Royce Kimmons

Drawing on data from 380,000 MOOC learners, the authors model how temporal learning behaviors and gender relate to course completion. Successful completers logged in more frequently, spent longer per session, moved quickly through materials, and finished early. Consistent study was associated with lower completion likelihood, and women benefited more from reduced consistency, suggesting that temporal flexibility can be especially advantageous for women. Implications are discussed for designing flexible online learning.

The paper critiques prevailing technology‑integration models and proposes PICRAT, combining students’ relationship to technology (Passive–Interactive–Creative) with the impact on a teacher’s practice (Replacement–Amplification–Transformation). PICRAT is argued to be clear, compatible, and fruitful; to emphasize technology as a means to pedagogical ends; to balance parsimony with comprehensiveness; and to focus attention on students’ learning activities. Implications are offered for teaching technology integration in teacher preparation.

Using automated analyses (WAVE) on a statistically appropriate random sample of 6,226 U.S. K–12 school homepages merged with national datasets, the study establishes national norms for accessibility and examines demographic influences. Nearly two‑thirds of sites failed at least one WCAG 2.0 success criterion, with contrast and missing alternative text as the most prevalent problems. While some demographic factors relate to failure rates, the authors provide concrete, high‑impact areas for policy and practice to improve school web accessibility.

From 8,275 institutional K–12 Twitter accounts (over 9.2 million tweets), the study explores how schools use Twitter and how participation varies by demographics. U.S. schools largely use Twitter for unidirectional broadcasting. Wealthy, suburban schools are more likely to use Twitter than poor, rural schools, and content differs by urbanity and charter status (e.g., coding/college topics more prevalent in populated areas). Results highlight participation divides and suggest directions for large‑scale analyses of public social media data in education.

Analyzing 774,939 comments and replies on 655 TEDx and TED‑Ed YouTube videos, the study examines how sentiment varies by topic, presenter gender, video format, threading, and moderation. Most comments were neutral; however, replies to female presenters exhibited greater positive and negative polarity. Animated videos reduced both negative and positive extremity. The authors also demonstrate that sentiment‑based moderation could suppress substantial amounts of non‑offensive content, raising design and policy implications for social platforms and educators.

Mining 5.7 million tweets from 2,411 institutional accounts across U.S. higher education, this paper shows that institutional tweeting is predominantly monologic, informational rather than action‑oriented, links to a relatively insular web ecosystem, and expresses neutral or positive sentiment. Despite hopes for dialogic engagement via social media, the findings provide generalizable evidence that innovation in institutional social media practice is limited.

Investigating district size and wealth effects on adoption of open‑source online systems (e.g., CMS/LMS/SIS), this study uses web data extraction for all districts in a U.S. state (n=133) and links to financial records. Contrary to expectations, larger and wealthier districts were more likely to adopt open‑source systems than smaller, poorer districts, calling into question assumed democratizing impacts and emphasizing the need for digital and organizational literacies to support open adoption.

Using phenomenological interviews with faculty members, this study investigates lived experiences with social networking sites. Findings reveal tensions between personal connection and professional responsibility as participants navigate boundaries, manage identity, cultivate appropriate relationships, and use time effectively. Results illuminate synergies and frictions between online social networks and faculty identity, showing how these technologies can support professional purposes while also challenging scholars’ perceptions of themselves, their teaching, and research.

Open scholarship is often assumed to broaden access to education and improve scholarship. This article identifies core assumptions behind the open scholarship movement and highlights challenges that may accompany them, including participation gaps, misappropriation of openness, and new inequities. The authors call for a critical, equity‑oriented approach to openness that recognizes both its potential and its pitfalls for scholars, institutions, and learners.

This paper examines scholars’ participation in online social networks as a form of “networked participatory scholarship.” Drawing from empirical observations and literature, the authors describe how participatory technologies and emergent techno‑cultural pressures invite scholars to share, reflect on, critique, and develop their work in online networks. The paper delineates changing norms and expectations surrounding openness and digital practices in scholarship and argues for thoughtful engagement by scholars in an increasingly networked world.