Computers & Education 172 (2021) 104265

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Computers & Education

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compedu

Preparing first-year college students’ academic transition: What is

the value of complementary web-based learning?
Xiaodong Zhang
School of English and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This study focused on the complementary use of web-based learning in relation to first-semester
Web-based learning college students’ academic transition at a Chinese university. Through qualitative analyses it
College students revealed that the technological affordances of web-based learning reified themselves in diverse
Academic transition
forms and in a spatial-temporally unconstrained manner. Against its technological affordances,
Content-based teaching
First semester
web-based learning offered students additional knowledge that complemented or enhanced their
Complementary learning knowledge repertoires constructed in the classroom. This helped them make the academic tran­
sition, which may have been hindered by limited in-class time to meet individual needs and
college-level standards. Meanwhile, mediated assistance, especially the instructor’s constant
adjustment of the instructional design to address the students’ learning issues, interacted with the
learning outcomes perceived by the students through web-based learning, which further
buttressed their academic transition.

1. Introduction

The academic transition to college is an indispensable yet challenging part of newly enrolled college students’ educational journeys
(De Clercq, Galand, & Frenay, 2017). At this juncture, first-year college students start to adjust to academic demands that are much
more challenging than those encountered in high school (Sheridan & Dunne, 2012; Terenzini et al., 1994). The clash between aca­
demic demands and what first-year college students are able to navigate may undermine their confidence in learning and affect the
shaping of their identities as well as their motivation to study in the following college years (Meehan & Howells, 2018; Terenzini et al.,
1994). Obviously, relying on knowledge accumulated through in-class learning may be insufficient for a desirable outcome, since
college-level instructional content tends to be challenging and students’ needs vary (Zhang, 2021). This highlights the importance of
complementary learning that could further enhance or complement first-year students’ in-class learning (Zhang, 2021), better assisting
their academic transition (Terenzini et al., 1994).
Web-based learning, involving the use of the Internet for knowledge construction (e.g., Google Docs-based learning), has been
widely used by educators to complement traditional classroom learning (Papastergiou, 2006). Without spatial-temporal constraints,
web-based learning, either before or after class, could provide learning resources to meet students’ academic demands as well as their
individual needs; through their interactions with peers and instructors, students gain the knowledge needed in the mediated online
space (Klein & Godinet, 2000; Woo & Reeves, 2007). In doing so, it could complement students’ in-class learning (e.g., knowledge gap
or individual needs) that takes place in the traditional classroom environment but is limited by course time (Lee, 2017). In other words,
web-based learning may help first-year college students with the academic transition, where they are faced with college-level academic

E-mail address: zxdman588@bfsu.edu.cn.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104265
Received 25 June 2020; Received in revised form 21 March 2021; Accepted 19 June 2021
Available online 21 June 2021
0360-1315/© 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
X. Zhang Computers & Education 172 (2021) 104265

demands that may be hampered by time-constrained learning.

Taken together, given the importance of preparing college students for the transition as well as the role of web-based learning in
enhancing their academic performance, the potential of combining web-based learning with first-year college in-class teaching merits
our attention. Nevertheless, this line of research still seems limited. As such, the current study focuses on how the complementary use
of web-based learning interacts with first-year college students’ academic transition. By doing so, the study attempts to shed light on
the pedagogical role of web-based learning in transitioning first-semester college students at the academic level.

