Richard E. "Rick" West

Proposes a taxonomy clarifying types of literature review and theoretical articles by distinguishing their “summary” (what we know) and “advocacy” (what we should do) arguments. The taxonomy, processes, and quality criteria aim to improve how secondary scholarship is taught, reviewed, and used to advance knowledge in educational technology.

Using interviews with parents of online secondary students, the study illustrates how parents provide affective, behavioral, and cognitive support consistent with the ACE framework, while also revealing roles (e.g., advocacy, teacher communication, self‑teaching) not fully captured by ACE. Implications for systems that better support parental engagement are discussed.

Argues that open microcredentials can provide “guardrails” that preserve the openness of inquiry‑based learning while addressing challenges such as ensuring content coverage and feedback. Articulates how badges/microcredentials can scaffold complex, ill‑structured problem‑solving and support self‑directed learning.

Practical guide for organizations designing and implementing open badge programs. Defines core terms and technologies, surveys badge use cases, and proposes a staged framework and step‑by‑step process for planning systems, designing badges, publishing, and managing change to support alternative, competency‑based credentials.

Introduces the Academic Communities of Engagement (ACE) framework, which explains how affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement in online/blended courses is supported by two communities: the course community and the student’s personal community. The article identifies actors and support elements in each community and discusses implications for research and practice.

Presents PICRAT, a model that combines students’ relationships to technology (Passive, Interactive, Creative) with the teacher‑practice lens (Replacement, Amplification, Transformation). The model emphasizes technology as a means to pedagogical ends, offering a clear, balanced tool for preparing teachers to plan, analyze, and improve technology integration.

Analyzes 422 instructor feedback comments (text vs. asynchronous video) in blended/online courses to code indicators of social presence. While overall counts of indicators were similar, the richness of video may amplify perceived social presence. The study discusses how different media shape relational and instructional aspects of feedback.

Synthesizes several years of research on instructor‑ and student‑created video to provide actionable recommendations for using asynchronous/synchronous video to enhance presence, connection, and feedback in online/blended courses. Guidance addresses when and how to use different video forms, balancing efficiency with the relational benefits of richer media.

Compares instructor feedback delivered via text and via asynchronous video in blended courses. Both media supported learning, but each offered different affordances: text favored efficiency and precision, while video tended to enhance relational cues and perceived presence. Practical recommendations are provided for leveraging the strengths of both modes.

Analyzes the effects of text‑based versus video‑based instructor feedback in blended courses. Results indicate that media choice shapes students’ perceptions of instructor social presence and can influence how learners engage with feedback. The authors discuss tradeoffs and strategies for effective feedback design.

Synthesizes literature on creativity and social learning to describe attributes of communities that foster collaborative innovation at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Offers a pragmatic framework to help educators design environments that build students’ collaborative creativity capabilities.

Interviews with students across three higher‑education courses using different video strategies showed that asynchronous video can reduce feelings of isolation in online courses and strengthen perceptions of instructor and peer presence. Findings, framed by the Community of Inquiry model, suggest video communication can humanize interactions and bolster learning when thoughtfully integrated.

Examines a culture designed to foster collaborative creativity through the Communities of Innovation (COI) lens. Evidence supported several COI components (e.g., collaboration, mentoring, “flow”/hacker ethic), showed mixed support for others (e.g., dynamic expertise), and limited evidence for some elements. Findings refine the COI model and suggest directions for future research.

Develops the Communities of Innovation (COI) framework to conceptualize “shared innovation” within social learning contexts. Merging social learning and creativity/innovation theories, the framework describes characteristics of communities that generate innovations and outlines implications for designing and researching collaborative, innovation‑oriented environments.

This review synthesizes social learning perspectives relevant to the design of web‑based learning environments (WBLEs), highlighting the roles of context, culture, community, and learner characteristics. The authors outline implications for promoting social interaction and developing design principles that leverage modeling, collaboration, and community to improve learning in WBLEs.

Using qualitative methods, this study examined how university instructors adopted and integrated a learning management system (Blackboard). Instructors commonly began with a few features, faced technical and pedagogical integration challenges, and then either expanded use, limited use to select features, or discontinued use. Implications address support and training needs for successful adoption.