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Description

This work explores the nature of synchronous active participation in online university education, focusing on its pedagogical value, challenges, and effective design strategies. While asynchronous learning dominates online higher education due to flexibility, the literature consistently highlights its limitations in engagement, motivation, and social connection. Synchronous active participation can compensate for these constraints by fostering social presence, sustained attention, and real-time interaction, especially when it is intentionally designed and facilitated. This study examines key themes such as webcam use, multimodal participation, community building, instructional design, and instructor digital competence. Findings show that non-use of cameras often reflects privacy, anxiety, or contextual concerns rather than disengagement, and that students frequently prefer alternative participation modes. Evidence also suggests that interactive, community-oriented synchronous sessions enhance motivation, reduce isolation, and can improve learning outcomes. The main conclusion is that synchronous participation is a high-value pedagogical resource when inclusively designed, actively facilitated, and balanced with flexible asynchronous options.

ISBN

979-13-7047-150-7

Publication Date

2026

First Page

1935

Last Page

1945

Publisher

Dykinson

City

Madrid

Language

eng

Rights

open access

Active Synchronous Participation in Online University Courses: aReview

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