1.1. Literature review

1.1.1. Academic transition to college: looking backward and forward

Transition is defined as “any event, or non-event, that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles”
(Goodman, Schlossberg, & Anderson, 2006, p. 33), such as an academic transition to a new setting with new academic demands (De
Clercq et al., 2017). The transition from high school to the first year of college is a process whereby students are adapting to a changed
and more demanding knowledge system (Sheridan & Dunne, 2012). Attending to this phase of academic transition is important, as a
poor transition, in which students’ confidence and motivation are thwarted, would affect their motivation to study in the following
college years (Terenzini et al., 1994).
First-year college students’ academic transition is not isolated but a “complex multifactorial process” (De Clercq et al., 2017, p. 40),
in which diverse concomitant contextual factors interact, such as the learning styles students accumulated in high school, and their
learning motivation at college (Sheridan & Dunne, 2012; Terenzini et al., 1994). Among them, the amount of academic knowledge
constructed in a mediated context (e.g., learning through peer and especially teacher assistance) seems to be a prominent construct
that plays out in the process of their academic transition (Terenzini et al., 1994, Zhang, 2018). Understandably, mediation-based
knowledge construction helps first-year college students gain knowledge by attending to their learning needs and knowledge back­
grounds, with the ultimate purpose of assisting them with meeting academic demands (Meehan & Howells, 2018). It can help offset
other factors (e.g., demotivation resulting from a knowledge gap or their previous learning styles) that hinder students from accu­
mulating knowledge necessary for the academic transition (De Clercq, Roland, Brunelle, Galand, & Frenay, 2018). However, the
amount of time first-year college students spend with their instructor and peers is generally limited to classroom learning (Lee, 2017).
As Harklau (2001) noted, the purpose of in-class learning mainly lies in constructing knowledge “in as compact a way as possible, with
the assumption that most of students’ literate activity would take place outside the classroom” (p.54). As such, De Clercq et al. (2018)
suggested that educators should attend to the “importance of preparation in managing the shock of the new context” (p. 75). In other
words, given the limited classroom learning but the important role of mediated knowledge construction in balancing the complexities
of academic transition, mediated construction of academic knowledge outside the classroom should become crucial endeavors (Zhang,
2018), complementing students’ in-class learning and better preparing them for their academic transition.
Almost no research has been conducted on how mediated knowledge construction outside the classroom can prepare students for
their academic transition. Existing research tends to focus on the variables associated with students’ academic transition, which
include students’ previous knowledge repertoires, learning styles, and their emotional state (e.g., De Clercq et al., 2017; Sheridan &
Dunne, 2012). For example, De Clercq et al. (2018) focused on first-year biology students at Belgian University. Through qualitative
analyses of student interviews conducted at the beginning of the first semester and the end of their first year, their study showed that
first-year students’ academic transition was a complex process conditioned by diverse factors (e.g., their previous knowledge).
Taken together, mediating students’ knowledge construction is important for their academic transition, but it is constrained by
limited in-class time (Lee, 2017). In contrast, without time constraints, mediated learning outside the classroom can help further build
up students’ academic knowledge and meet their individual needs (e.g., Zhang, 2021). Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore how
students’ academic transition to their first year of college could be buttressed through mediated knowledge building outside the
classroom.

1.2. Web-based learning outside the classroom: supplement classroom learning and preparing students’ transition

Web-based learning is the use of the Internet to access knowledge learning, such as discussion boards, web pages, and Internet-
based audio-visual teaching and learning (Liu & Lan, 2016; McKimm, Jollie, & Cantillon, 2003). While web-based learning may
present students with challenges in navigating the technology, such as Internet glitches or unfamiliarity with its use (McKimm et al.,
2003), it is generally considered a useful tool for enhancing and supplementing college students’ knowledge (Yadav, Tiruwa, & Suri,
2017), suggesting its potential for preparing first-year college students’ academic transition. (Yick, Yip, Au, Lai, & Yu, 2019). First,
web-based learning is flexible and unconstrained by time or place, thus providing students with a supplementary platform where their
knowledge construction can transcend spatial-temporal constraints and can occur during either the students’ or the instructor’s spare
time (Hill, Song, & West, 2009).
More importantly, web-based learning allows the instructor to build learning modules on web-based platforms (e.g., Google Docs-
based learning) and adjust the instructional design, such as knowledge supplementation, and encouraging peer or and teacher-student
interactions (Lee, 2017; Liu & Lan, 2016; Woodrich & Fan, 2017). Through web-based mediated learning, teachers could provide
additional knowledge that may fail to be included or solved in class due to time constraints, meeting the expected demands of a
curriculum (Hill et al., 2009; Lee, 2017; Zhang, 2021). Students could also use the web-based platform to meet their individual needs
for academic demands (e.g., posing questions), which they may also fail to achieve in class due to the limited time available for each
student (Papastergiou, 2006). The students can maintain the knowledge constructed among peers or teacher–student mediation for

