Underlining what matters in higher ed and ed tech: news, vendor updates, and commentary from across the field, in one place.https://theunderline.netlify.app/source/irrodl/https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9468https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9468The literature has highlighted the importance of engaging students in online learning through multiple forms of interaction: student-content, student-instructor, and student-student interactions. While the quality of interaction plays a significant role in either enhancing or undermining students’ motivation to learn,…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTMoatasim A. BarriResearchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.8889https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.8889The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an effective instrument to measure undergraduate students’ self-efficacy in engaging with information for online coursework. Recognizing the increasing importance of information literacy in online learning environments, the Online Information Literacy Self-Efficacy…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTWei Zakharov et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9095https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9095The use of technology in healthcare education is rapidly expanding. Undergraduate nursing programs have integrated advanced technologies such as high-fidelity simulation, immersive virtual reality, augmented reality, and holographic simulations to support learning and improve retention in both in-person and distance…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTChelsie Girard et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9164https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9164Although research on distance education has increased substantially in recent years, comprehensive analyses capturing the overall thematic development of the field remain limited. Modeling studies are necessary to address this gap and to uncover long-term research trends. This study aimed to reveal the trends of…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTMehmet Yavuz et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9277https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9277This study explores the decline in student enrollment in rural elementary schools in Banyumas Regency, Indonesia, as a pressing challenge for educational equity in the digital era. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected through interviews with principals, teachers, parents, and community leaders,…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTJajang Dede Mulyani et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.8858https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.8858Open high schools fulfill a critical function by offering flexible educational pathways for students encountering diverse socioeconomic and personal challenges. Nevertheless, escalating dropout rates represent a significant concern, necessitating robust predictive models to facilitate early interventions. This study…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTAhmet Polat and Mehmet Barış HorzumResearchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.10083https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.10083The proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) presents a significant challenge to traditional notions of accountability in scholarly publishing. This report addresses the pressing question of who is responsible for the content of academic work when its creation involves AI assistance. It does so by…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTJim O'Driscoll and Rory McGrealResearchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9516https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9516Artificial intelligence in online learning (AIOL) has attracted increasing attention in academia. This study applied BERTopic, a transformer-based topic modeling approach that leverages contextual embeddings, to examine the thematic structure and evolution of AIOL research. By analyzing 1,048 AIOL publications, this…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTXieling Chen et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9316https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9316This study investigates how the format of asynchronous online class discussions (whole class vs. small group) affects the structure and content of student interactions. Data were collected from 8 weeks of discussion forums in a graduate-level, asynchronous, online course at a comprehensive university in the…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTK. Bret Staudt Willet et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.8805https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.8805During the COVID-19 pandemic, various institutions took measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Educational institutions contributed to these efforts by shifting from face-to-face to online learning. One such approach was blended learning, which served as a transitional model between the two. Blended learning has…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTBurak Tomak and Ayşe Yılmaz VirlanResearchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.10081https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.10081The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into scholarly peer review represents a fundamental transformation of academic publishing’s quality control mechanisms. This report critically examined the ethical considerations, institutional practices, and emerging technologies associated with AI-assisted peer review.…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTAras BozkurtResearchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.10080https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.10080Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTStephen DownesResearchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9039https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9039This study investigates how rural teachers in China experience online professional development (OPD), focusing on the affective, motivational, and structural dimensions of their engagement. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 rural primary and secondary school teachers, this study employed sentiment analysis and…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTRong Hua et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9420https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9420In the context of widespread digitalization in higher education, enhancing teacher digital competence (TDC) has become a critical priority. However, institutional efforts to advance TDC, including the development of open educational resources (OER), are often hindered by the prevalence of training models that lack…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTFrancesc M. Esteve‐Mon et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9179https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9179Open educational resources (OER) have emerged as key tools in democratizing education, and the levels of student awareness of OER, as well as engagement and use in many Canadian institutions, are increasing. This study explores whether involving undergraduates in the creation of OER improves their understanding of…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTNatasha Ramroop Singh et al.Researchhttps://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9109https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v27i3.9109This mixed-methods study developed and evaluated a comprehensive 5-week asynchronous in-service training program to enhance K–12 teachers’ online education competencies across pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical domains. Following needs assessment, 21 teachers in Türkiye participated using the Canvas…Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTBarış Avcı and Meral GüvenResearch