What are the features of high-quality online courses in higher education? In this scoping review, we explore peer-reviewed scholarship related to the features of online learning in postsecondary contexts. We searched ERIC (EBSCO), Education Research Complete, and SocINDEX with Fulltext to retrieve peer-reviewed literature from 2010-2022 pertaining to features of online learning in higher education. Two reviewers independently conducted the initial title and abstract screening (n = 1,574), full text review (n = 483), and data extraction of the included articles (n = 38). Using thematic content analysis to explore the data extracted from each article, we found that the literature predominately included scholarship related to quality online course design, instructor facilitation in online courses, quality assessment of online courses, and student engagement in online courses. The breadth of these themes included a multiplicity of strategies and approaches to consider when designing online learning experiences. We recommend that administrators, faculty members, and instructors responsible for designing online courses and programs for postsecondary contexts continue to incorporate these considerations to promote high-quality and consistent online offerings. We conclude the review by presenting four high-level considerations to guide these discussions.

Introduction The study aimed to test the effectiveness and the feasibility of a mobile just-in-time-learning (m-JiTL) approach for teaching bioethics at a university in Pakistan. Over four months, a mobile app (EthAKUL) was used to enhance ethical reasoning among practising nurses, trainee physicians, and medical and nursing students utilising the m-JiTL approach. Participants used EthAKUL to access bioethics modules and participate in asynchronous discussions. Methods A mixed methods design was adopted. Pre- and post-knowledge tests were used to assess changes in participants' knowledge of bioethics concepts, while pre- and post-surveys were used to assess changes in participants' attitudes towards m-learning. After the intervention, focus group discussions with the participants were held. Analysis of the discussion posts and meeting notes was conducted. Results The learners had a favourable attitude toward using mobile devices for learning purposes at the start of the intervention, and the score remained positive afterwards. Bioethics knowledge test scores improved at the end of the intervention, with medical students experiencing the greatest improvement. However, because of the high drop-out rate and lack of participation after the initial phase, it is unclear whether the increase in score or positive attitude is the result of the intervention, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the intervention's success. Conclusions EthAKUL is the first of its kind app for teaching bioethics, and the study has offered important insights into adopting new pedagogies and technologies for bioethics teaching. It has also identified issues with the design of the app and m-JiTL pedagogy that must be addressed before curriculum-wide adoption.

In developing countries such as Pakistan, bioethics has not been included in mainstream thinking in medical education. The authors’ experiences suggest that current methods of teaching bioethics are problematic as students are unable to translate theory to practice. Alternative pedagogies, such as just-in-time learning (JiTL) using mobile devices, may be able to foster the development and implementation of ethical reasoning among nurses, doctors, and medical and nursing students. This research was conceived to determine the effectiveness of mobile JiTL – anytime, anyplace learning through mobile devices – for teaching bioethics. After obtaining ethical clearance, a participatory design (PD) approach was adopted to ensure input from all stakeholders for the design of ‘EthAKUL’, comprising a mobile app, five modules and just-in-time pedagogy. The name of the app is an acronym evoking ethics, learning and the university where the project originated. As a part of the design process, three PD workshops were held with junior doctors, nurses, nursing students, medical students and bioethics teaching faculty, and five meetings were held with faculty members, to discuss functional specifications and user-acceptance testing of the app. The feedback related to the nature of common ethical issues encountered in clinical settings, the existing process of teaching and learning bioethics, and the requested features of the app were recorded. These data sets were analyzed and synthesized into functional and technical specifications for the mobile app. The software programmers developed the app with the close involvement of the stakeholders. The development of teaching content continued alongside this process. While this enabled EthAKUL’s developers to incorporate needs of all stakeholders, challenges were encountered in the process relating to the pragmatic and conceptual aspects of JiTL, ML and PD. We discuss the implications of this research in bringing about transformative changes in higher education.   How to cite this article:  NASEEM, Azra; GHIAS, Kulsoom; BAWANI, Sohail; SHAHAB, Mohammad Ali; NIZAMUDDIN, Sameer; KASHIF, Waqar; KHAN, Kausar S; AHMAD, Tashfeen; KHAN, Murad. Designing EthAKUL: a mobile just-in-time learning environment for bioethics in Pakistan. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. v. 3, n. 1, p. 36-56, Apr. 2019. Available at:  https://sotl-south-journal.net/?journal=sotls&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=70&path%5B%5D=40   This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Background: The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of a mobile application and feasibility of curriculum-wide adoption of a mobile just-in-time-learning (m-JiTL) approach for teaching bioethics at a university in Pakistan. Over the course of four months, the mobile app (EthAKUL) was used to enhance ethical reasoning among practising nurses, trainee physicians, and medical and nursing students utilising the m-JiTL approach. Participants used EthAKUL to access bioethics modules and participate in asynchronous discussions. Methods: A mixed methods design was adopted. Pre- and post-knowledge tests were used to assess changes in participants' understanding of bioethics concepts, while pre- and post-surveys were used to assess changes in participants' attitude towards m-learning. At the conclusion of the intervention, focus group discussions with the participants were held.Results: The learners had a favourable attitude toward the use of mobile devices for learning purposes before the intervention, and it remained positive afterward. The adoption of EthAKUL resulted in a change in bioethics knowledge, with the cohort of medical students experiencing the biggest increase. Several challenges with the design and m-JiTL pedagogy were identified and need to be addressed before curriculum-wide adoption.Conclusions: EthAKUL is the first of its kind app for m-JiTL of bioethics and the study has shown potential for curriculum wide adoption. However, the adoption of mobile apps in general and m-JiTL pedagogies must be aligned with the curriculum. The faculty and student readiness must be carefully and consciously supported to elicit the intended learning outcomes.