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their later independent learning (Liu & Lan, 2016). In other words, given the spatial-temporal flexibility of web-based learning and its
role in supporting students’ knowledge development (including individual needs) on a mediating basis, it would be a potentially useful
platform for preparing first-year college students’ academic transition.
Much research has been conducted on the relationship between web-based platforms (like Google Docs) and students’ academic
learning (e.g., Liu & Lan, 2016). This line of research has shown that the platforms can benefit the improvement of students’ academic
learning in diverse ways because of their technological affordances (Hill et al., 2009; see Yadav et al., 2017 for a review). In terms of
the relationship between audio-visual resources provided by the platforms and students’ learning, Shadiev, Hwang and Huang‘s (2017)
literature review showed that the audio-visual resources engaged students’ interest in learning and enabled them to gain knowledge
flexibly without the constraints of time and space. In regard to the web-based platform (e.g., a specific use of a web page, which is also
related to the current research) and the effect of mediated learning, Liu and Lan (2016) conducted a quantitative study of Chinese
English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) college students in a department of tourism and transportation. Through peer mediation during
their 8-week reading of English texts, along with mediating questions posted on Google Docs, the students felt motivated to engage in
learning (i.e., vocabulary use and learning in this study) in a collaborative and mediating manner on the web. In terms of web-based
learning and meeting students’ individual needs, in Yick et al.‘s (2019) quantitative research on first-year college students’ learning
outcomes, they pointed out that learning through web-based learning may be no substitute for the traditional classroom because of
diverse constraining factors (e.g., students’ time spent on independent learning). However, web-based learning could be a good
addition to fortify or complement students’ classroom learning and “encourage individual students’ success” (Yick et al., 2019, p. 186),
depending on the teacher’s mediation efforts in designing the module based on curriculum demand and individual needs. In all, these
studies showed the usefulness of web-based learning for supporting college students’ knowledge development, through using multi­
modal resources to galvanize students’ learning motivation while without the constraints of time and space, providing mediated
assistance, and meeting their individual needs.
As seen above, these studies in relation to web-based learning did not integrate themselves specifically with first-year college
students’ academic transition. Given the potential of a web-based platform as a venue for an extended and flexible learning mode,
students’ academic transition to their first year of college merits attention, especially in terms of how to use web-based learning as
supplementary learning resources to increase their knowledge repertoires (including their individual needs) and meet academic de­
mands. As such, this study is guided by the following question: How does web-based learning interact with first-year college students’
academic transition?

2. Methodology

The research aims to gain an in-depth understanding of college students’ academic transition in relation to the use of a web-based
platform. Echoing such research purpose, a qualitative approach in tandem with an interpretative paradigm was suitable, as it focuses
on a contextually embedded understanding of the complexity of a phenomenon (Ormston, Spencer, Barnard, & Snape, 2014).

2.1. Research context

The study was conducted in a Chinese university, pseudonymously named Herald University. It is one of the top universities in
China, meaning that it has high expectations of academic demands. For example, its first-year college English reading literacy for
English majors focuses on how to comprehend textual content critically. This differs from the pre-tertiary teaching of English reading
in China. Indeed, pre-tertiary teaching of English reading instruction in China, similar to many other EFL contexts, focuses on learning
grammar and vocabulary along with the general meaning of a text (Zhang, 2017). This is understandable as these two basic com­
ponents are the parts high school students need to learn on their way to becoming competent learners, which is also assessed by
pre-tertiary tests (Zhang, 2017). In other words, the learning needs, propelled by the influence of assessments, results in the critical
digestion of content to be ignored in pre-tertiary contexts. In turn, this means that college students, especially those in their first
semester, may be unprepared to navigate the academic challenges in Herald University. As such, Herald University became an
appropriate site for investigating first-year students’ academic transition.

2.2. Participants

The semester-long study was conducted in a college English reading course offered to first-semester English major students at
Herald University. Four reasons justified placing the focus on them. First, the 26 students in the reading classroom all consented to be
involved in the study. The students were all born and raised in China, and learning EFL through traditional classroom learning.
Second, the focus of reading for first-semester English majors was on linguistics, including texts about linguistic theories and
language acquisition. The texts they read were scholastic in nature for language learning, consisting mainly of language and culture
academic papers selected from books and academic journals. However, none of these students had any linguistic background at all. The
topics covered in the readings were new to them. Obviously, this was challenging for the students, given their previous learning
background, where learning was primarily on language, and individual differences (e.g., some may struggle with both language and
content and others may struggle only with content).
Third, reading took place every other day over a week. Over the semester, students were expected to finish 10 texts. Each text for
learning averaged 1200 words, which was to be finished along with accompanying practices, such as language knowledge (e.g.,
translation, lexical enhancement) in two weeks on average. This means that there was limited time for teaching beyond critical

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comprehension of texts or for meeting students’ individual needs (e.g., grammar issues), pointing to the need for supplementary
learning outside the classroom. Indeed, during the first two weeks prior to supplementary learning, students kept voicing their aca­
demic concerns in the classroom to the instructor.
Fourth, these students had no experience with web-based learning, or they were not receiving web-based learning in other courses.
However, some of them had experience using the collaborative function of websites to do non-academic activities. Taken together,
focusing on these students was appropriate since the research focus was on the relationship between supplementary web-based
learning and students’ academic transition to a new knowledge system where students’ knowledge gap and individual needs may
not be met in class.
Given the students’ academic challenges and limited in-class time, the instructor, a male professor who was born and raised in
China, decided to implement web-based learning. The web-based learning was achieved through two free domestic web pages (first on
yiqixie and then on jinshanxiezuo, both of which have similar functions as Google Docs). The web-based learning started from the
second week to complement classroom learning. Students could log in and pose questions or learn from their peers and the instructor,
thus featuring peer and especially teacher mediation (see Table 1 for teaching and learning activities). The reason for choosing do­
mestic websites developed in China rather than Google was because the Google service was temporarily unavailable for Chinese
Internet users. Notably, for the first three months, the learning activities were on yiqixie, but then turned to jinshanxiezuo in order to
overcome technological issues (e.g., sudden freezes on the web).

