Lockdowns, social distancing, and COVID safe hygiene practices have rendered the usual face-to-face course delivery options all but impossible for many higher education institutions worldwide. A forced transition to online learning has been the only viable option for preventing a wholesale closure of many institutions. The aim of this study is to identify the role of educational technologies in the transition from face-to-face to online teaching and learning activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper identified five challenges to transitioning to online education experienced by higher education institutions: synchronous/asynchronous learning tool integration, access to technology, faculty and student online competence, academic dishonesty, and privacy and confidentiality. From the studies examined in this literature review, strategies for successful online implementation were also noted. These included: providing e-learning training support for faculty and students, fostering online learning communities, and expanding traditional face-to-face course delivery to incorporate more elements of blended learning. A Technology Enhanced Learning Hub that encapsulates the learning process within a modality-neutral learning space is presented as a suggested framework for delivering higher education programs in this challenging environment.

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Education is seen as an important vehicle to foster relationships with countries in the Asia-Pacific regionparticularly with Australia's most important economic partner, China. There are many prior studies that have explored the impact of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) on users, through a variety of research designs. However, the diversity of research designs used means that the nuances and subtleties of the diverse approaches, particularly in the context of Australia and China are unknown. The purpose of this literature review is to compare the research designs employed by empirical studies of LMS usage in Australia and China. This review explores the similarities and differences in research methodologies (quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods), research approaches (confirmatory or exploratory) and data collection methods commonly used in a selection of contemporary studies from both countries. The findings indicate Chinese studies employ quantitative methodologies more than Australian studies; confirmatory research is more prevalent in China than Australia; and that there is a distinct preference for surveys in Chinese studies. This review will assist the developers of future collaborative research projects between China and other countries, to construct study designs that are compatible with the identified research strengths.

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