Keywords:
cognitive presence, self-regulated learning, cognitive transfer, online learning, higher education, Community of Inquiry
Abstract
Online learning has become more common since the COVID-19 pandemic, but limited research has examined factors affecting students' ability to transfer learning from online to the real world. This mixed-methods study explored the relationships between higher-order thinking skills, namely cognitive presence and self-regulation, and their roles in learning transfer in an online postgraduate medical sonography course in an Australian University. Performance data was evaluated for 53/54 students who allowed their online learning platform data, grades, and written contributions to learning tasks to be collected. Students also completed questionnaire measures of cognitive presence and online self-regulation, and seven students were interviewed about learning transfer. Cognitive presence and online self-regulation strategies were positively correlated. Interviews revealed that internal factors, such as cognitive presence and self-regulation, and external factors, such as supervisor support and workload, affected online learning transfer. Student performance indicated a high percentage of the Resolution phase of cognitive presence, which means near transfer. Our results suggest that cognitive presence and self-regulation can enhance students’ ability to transfer learning within and beyond the course. Despite the complexities in online pedagogy, educators should create online content to foster cognitive presence and self-regulation to enhance students’ ability to transfer learning to the real world.
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Author Biographies
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Sandhya Maranna, University of South Australia, Australia
Sandhya (Sandy) Maranna is a senior lecturer at the University of South Australia, stream lead of the general stream of medical sonography and a senior specialist sonographer with SA health. She is the Associate Fellow of HERDSA. Sandhya is a PhD candidate with a focus on learning transfer in online learning. She has been awarded the FHEA in 2018 and the AAUT teaching citation in 2021 towards supporting student learning in the online mode. She has also been awarded the 2021 Online Learning Consortium’s Excellence and Innovation in Online learning, USA.
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Srecko Joksimovic, University of South Australia, Australia
Dr Srecko Joksimovic is an Associate Professor in Data Science at the Education Futures, University of South Australia. His research is centred around augmenting abilities of individuals to solve complex problems in collaborative settings. Srecko is particularly interested in evaluating the influence of contextual, social, cognitive, and affective factors on groups and individuals as they solve complex real-world problems. In so doing, he utilizes a wide range of methods from machine learning, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing, as well as data science and social computing in general.
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John Willison, The University of Adelaide, Australia
Dr John Willison is a senior lecturer in the Discipline of Higher Education, School of Education. He coordinates the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (GCHE) for academics from all faculties at the University of Adelaide. This work has lead to rich and varied collaborations on various aspects of curriculum design and assessment, within the university, at the national level and internationally. He is currently using and evaluating interactive learning modules in advance of face to face sessions to flip the classroom for educators enrolled in the GCHE.
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Nayana Parange, University of South Australia, Australia
Dr Nayana Parange is Professor of Medical sonography and Professorial Lead in UniSA Allied Health and Human Performance. She is an ultrasound educator and researcher and passionate about teaching and learning. She currently leads the portfolio of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in Allied Health and Human Performance.
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Maurizio Costabile, University of South Australia, Australia
Associate Professor Maurizio Costabile is a teaching-focussed academic at the University of South Australia in the Clinical and Health Sciences Academic Unit. He was the Honours co-ordinator for the Laboratory Medicine Program for over 15 years and was a higher degree research coordinator between 2016-24. He is an active teacher for Biochemistry and Immunology. He has a strong interest in educational research, with an emphasis on Stroyline and Unity-based interactive simulations, mind mapping and 3D-printed objects as learning aids
Data Availability Statement
The relevant de-identified data is presented in the manuscript.
Section
Educational Psychology
How to Cite
Cognitive presence and self-regulated learning: Learning transfer in an online allied health course. (2025).
Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice,
22(1).
https://doi.org/10.53761/h2gnev81