2.3. Data collection and analysis

Data were derived from a large project on web-based learning in relation to reading instruction. In the current study, the collected
data included multiple datasets for triangulation. Among these datasets, the students’ reflections documented their experiences and
feelings with web-based learning as well as their suggestions. Each student wrote their monthly reflections on the two texts they had
learned that month. Approximately 78 reflections were collected in total. Interviews were also conducted monthly over the semester to
clarify or enhance students’ understanding of web-based learning. The interviews were semi-structured (see appendix for sample
interview questions), mostly on an individual basis. However, there were group interviews in the middle of the semester. Each student
interview lasted around 30 minutes. The verbal interactions between the students and the instructor outside the classroom, regarding
their learning of the texts, were also recorded. Field notes about the students’ in-class learning and web-based learning were also
collected.
The analysis was achieved through inductive content analysis (Ormston et al., 2014). All the datasets were transcribed and
vigorously compared. Codes were unearthed in this process. For example, the codes included students’ knowledge enhancement
through their web-based experiences, their additional challenges in learning through the web-based learning, and their comfort with
making further inquiries about knowledge, filling their knowledge gap through web-based learning. The codes were then formed into
themes pertinent to the research question. The trustworthiness of the analyses was also checked by another qualitative colleague, and
any differences were negotiated. Following the mutually approved analyses, these themes are reported in the section below.

3. Findings

Overall, the study shows that students’ academic transition to their first-semester learning in the college reading classroom was

Table 1
Web-based learning: Complementing in-class learning.
Web-based learning items (designed by
the instructor to mediate students’
knowledge and meet their individual
needs)
Pre-text reading (Translation of the text;
posing and solving questions)
After in-class reading (Posing and
solving questions based on another
round of reading)
Instructional design of learning activities (e.g., knowledge
supplementation, teacher mediation to encourage peer
interactions)
Students work in groups;
Each group was responsible for translating certain
paragraphs; each student was encouraged to comment on
others’ translations
Each student was required to pose two critical questions
(on the content) based on their own reading of a text;
students were asked to scan other students’ questions and
prepare them for in-class discussion;
except for two critical questions, students could pose other
questions (e.g., grammar or any other individual
questions) in any form (anonymously or not)
Students could pose any questions (either grammar or
content) they had during their second reading
(anonymously or not)
Learning goals (enhancing in-class learning or filling
the knowledge gap while meeting individual needs)
Students could gain a general idea of the text by
learning from each other; it could motivate them to
understand language use (e.g., vocabulary and
grammar)
The teacher answered questions on language use on
the web, which was generally not covered in class.
Students were encouraged to help each other with
their questions on the web, which was also corrected
or verified by the teacher; important questions
(grammar but particularly content) might also be
mentioned during in-class learning
A section was provided on the web to allow them to
pose any questions related to in-class learning or their
individual needs; the teacher helped solve students’
concerns on the web;
the teacher also checked, verified, or corrected
answers from peer assistance;
students could use learning resources on the web for
their independent learning

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complex but manageable when exposed to complementary web-based learning. Their academic transition mainly involved a battle
between their knowledge gap and high academic demands at the college level, which was also conditioned by other concomitant
factors (e.g., out-of-class time investment). Their academic transition was gradually facilitated through web-based mediated teaching
and learning, where they integrated web-based learning with in-class learning to augment their knowledge repertoires, thereby
meeting their individual needs and the academic demands implemented at their university.

