The purpose of this article is to overview the research trends of online education in educational technology and to summarize the related research papers. First, “Distance Education/Distance Learning,” “e-Learning,” “Blended Learning,” and “Online Education/Online Learning” were selected as keywords for research related to online education, and the article briefly summarizes the research trends in Japan and overseas. Next, Japan’s transition to online higher education is divided into approximately 10-year periods: the 1990s were the early days, the 2000s were the development period, the 2010s were the expansion period, and the 2020s are referred to as the revolution period. Perspectives of educational technology research are then described.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the benefits of online learning have become widely known as it is implemented widely and on a large scale. Accordingly, blended learning, which effectively combines online and face-to-face learning, or synchronous and asynchronous learning, is attracting renewed attention as the new normal in education. Many educational researches and practices that optimize the teaching process and improve learning effectiveness through blended learning have been conducted in Japan and overseas, and their various effects have been recognized. On the other hand, it is not always easy to design and implement blended learning effectively. This paper summarizes the trends in JSET research on blended learning and discusses the prospects after COVID-19.

This study examined the effects of direct instruction of appropriate idea selection and continuous idea improvement on learners' knowledge-building practices in a blended course in higher education. For examining knowledge-building practices, and learning outcomes, we analyzed the knowledge-building practice using social network analysis of discourse, evaluated learning outcomes, and compared the results with those found in the course in a previous year when we did not have the instruction. Results showed that (1) the learning outcomes in the middle and lower levels of learners were improved, (2) more variety of productive trajectories of the selection and improvement of promising ideas were found, and (3) activities toward coherency of ideas and evidence played a vital role in the idea improvement and high learning outcome.

With the aim of promoting blended courses at the university, we conducted a survey to investigate the situation of such courses that were conducted in the fall semester of 2020 and examined future possibilities of faculty development (FD) by implementing an FD seminar, which we developed based on the suggestions obtained from the survey. The findings were as follows. (1) In the blended courses, online synchronous (real-time) class activities were mainly conducted while online asynchronous (on-demand) activities were limited. (2) Although the “online active learning skill” to provide active learning in online classes (Abe et al., 2022) was highly correlated with real-time class activities, it was not applied to on-demand instruction. (3) The FD seminar that focused on blending synchronous (face-to-face) and asynchronous (on-demand) activities consisting of lectures, individual work, and question-and-answer sessions could greatly improve the knowledge of blended course design. Additionally, it was suggested that more efforts are needed to link FD to classroom practice.

In this study, we asked university students about the status of self-regulated learning by taking online classes in the second semester of 2020. As a result, the following three points were clarified. (1) Students who thought that "e-learning is good in that they can study systematically and carefully by themselves" used more strategies to devise their own learning. Students who thought that "e-learning is monotonous and not enough" tended not to use strategies to maintain their learning motivation by distinguishing between study and other time. (2) There was no difference in e-learning orientation or use of self-regulated learning strategies depending on whether the students had friends with whom they could discuss their learning. (3) There were two types of students: those who fixed their study time based on timetables, and those who took their study time fluidly based on assignment deadlines. In both cases, students who self-regulated were able to study more smoothly. The results suggest that, to promote successful learning, it is effective to make a timetable-based learning plan, to grasp and visualize tasks, and to set up days to work on unfinished tasks and rest days.

In this research, we categorized online classes conducted in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring semester of 2020 based on the usage of ICT tools. We then examined the relationship between those patterns and students’ engagement. We administered a questionnaire survey to 529 university faculty members, asking them to provide details about an online course from the category of “lecture-style courses,” “exercise-style courses,” or “seminar-style courses.” Cluster analysis was conducted for each course style using the degree of use of each ICT tool, and three or four patterns were extracted for each style. Next, to clarify the features of the patterns, we confirmed their relationship with individual factors such as specialized fields and environmental factors such as social support. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between the patterns of online courses and student engagement for each course style. Results suggest that, in any class style and in both real-time classes and on-demand classes, it is important to encourage interaction among students for improvement of student engagement.

This study examined the achievements and issues by form of online case development and online practice in elderly facilities, which were implemented as alternative measures during COVID-19, in addition to regular hospital care. When said achievements were assessed using the gerontological nursing core curriculum scale, hospital practice, which included interaction with patients, scored higher than online practice in "risk assessment of health disorders" and "comprehensive assessment of elderly people.” However, the online case development practice, in which nurses could work at their own pace, scored as high as hospital practice in the "exploration of nursing to allow an individual to live true to himself or herself." Furthermore, when the advantages and disadvantages of each form of practice were examined using quantitative text analysis, online practice caused anxiety due to the inability to grasp the progress of others, as well as difficulties in discussions. These factors hinder active learning, such as group work, which is necessary for team medicine and multidisciplinary cooperation in integrated community care.

This study developed a teacher training program for university faculty to design blended learning. To obtain guidelines for the development, we analyzed the advantages and challenges of implementing remote teaching for various faculty. As a result, it became clear that the faculty benefited from using online tools. On the other hand, faculty felt difficulties changing their teaching methods, learned the limitations of online classes, and were affected physically and mentally, including their students. Based on this analysis, we developed the "Rebuild Method," which consists of three steps to design blended learning from a teacher's perspective, and the "Class Design Toolkit," which designs and improves blended learning based on the Rebuild Method, as components of a teacher training program. The results of the teacher training program using the toolkit suggested that the toolkit and the teacher training opportunities helped design and improve blended learning.

The purpose of this study is to design an online academic writing course that combines on-demand videos, in-class activities, feedback on assignments using an LMS, and tutorials by teachers on a videoconferencing system, and to examine the reduction in students' anxiety about writing. The results of a questionnaire survey revealed that students' anxiety scores for writing were lower than before the course. Analysis of the free-response statements revealed that the students whose anxiety scores decreased were engaged in writing through online tutorials and group work, the students whose anxiety scores decreased slightly were engaged in writing through feedback from the teacher and repeated revisions of assignments via the LMS, and the students whose anxiety scores increased from almost no change to a high level were engaged in writing through feedback from the teacher and repeated revisions of assignments via the LMS. The students whose anxiety scores increased from almost no change did not reduce the anxiety they felt before the class, but they felt that they were gradually getting better at writing after half a term of classes.

In this study, I conducted two practices of the jigsaw method in online classes. One is the ‘in-class’ practice, wherein students work on all learning activities during the class, and the other is the ‘prior learning’ practice, wherein they work on some of the activities before the class. I examined students' perceptions of each practice in the jigsaw online classes, in terms of class format preferences, time taken to learn activities, sense of participation, and ease of learning activities. The results confirmed that students perceived differences between the two practices, regarding discussion time for expert activities. Another finding was that they preferred the in-class practice, but felt that the prior learning practice was more effective for learning. Also, they found some of the online tools and learning activities challenging to manage. Based on these findings, the design and management of the jigsaw method in online classes were discussed. The results indicated that using some of the learning activities as prior learning can save time, teachers should take care in designing worksheets and prior learning, and they should state rules and methods for discussion.