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ABSTRACT In this study, a Delphi method was used to identify and predict the roles of blended learning approaches in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments. The Delphi panel consisted of experts in online learning from different geographic regions of the world. This study discusses findings related to (a) pros and cons of blended learning approaches in CSCL; (b) blended learning for collaboration in various contexts including the narrative accounts of blended learning approaches in CSCL given by the Delphi panelist; and (c) the future of blended learning in CSCL, via three-phases of online survey questions. Implications for design issues and future research into blended learning and CSCL are also included. Keywords Blended learning, Computer-supported collaborative learning, e-learning, Delphi study

Darwin postulated that the way organisms evolve is adaptive; otherwise, they wouldn't be here. The same could be said of institutions of higher education. These institutions, like organisms, must evolve in order to survive. The growing trend toward the virtual organization has awakened colleges and universities to the need to prepare students for a virtual workplace. Consequently, institutions of higher education are reworking many of the courses in their programs to maximize e-learning opportunities for their students. As a result, there is a rapid adoption of e-curriculum globally in institutions of higher education. However, it is vital that certain conditions be met to ensure the quality and sustainability of these online courses.

The main purpose of this study was to explore best practice strategies in online instruction that effectively reduce perceptions of transactional or felt-psychological distance, and, in turn, promote socially and humanely rich online learning communities in higher education. From this perspective, this study adopted the construct of "instructional immediacy" from educational communications theory, and attempted to uncover applications of the construct in online teaching contexts. To better provide plausible techniques and strategies for online teaching practitioners, "instructional immediacy" was approached through rich narratives of the perspectives and experiences of online teaching practitioners as well as through narratives from students in these courses. Educationally meaningful strategies for enhancing instructional immediacy emerged from an analysis of instructors' and students' narratives. The patterns of strategies were categorized into four dimensions of online instruction: (1) affective interaction, (2) cognitive interaction, (3) technology adoption, and (4) course presentation and organization. This study opens the possibility of cultivating instructional immediacy in a text-based learning community which allows a promise for executing socially connected and engaging online instruction.

Keywords: active learning, online teaching, social presence, student engagement

Selected Papers from the Eighth Annual Conference on Technology for Second Language Learning