3.1. Complementary web-based learning: not an immediate cure for students’ academic transition

The complementary web-based learning process was not smooth. On the one hand, it was related to students’ adjustment to the
platform in terms of technological hindrances. One was related to the demand on students to type on the technological platform.
Student 12 noted: “I had to type to pose and answer questions… I just do not like typing… Too time consuming and brain wrecking… In
the traditional classroom, I just speak, which is casual and convenient” (interview excerpt). This complaint was especially obvious at
the beginning of the semester, suggesting that students’ academic transition when supported by web-based learning encountered a
concomitant challenge, resulting from the need to adjust to web-based learning. In addition to the hindrance of typing on the platform,
some students worried that their participation would be judged by their peers. Student 3 noted: “I worry about whether my question is
too simple or my answer is not accurate. The typed content will be kept there for a while, which will be judged by peers” (reflection
excerpt). Similarly, student 5 noted: “In class you ask and answer. Verbal questions or answers are not preserved there for observation”
(reflection excerpt). This, however, seemed related to students’ idiosyncratic factors, as other students felt unaffected. Student 8 noted:
“If you want to solve your issues or make progress, you have to ask and share either in classroom or online” (interview excerpt).
Another technological challenge when supporting students’ academic transition through the web-based learning was related to
technological glitches (e.g., knowledge sharing and co-construction on the web was sometimes disrupted by occasional Internet
breakdowns). Student 24 noted: “Sometimes when I was in the middle of writing, my web froze… And did not respond, which
demotivated my learning” (interview excerpt). Other times, as student 7 noted, “Classmates would accidently delete mine or other
students’ questions or responses” (reflection excerpt). Worse, as student 15 shared, “Sometimes, all of a sudden when one student
added something, another student’s ongoing work went missing. This made me feel uncomfortable somehow” (reflection excerpt).
Time was also a prominent constraint for students’ initial interactions with the complementary web-based learning. In tandem with
students’ individual motivation, it affected their web-based knowledge building outside the classroom that was intended to prepare
them for their academic transition. That is, while the students analogously faced time limitations, some students still learned
extensively online each time, but others did not at the beginning. For example, student 1 said: “I looked very carefully each time,
although I had to take many courses… I felt motivated to learn via the web-based platform as I can learn from our teacher and
classmates” (interview excerpt). However, others, like student 7, said: “I sometimes did my things… Social life on campus and only
looked at a few parts… And I really do not have too much time” (reflection excerpt). However, this was a surmountable factor on the
part of the students, depending on how much they invested in it. As student 8, one motivated girl, said: “If we squeeze time, we still can
learn as much as possible” (reflection excerpt). Anecdotally, when preparing for midterm examinations, student 7, who complained
about limited out-of-class time, did squeeze time and felt in a retrospective way: “In fact, I can do it… I can use the time… I just need a
nudge or push” (interview excerpt).
The students’ time investment was compounded by some students’ lack of understanding on web-based learning as a supplement
early on. Instead of considering it as a complementary learning venue for academic transition, some students seemed to feel unfairly
treated when they found they needed to do additional work online. For example, student 12 shared: “Other classes do not have to do
online work… They just learn from the textbook and their teacher. We have this… I work so hard for this. I feel uncomfortable about
learning this much if I’m not tested on it” (interview excerpt). Understandably, they came from a traditional learning context: they
habitually learned from the instructor and their textbook and for assessments (Zhang, 2017). They did not have an appropriate un­
derstanding of learning.

3.2. Progressive academic transition through web-based mediated learning

The instructor’s constant efforts in attending to the students’ learning process and needs, however, helped to iron out some of the
students’ concerns, such as their conceptualization of web-based learning, their encounter with technological challenges, and their
emotional investment.
Regarding the conceptualization of web-based learning, the instructor would talk with them individually each month, with the talk
most intensive before the midterm when students were struggling most (field notes). Through talks of encouragement, the students
were prompted to know the purpose of learning in college for knowledge itself and not for any tests (field notes). Regarding this level of
assistance, student 7, who was not too willing to learn through the web or to have this extra burden of web-based learning compared to
other parallel classes, noted: “I thought college should be a fun place… I had too much pressure adjusting to this” (interview excerpt).
Similarly, student 10 also noted: “We need not only learn in class but to make up for what we lack, in my case, grammar knowledge that
was not covered in class… And I feel I am making progress in both content comprehension and language knowledge” (interview
excerpt). In addition, the instructor also included supplementary reading rubrics (i.e., what constituted efficient reading at the level of
language and content) and offered bonus credit for their online participation (field notes). By doing so, the students gained a better
understanding of the learning goal, which was for gaining knowledge and not for grades or textbook learning, while feeling motivated.
For example, student 12, who was not motivated and clear about web-based learning, spent more time on the web-based learning,
filling her knowledge gap: she would ask her questions and also see how other questions-answers related to her concerns. She said: “I

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become clearer about the purpose of web-based learning… I do not complain… I feel motivated to learn through the web” (reflection
excerpt). The instructor mediated the students to rectify their test-based conceptualization of learning and understand the importance
of learning in itself, which spurred their use of web-based learning.
The instructor also continued to implement web-based learning by varying his method of teaching practices. For instance, students
were also allowed to post questions anonymously or non-anonymously, creating a comfortable and affective learning ambiance (field
notes). In response to this, student 3 noted: “This really helps me… I do not worry about judgment anymore, while I can have questions
solved or share my answers” (interview excerpt). In addition, regarding the technological issues of congestion or breakdown, and with
no other choices due to constrained access to other better collaborative spaces (e.g., Google Docs in the local context), the teacher
suggested that the students backup their work for long answers (e.g., translations or questions and answers) in a Word file prior to
sharing it on the collaborative space (field notes). Meanwhile, by listening to the students’ concerns, the instructor started to optimize
the work, instead of putting all the activities on the same website (field notes). He gave students a website that only included links for
the students’ clicks and connected the students to individual websites for one type of learning activity (e.g., translation, or questions
and answers) (field notes).
All students’ concerns on knowledge construction were addressed over the semester to better meet their individual needs in relation
to their academic transition. For example, the students’ questions posed on the web were regularly checked by the instructor before
and after text deconstruction (field notes). If they had been answered by their peer classmates, the instructor would either verify or
correct them. If the answers were left blank, the instructor would answer them. To enhance students’ understanding of the texts,
students’ individual content-based questions about text meaning or grammar were also discussed again by the instructor in class if he
considered them important and challenging (field notes). In doing so, students’ individual needs were met, while in class, the majority
of students’ interests were ensured during the limited time in class. Student 17 said: “It is a comfortable and caring context where all
our needs and concerns are addressed” (interview excerpt). Student 5 noted: “I feel we were cared for on an individual basis, and I feel
better about learning on the online platform” (reflection excerpt).

