Unveiling Insights on Online Learning Persistence: Dr. DAI Hai Min’s Research Highlights at ASCILITE

The ASCILITE 2023 Conference marked ASCILITE’s 40th International Conference on Innovation, Practice, and Research in the application of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education. The central theme,“People, Partnerships, and Pedagogies”, underscored the focus on the human and social dimensions of technology-enhanced learning.

Dr. DAI Haimin, an assistant professor from the School of Education, participated in the conference and delivered a presentation on her research titled “Explaining persistence in online learning: A review study”.  Learners’ persistence in online learning plays a crucial role in achieving successful learning outcomes. In an effort to understand the underlying psychological mechanism of learners’ persistence in such environments, the research team conducted a systematic review to synthesise the existing knowledge.

At the conference, Dr. DAI presented three fundamental findings derived from the review project, namely, mapping the current research landscape, exploring the motivations propelling researchers to investigate this phenomenon, and examining the theoretical models employed in literature to explain learners’ behaviours. The presentation garnered positive reception, concluding with lively engagement and interaction from both online and on-site researchers.

Dr. DAI Haimin is Assistant Professor in Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Her research interests include educational technology, psychometrics, and cross-cultural communication. As the lead author, Dr. DAI has published articles in prestigious journals, including Computers & Education (ranked in the top 1 in Education), Computers in Human Behavior (ranked in the top 3 in Psychology, Experimental), Interactive Learning Environments, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, and Higher Education. According to ResearchGate, her research interest score ranks higher than 96% of researchers who first published in 2019. Dr DAI has also been PI or CI for ten research projects funded by institutions, companies, and governments in the UK, Australia, mainland China, and Macao SAR. In addition, she is currently the associate editor for the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (Q2).

 Written by DAI Haimin

Edited by CHEN Ruoxi