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The COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in unprecedented campus closures and social distancing, has reinforced the value of learning using a virtual teamwork format. While a large body of research focuses on the inputs (members’ skills, motivation, technology, and virtuality) and outcomes (satisfaction, performance, and learning) of virtual teamwork, to date, only a limited number of studies have explored virtual teamwork processes involving university students. By drawing on the team processes model ( Marks et al., 2001 ), in this qualitative study, we extend the scope of virtual team processes to a university online course. In addition, we explore transition, action, and interpersonal processes that undergraduate students experience when learning in virtual teams. The study participants included Japanese and international students ( N = 20) from three universities in Japan taking a synchronous online course in international organizations during the summer of 2020; 15 combinations of virtual teams were created. The study is based on the inductive content analysis of e-portfolios created and managed by students taking the online course. The findings show that virtual teams are multitasking entities that transition through multiple processes simultaneously and consequentially to achieve team goals. From the analyzed e-portfolios, it can be observed that across all themes, systems monitoring (action processes), affect management (interpersonal processes), and strategy formulation and planning (transition processes) have been crucial in invigorating virtual teams toward task accomplishment. Finally, the study discusses both theoretical and practical implications.

Unlike conventional distance learning, the COVID-19-induced emergency online learning environment has resulted in students experiencing prolonged social isolation and anxiety, thereby creating additional barriers to their motivation to learn. Studying under these conditions influences students' motivation to complete and turn in course-related assignments, especially newly enrolled students taking the English reading online courses as second language learners (L2). The aim of this qualitative study is to examine various factors influencing Japanese college freshmen's (n = 80) motivation when completing graded online assignments as part of asynchronous English reading courses held during the COVID-19 pandemic. The post-course survey of students from three separate classes was used to capture a detailed panorama of learner motivation. Results from an inductive content analysis of responses indicated that higher levels of motivation were strongly associated with assignments that facilitated learner autonomy, social interaction, personal interest, and practical utility of the task. Conversely, decreased motivation appears to be strongly associated with assignments reinforcing the perception of high difficulty, personal inefficacy, and cognitive overload. These findings are consistent with studies examining online learners' motivation in the pre-pandemic period. This study found that intrinsic motivation plays an explicit role in enhancing learners' engagement with instructional materials. Researchers recommend that, especially during emergencies such as a pandemic or major crisis, teachers should deliberately and extensively employ strategies to enhance the motivational appeal of instructional materials and assignments. When designing online assignments for freshman courses, special attention must be paid to psychological (autonomy, utility, relevance), cognitive (information overload), social (relatedness, interaction), and environmental (an emergency, uncertainty, isolation) conditions of learning.

While many studies indicate that "virtual exchanges" also known as telecollaboration are useful for developing intercultural communicative competence, there is a paucity of research on how learners acquire new knowledge related to their own culture and society before interacting with online foreign exchange partners. This study explores the potential of applying an inquiry-based strategy in developing students' intra-cultural awareness to enhance the quality of their intercultural communication. A quasi-experimental design involving undergraduate students in Japan (n = 112) was developed to assess the effectiveness of an inquirybased telecollaboration using explicit instruction in experimental group compared with unassisted intra-cultural telecollaboration in control group. Quantitative results indicated that while several outcomes on telecollaborative tasks and intra-cultural learning were not significantly different across conditions, students learning in an inquiry-based environment reported higher levels of engagement as well as ABOUT THE AUTHOR Murod Ismailov, PhD, is an assistant professor of communication at the Centre for Education of Global Communication under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. Also, he works as an Adjunct Lecturer at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and the National Police Academy of Japan. His research focuses on learner-centered pedagogy, 4C skills development, e-learning, telecollaboration, and inquiry-and project-based learning. In addition, he is actively involved in numerous research projects and grants supported by the Japanese government addressing topics of intercultural communication, English Medium Instruction (EMI), and social capital/ education in the post-Soviet countries. His most recent articles were published in Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, E-Learning and Digital Media, F1000 Research and other international peer-reviewed journals.

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