3.3. Midterm as a watershed: students’ perceived learning outcomes and their academic transition

Because of midterm exams, the students had to review. Against this background, students used web-based learning in a detailed and
scrutinized way to prepare for testing. From this experience, the students, including those who felt extremely unmotivated about the
web-based learning, came to have an enhanced alignment with the complementary learning, digesting the knowledge, meeting in­
dividual needs, and transitioning themselves academically. As student 14 noted: “With the midterm exam, I feel better adapted to the
web-based learning in terms of the learning style and filling the knowledge gap” (interview excerpt). That is, midterm testing made
students more carefully securitize the value of the web-based learning module. This was reflected in a dialogue between student 8 and
the instructor.
Student 8: I had felt discomfort and misunderstood the web-based resources… I have to admit… and I was using them with a
casual attitude.
Instructor: Understandable. I was a student as well… so I can feel for you.
Student 8: Yes… but for the midterm… I am learning and I use the web-based learning as study notes… I feel that I have reaped a
lot.
Instructor: Like what?
Student 8: And the course resources are so helpful… if I am a late bloomer, ranging from grammar to text content that has been
covered or not covered in class.
Instructor: Yes… thank you for your understanding. For example—?
Student 8: Such as students’ questions and answers… and text translations, teacher’s assistance. We get what we need.
As shown in the conversation, the students did not have a good understanding of web-based learning in relation to their academic
transition; their understanding was further enhanced through their experience of reviewing for their exams. Echoing student 8, those
who had complained about the additional work, like student 7, said: “When I have time for extensively using it for this midterm exam…
I feel an increasing alignment with the web-based learning… I really feel the value of the learning; I was just too lazy to participate. . . . I
should stop being grumpy” (interview excerpt). In contrast, one of the dedicated and supportive students, student 1, said: “This helped
our learning… And I benefit from it all the time” (reflection excerpt).
More importantly, following the midterm and their knowledge of their test performance on the graded test, students did well on the
reading comprehension part, which was a key component of their web-based learning and was also the focus of the academic demands
they needed to meet. Student 7 noted: “I think one reason I felt confused about web-based learning was that I was concerned if I am
learning so intensively, is it helping with my study?” (interview excerpt). Preparing for the exam and learning about their academic
outcomes made the students appreciate more the value of web-based learning as a complementary resource to classroom learning. As
student 15 further said: “Only practices make us know how we are progressing and how helpful the online learning is… And how we
are absorbing knowledge from it” (reflection excerpt).
Understandably, the test provided an obvious metric for students to examine their progress and the benefits from the web-based
learning in relation to their classroom learning. Student 13 reflected: “It helped me achieve learning goals… I felt more trust in the

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value of web-based learning as an addition”(interview excerpt). Another possible reason would be that students came from text-driven
contexts. They may still be constrained by the belief that learning was for testing, although the instructor had emphasized early on that
learning in the course was for learning itself. As student 7 noted: “While so far over the semester I have come to know learning for
knowledge building and not just for tests per se; however, how our study is related to testing still matters to me… This conceptual­
ization has been rooted in our minds for years” (interview excerpt). Either way, the students’ pre-midterm and post-midterm expe­
riences made them better understand the value of web-based learning as a way of preparing them for their academic transition.

