Dr. Giang-Nguyen T Nguyen

This chapter moves undergraduate education students forward into the field of educational research. The topics assist students in examining the importance and multifaceted components involved in preparing undergraduate education majors to explore and use human research activities. The chapter contents extend students’ learning to focus on educational research and applications as key components for fully understanding teaching and learning. Thus, it provides an overview of the procedures and considerations for undergraduates to conduct research in education including: (1) narrowing a Research Topic, (2) selecting an appropriate Research Design, and (3) understanding and practicing Research Ethics and working with the Institutional Review Board (IRB). In addition, this chapter provides a guide for students through the practice of complex, iterative, and transferable skills that lead to efficient, methodical, and ethical conduct of the basic steps in the research process. At the end of this chapter, undergraduate students will understand and become skilled in these essential components of the research process.

This chapter addresses the challenge raised by researchers about how online learning provides an opportunity for interaction as compared to a face-to-face classroom. We exemplify how the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework informed our design of learning opportunities for primary mathematics preservice teachers (PSTs) in two courses offered in Australia and the USA. The cognitive presence focuses on helping PSTs experience mathematical practices as active learners (Course 1) and learning pedagogical practices to develop mathematical proficiency for their future students (Course 2). Two courses offer ways to address social presence for learning, intending to build two levels of community. Teaching presence is illustrated by the role the instructors play when designing, facilitating, and directing the learning experience in contrasting settings to maintain cognitive presence and social presence. Implications for research and development of online courses for preservice teachers are suggested.