This article presents a collaborative effort to identify effective pedagogical practices for online learning in higher education. As the COOL-APA courses will be delivered fully online, partner universities conducted research to explore what makes an online course engaging, motivating, and supportive for students. The article summarizes this research by comparing different forms of online learning and highlighting their key advantages, challenges, and best practices.
Because COOL-APA-courses will be online courses, we had to do research for good pedagogical solutions in digital/online learning. Every partner university had to:
1. Search, collect and make a summary of guidelines and good practices from their own university (including interviewing teachers) about good online pedagogical practices.
2. Search, collect and make a summary of research data from their own country (both peer-reviewed and grey literature) about good online pedagogical practices.
3. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) made also literature search from other countries/international research.
Findings were put on a table, where there were five different forms of online learning:
- self-paced course
- asynchronous learning
- synchronous learning
- hybrid learning
- blended learning
We needed to know pros, cons, practical tips, motivational things (what methods are motivational and interesting for students) and commitment/engagement (what methods are keeping students committed) from every online form. Finland, Ireland and Ukraine did the research and based on that we made summary about the best practices for online learning.
Summary of the results; key advantages and key disadvantages from every online studying method:
Self-paced course (a course with no deadlines; learners progress whenever they choose):
- Advantages: High flexibility, students can revisit materials anytime for deeper learning.
- Disadvantages: Requires strong self‑discipline; high risk of dropouts. Limited social interaction and reduced feedback.
Asynchronous learning (learning that doesn’t require everyone to be online at the same time; often pre-recorded or self-directed material where students work at their own pace):
- Advantages: Flexible learning with time for reflection. Short, well‑structured units support independent study.
- Disadvantages: Students may feel isolated without timely support. Long or unclear materials can be overwhelming.
Synchronous learning (live, real‑time learning such as Zoom classes or live webinars):
- Advantages: Enables immediate feedback and live interaction. Builds community and engagement through active participation.
- Disadvantages: Highly dependent on stable technology. Long or passive sessions can overwhelm students.
Hybrid learning (students can choose to attend online or in person for the same session):
- Advantages: Offers flexibility; can increase attendance and reduce stress. Supports accessibility for remote or busy students.
- Disadvantages: Hard to provide equal experience for both groups. It requires strong technology and teacher training; often fails without support.
Blended learning (a mix of online and in‑person learning):
- Advantages: Combines strengths of online and in‑person modes; often improves outcomes. Allows online theory + in‑person practice for effective learning.
- Disadvantages: Risk of confusion if online and in‑person parts are not aligned. Needs careful planning to avoid overload in one mode.
Conclusions of the research: Every online studying method has its own positive things and negative sides. The biggest challenge of online studying is that it requires so much self-discipline from students. If they are not used to that, it can lead to many dropouts. Fortunately, we have tools that make online studying easier and more enjoyable, such as teacher messages, clear structures, smaller assignments and the opportunity for students to create their own schedules.
Regardless of teaching method, it is important to include some kind of social interaction and support in online courses. It can be student-to-teacher communication or student-to-student communication, in different kinds of forms (messages, videos, zoom classes, group assignments etc.). Even though it can be difficult to include some of those in every online teaching method, it is important for students to connect with others.
We have a lot of things to take into consideration before making COOL APA -courses, but this research has given answers to our question: “What is a good online course?”
Writer: Meeri Kuisma, student from Haaga-Helia, Finland. I am doing my on-the-job training in COOL APA -project. In this article I used AI to help summarize the advantages and disadvantages of every learning method.