3.4. Normality and habituation: students’ accustomed use of knowledge mobilization through web-based learning

Along with teacher mediation and their perception of their learning outcomes in relation to web-based learning, the students began
to actively use web-based learning to construct and enhance the knowledge they needed for their academic transition. On the one
hand, the students became accustomed to the channel of web-based learning as a mediating tool, facilitating their academic transition.
For example, the online learning website had a sharing and commenting section, creating an interactive and mediating function for
peer mediation and teacher mediation (field notes). Specifically, when students posted any questions, these questions could be solved
by their peers if they knew the answers or by their teacher. The answers to the questions could also be viewed by others, which
constituted a holistic learning community. That is, the knowledge co-constructed through peer or teacher mediation could be used as
learning materials by any student, helping each other make the academic transition. In addition, peer mediation made them feel
motivated to learn the knowledge as a receiver or share the knowledge as a giver, accelerating their academic transition. As a
mediation receiver, student 5 said: “Seeing others participating in answering grammar questions or content questions and their un­
derstanding beyond their limited performance in class, I feel I need to work hard while learning from them” (interview excerpt).As a
mediation giver, student 13 said: “Participating online makes me more comfortable as it gives me time to think or research before
answering… This made me confident while learning to help” (reflection excerpt). In other words, this also created a motivating context
for student’s co-construction of knowledge, which was crucial to their academic transition.
On the other hand, their academic transition was supported by their accustomed use of web-based learning as a complementary
venue for learning. It mitigated the spatial-temporal constraints (e.g., limited time for in-class learning) that had impeded their
knowledge gaining and academic transition. That is, students would regularly use the web-based learning to complement additional
knowledge missing in the classroom learning with its limited course time. Student 14 noted: “Learning in the classroom obviously is not
enough… The online platform offered an extended platform to navigate classroom learning” (reflection excerpt).
For example, unlike irregularity during pre-midterm learning, student 7 would regularly use the translation to preview and review
the text; text translation was not done in class (field notes). Those who felt they had gained enough in class or on their own maintained
the normative use of the web-based learning with added attachment to it. For example, student 9 had a good background in language,
and she was also good at reading compression. In class, student 9 could be well able to answer the instructor’s questions (field notes).
However, student 9 said: “When I thought I had learned enough, I got on the web, and I felt I could still learn from peer classmates
whose questions could provoke me to think more about either language or content” (interview excerpt).
Their academic transition also continued to be buttressed by the complementary knowledge they gained in a way that addressed
their individual needs, narrowing the gap among peers and making the transition on a group basis. The differences in the students’
knowledge gaps seemed related to their previous learning as well as their personal development in high school. Student 6 noted: “Our
high school had emphasized the examinations and teaching what the examinations favored, that is language and vocabulary from the
texts” (interview excerpt). Unlike student 6, student 13 noted, “But I also read in my spare time; I enjoy reading and like to think about
texts” (interview excerpt). Either way, the web-based learning filled their knowledge gap or enhanced their learning; students
regularly accustomed themselves to web-based learning, making the academic transition to meet academic demands. As student 6
further noted: “We came from different backgrounds, although we are in the same classroom” (reflection excerpt).
Student 5, who reported her individual need for content comprehension clarification, noted: “The instructor could not attend to
every concern about the text and answer all of the students’ questions in class… The online learning provides a space for me to vent and
address my concern for text learning” (interview excerpt). For example, student 5 was shy about asking some questions about text
content and would regularly anonymously post questions, which were answered by either her classmates or the instructor (field notes).
Student 6, who received assistance on both content and language, also felt that she had been helped. Student 6 said: “The instructor
could not always attend to each students’ needs in a detailed way in each class. If the instructor did so, it would be unfair for the
majority of students who had already had a good language background” (interview excerpt). As such, student 6 regularly used the
platform to raise her language and grammar concerns with her classmates and the instructor, although she occasionally asked for
clarification in class during the question and answer section that was primarily for content clarification (field notes). In other words,
students addressed their needs for different knowledge constructs and made the transition together.

4. Conclusion and discussions

The qualitative study has yielded the following findings pertinent to the research question. First, in the process of interacting with
web-based learning, the students were able to align themselves gradually with curriculum standards as expected in the local context.
On the one hand, it aligns with previous studies that emphasized the role of web-based learning in enhancing students’ academic
outcomes (e.g., Liu & Lan, 2016; Woodrich & Fan, 2017; Yick et al., 2019). On the other hand, as an addition to this line of web-based
research, the study revealed the close relationship between students’ increased knowledge repertoires after exposure to web-based
learning and their academic transition. The lack of such integrated research between web-based learning and students’ academic

