environment: massive open online courses (MOOCs). Not only do MOOCs represent a novel learning environment but they also consist of a highly diverse set of learners united from all parts of the world by a shared interest in content and an Internet connection (Saadatdoost et al., 2015). The purpose of this research was threefold. First, we identified profiles of common achievement affects, namely, anxiety, relief, boredom, and guilt over the duration of one MOOC. Second, we investigated the extent to which learners' interpretation of the MOOC as providing support for their competence and autonomy predicted affective profiles. And third, we examined the differences in cognitive, behavioral, and social engagement associated with each profile. MassiVe OPen Online cOUrsesIn their original form, MOOCs were designed to generate knowledge through connectivity. These "connectivist MOOCs" were based on a pedagogy of sharing information through digital networks (Kop and Hill, 2008;Siemens, 2012), and providing an open platform for students to discuss content and create learning through connecting. Indeed, the first MOOC called "Connectivism and Connective Knowledge" was run through the University of Manitoba, Canada and involved 25 learners with official student status and 2,300 learners unaffiliated with the university (Daniel, 2012).

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