Synchronous hybrid delivery (simultaneously teaching on-campus and online students using web conferencing) is becoming more common; however, little is known about how students experience emotions in this learning environment. Based on Pekrun's (2006) control-value theory of emotions, the dual purpose of this study was first to compare synchronous hybrid students who attend online versus on-campus in terms of control, value, emotions and perceived success and second to compare students' degree of emotional activation in the domains of programme achievement and technology use. Survey data from 101 graduate business students revealed that online students reported significantly higher levels of technology-related anger, anxiety and helplessness. Furthermore, in comparison to their on-campus counterparts, online students more clearly separated their emotions in terms of programme achievement and technology use. Emotions related significantly to students' perceived success for both programme achievement and technology use, and mediated the effects of control and value appraisals on perceived success.

Students' feelings of relatedness (i.e., feeling connected to others) are crucial for success in both asynchronous and synchronous learning environments; however, courses taught in these formats often limit relatedness development, either by removing spontaneous interaction (e.g., asynchronous delivery) or by introducing seemingly incompatible online and on-campus factions (e.g., synchronous delivery). As such, it was hypothesized that the strengths of one delivery mode could offset the weaknesses of the other. The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate an online discussion board intervention designed to scaffold relatedness development. Deci and Ryan's (1985) self-determination theory (SDT) was adopted as the theoretical framework as it explicitly addresses the role of relatedness in achievement settings. Participants were 83 graduate students enrolled in synchronous hybrid programs offered at a large midwestern research university. This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods approach (QUAN + qual = triangulation). The methods involved a pretest-posttest experimental design in which students were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 41), wherein they participated in the intervention, or the control group (n = 42), wherein they attended classes without any auxiliary interactions. Data analysis involved a battery of statistical tests performed on quantitative survey data and a thematic synthesis of participants' responses to open-ended, qualitative survey items. xvi The results indicated that students who participated in the intervention improved their self-efficacy for developing relatedness with individuals in the online attendance mode. The intervention also mitigated previously observed differences in relatedness between online and on-campus students. The qualitative analysis generated three key themes (relatedness beliefs, program delivery, and student-interface interaction), which were summarized into one assertion: Relatedness development in synchronous hybrid courses requires a dynamic mix of nutriments that can be satisfied or thwarted differently for every student. This study holds implications for practice in that the results suggest a viable path for improving students' educational experience in synchronous hybrid courses. The results also supported the tenability of SDT for future research in this area. Ideally, explicating the link between relatedness and success will help practitioners design relatedness-supportive interventions that may improve student performance in synchronous hybrid programs.

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The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between grit and entrepreneurial intent. Grit involves maintaining effort and interest in the pursuit of long-term goals, despite adversity, stagnation, or failure. Entrepreneurial intentions are a well-established indicator that represents an individual's conscious determination to start a new business. Secondary variables included the personality traits measured in the Big Five model (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). Survey data were collected from over 500 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university in the United States. The results confirmed that there was a strong positive association between grit and entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, independent samples t-tests revealed that high grit students showed greater entrepreneurial intent than low grit students. The data also indicated that grit fully mediated the predictive effect of conscientious and neuroticism on entrepreneurial intent. Overall, a better understanding of the influence of grit on entrepreneurial intent, given the presence of various diverse personality constellations, may help inform educators in preparing and delivering course content. The influence of grit may reduce the failure rate of new and young businesses launched by college-educated entrepreneurs.

Synchronous hybrid delivery (simultaneously teaching on‐campus and online students using Web conferencing) is becoming more common in higher education. However, little is known about students’ emotions in these environments. Although often overlooked, emotions are fundamental antecedents of success. This study longitudinally examined the role of students’ emotions (enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom), perceptions of control, value, and success in synchronous hybrid learning environments. In particular, the investigation assessed students’ self‐reported enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom as predictors of their program achievement and successful technology use. Students were recruited from synchronous hybrid MBA and MPA programs. Control‐value theory of emotions was used as the theoretical framework. Paired samples t‐tests revealed that the achievement domain, compared to the technology domain, yielded higher mean scores for control, value, enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom. In addition, mixed ANOVAs indicated an interaction effect in which group means for program boredom were significantly higher for on‐campus students than for online students. Intercorrelations in each domain showed that perceived success was positively related to enjoyment and negatively related to anxiety and boredom. Technology‐related anxiety was also found to fully mediate the positive effect of control on perceived success in using technology.