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transitions may be because researchers in the field of educational technology have focused on technological affordances (e.g.,
interactive space) and students’ achievements (Shadiev et al., 2017), and have not yet noticed first-year college students’ transitions.
However, knowledge accumulation is the basis for students to engage in academic literacy; their improved proficiency through
web-based learning naturally leads to better academic transitions that are centered on the transformation and application of
knowledge in a new challenging context (De Clercq et al., 2018). It points to the importance of complementing students’ disciplinary
knowledge effectively through web-based learning, calling for educators’ attention to the flexible use of online resources.
Second, in the process of the academic transition through web-based learning, the students were constantly interacting with diverse
factors, including both impeding and facilitating factors. In this sense, the finding echoes previous studies that highlighted first-year
college students’ academic transition as a multifactorially constrained phenomenon (De Clercq et al., 2017; Sheridan & Dunne, 2012).
Adding to the repertoire of factors that have been reported in previous studies (Terenzini et al., 1994), as a result of web-based use, the
current study also revealed additional factors (e.g., technological glitches, spatial-temporal convenience) in the process of learning,
although these factors are not new as reported by previous research on web-based use (McKimm et al., 2003). In other words, first-year
students’ academic transitions may encounter additional factors when supplementary learning is used. It further enhances our un­
derstanding that the academic transition is a process contextually influenced and constructed by social factors (De Clercq et al., 2017).
Among these factors, the midterm result was a factor that was found to boost students’ motivation by revealing gaps in their
knowledge, as shown in previous studies (De Clercq et al., 2018). The galvanizing role of the midterm result was not surprising, as the
students had been exposed to a test-based culture and tended to rely on tests to gain confidence in academic learning (Sheridan &
Dunne, 2012). However, in the current study, the midterm result motivated the students’ academic transition because they could see
the academic progress they had made through web-based learning. The difference may be because previous studies were focused on
factorial analysis without intervention, while in the current study, the students were constantly helped from the beginning of the
semester and explicitly taught academic knowledge.
Third, the study also pointed out the importance of web-based learning as a way of mediated assistance through the instructor’s
agentive design in preparing students for the transition, including students’ individual needs at various levels (academic needs and
concomitant needs at the levels of emotions and technological assistance). In this sense, the study further enhanced our understanding
of the pedagogical role of mediated web-based learning (Hill et al., 2009; Meehan & Howells, 2018; Papastergiou, 2006; Woo &
Reeves, 2007), complementary to their in-class learning, which was limited in learning and teaching due to time constraints. In other
words, the study also contributed to our understanding about the value of mediated web-based learning, resulting from an instruc­
tional design to dilute hindering factors (e.g., technological challenges; McKimm et al., 2003) and facilitate students’ academic
transition. In contrast, previous studies took an analytic lens on students’ academic transition (Sheridan & Dunne, 2012); research that
explicitly supports first-year college students’ academic transition through web-based learning outside the classroom is lacking. This
may be related to teachers’ conceptualization of educational technology and their willingness to invest themselves in using technology
(Ungerer, 2016) or additional time to help students outside the classroom (Zhang, 2021).

4.1. Implications

The implications of the study include the following aspects. One is that supplementing college students’ knowledge repertoires in
relation to their subject learning outside the classroom is useful for their academic transition. The use of technological devices seems to
be an optimal venue for this to occur. Except for web-based learning through a collaborative web page, other devices, such as mobile-
based learning and open educational resources (OER) learning can also be used by instructors or peer tutors to prepare students for
their academic transition into college. In addition, web-based learning to prepare students for the transition can be a complex journey.
This may involve students’ emotional fluctuations that might affect their learning (O’regan, 2003). This means that teachers should
pay attention to students’ emotional displays. Thirdly, in this process, teachers’ agentive efforts in making modifications or adaptions
are also important. On the one hand, this depends on teachers’ agentive efforts to incorporate and adapt technology (e.g., web-based
learning) when teaching, and to invest their attention in students’ individual needs in relation to curriculum innovation through
technology (Ungerer, 2016; Zhang, 2021).
The limitations of this study cannot be ignored. The participants were from a top university in China. In other words, the findings
may be similar but may have slight differences in other contexts (e.g., community college students), with additional themes unearthed.
In addition, the instructor seemed to be an espouser of using technology outside the classroom to support students’ academic tran­
sitions. This also means that one premise for the success of web-based learning is the teacher’s devoted willingness to use it. Those who
feel uncomfortable with technology may not achieve the same effect. Future research could attend to other complementary resources
to help students, since there is not a single construct serving as a panacea for first-year students’ academic transition.

Credit author statement

The author, Xiaodong Zhang, who is also the only author of the paper, is responsible for everything of the paper, constituting 100%
contribution of the paper.

Appendix. Sample interview questions

(1) How was your learning experience in high school?

(2) How do you feel about your ongoing learning in college?

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X. Zhang Computers & Education 172 (2021) 104265

(3) How do you feel about the web-based learning?

(4) Are there any gains or challenges when you engage in web-based learning?
(5) How do you feel about the mediations from the teacher or your peer classmates?
(6) Could you make any comments on your learning during the first/last half of the semester?

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Xiaodong Zhang is an associate professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, China. His research interests include teacher education, educational equity and
educational technology. His work has appeared in some international journals, such as Linguistics and Education, Applied Linguistics Review, and Teaching in Higher
Education.