Education Commons^™

Examination Of Asynchronous Volumetric And Frequency Communication Patterns In Online Courses And Their Impact On Adult Learner Satisfaction, Robert W. Treat

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of online discussion board interactions of adult learners and their satisfaction with their experience. Specifically, this study's objectives were to examine the asynchronous volumetric and frequency textual communication patterns through online discussion boards and the association to adult learner satisfaction for 102 electronically surveyed adult learners at a mid-western university during the 2005-2006 academic year. Highly reliable (Cronbach alpha = 0.97) and valid data were collected from a learner satisfaction form developed specifically for the outcome variable o f this study. Exploratory factor analysis provided evidence that the data collected …

A Comparative Study Of Hybrid And Internet-Based Educational Technology Course Modules, Nilly Adnan Al-Banna

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine students’ attitudes and performance toward the teaching methods in an educational technology course. Undergraduate students enrolled in the Educational Technology course ETEC 2002L at the University of Arkansas had been exposed to both on-line modules and in-class instruction. The sample size for this study was 155. The results included 110 valid surveys completed by the students on paper. The data collected from the survey were analyzed using percentages, means, and t test of paired samples to find if there was a significant difference in students’ attitudes toward on-line versus hybrid instruction. Four …

Expeditionary Blended Learning: New Opportunities And Lessons From The United Kingdom, Ian R. Mcandrew, Indra R. Sinka, Michael S. Wills

Ian R. McAndrew

Malcolm S. Knowles: Four Major Historical Social Movements That Influencd Him And He Influenced As He Became An Adult Educator, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

Using a qualitative approach, this research provided thematic analysis and description of the context of Knowles' autobiography. The Making of an Adult Educator. The research questions included: What took place when Knowles and Savicevic met in 1966? How did Knowles decide to make use of the term andragogy to name his theory of adult learning in 1967 and 1968? What discourse followed Knowles' introduction of his theory? What social movements in the U.S. occurred during Knowles' times? Denzin's (1989) model of a fully triangulated biographical investigation, consisting of a case history, a case study, a life story, a personal experience …

Collaborative Role Of The Academic Librarian In Distance Learning - Analysis On An Information Literacy Tutorial In Webct, Xiaoli Shirley Fang

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

Abstract

This article profiles a project to expand our general Information Literacy Tutorial into WebCT for students taking online courses. The Tutorial has provided online learners with a grasp of information competencies. The process of the project has confirmed the importance of academic librarians’ collaborative role in distance learning community. It presents both opportunities and challenges for academic librarians to collaborate with faculty and educational technology specialists in integrating information literacy education into the course management system. More active multi-aspect collaborations are required to ensure effective teaching information literacy via the courseware.

Virtual Schools: Planning For Success, By Zane L. Berge And Tom Clark, Eds. (Book Review), Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

Book review by Michael K. Barbour.

Berge, Z. L., & Clark, T. (Eds.) (2005). Virtual schools: Planning for success. New York: Teachers College Press.

ISBN 9780807745724; 9780807745717 (pbk.)

Technological Literacy – Not Just You And Your Computer, Joseph Scarcella, Susan Daniels

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

One might argue that the word technology is one of the most misunderstood and misused terms in common usage today. Many believe technology to be synonymous with computers, the internet and other high-tech media. This is limited and short sighted view indeed! Technology encompasses both simple and complex artifacts used daily. Pencils, toothbrushes, zippers and toothpicks – not to mention Velcro (!) – for instance, are all examples of what might be considered relatively modern examples of technology. Often, the wonder of “everyday” invention is lost in our current notions of technology. Yet, it is an investigative inquiry into the …

Teaching Courses Online: A Review Of The Research, Mary K. Tallent-Runnels, Julie A. Thomas, William Y. Lan, Sandi Cooper, Terence C. Ahern, Shana M. Shaw, Xiaoming Liu

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This literature review summarizes research on online teaching and learning. It is organized into four topics: course environment, learners’ outcomes, learners’ characteristics, and institutional and administrative factors. The authors found little consistency of terminology, discovered some conclusive guidelines, and identified developing lines of inquiry. The conclusions overall suggest that most of the studies reviewed were descriptive and exploratory, that most online students are nontraditional and Anglo American, and that few universities have written policies, guidelines, or technical support for faculty members or students. Asynchronous communication seemed to facilitate in-depth communication (but not more than in traditional classes), students liked to …

New Model, New Strategies: Instructional Design For Building Online Wisdom Communities, Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena, Ludmila Ortegano-Layne, Kayleigh Carabajal, Casey Frechette, Ken Lindemann, Barbara Jennings

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

We discuss the development of an instructional design model, WisCom (Wisdom Communities), based on socio-constructivist and socio-cultural learning philosophies and distance education principles for the development of online wisdom communities, and the application and evaluation of the model in an online graduate course in the U.S. The WisCom model aims to facilitate transformational learning by fostering the development of a wisdom community, knowledge innovation and mentoring and learner support in an online learning environment, based on a “Cycle of Inquiry” module design, and a “Spiral of Inquiry” program design. Extending beyond current instructional design practice, WisCom provides both a new …

Common Elements For Re-Orienting Higher Education Institutions In Various Countries Toward Lifelong Learning: Research And Implications For Practice, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

This research study focused on the question: What common elements will need to be considered to help higher education institutions in various countries shift toward a lifelong learning focus? Research is presented on the background and experiences of various institutions in this regard, developing a policy statement on elements of this re-orientation as a product of a worldwide conference, and ultimately constructing "measurable performance indicators" (MPI) for the seven elements - overarching frameworks, strategic partnerships and linkages, research, teaching and learning processes, administration policies and mechanisms, decision support systems, and student support systems and services. Research and implications for practices …

International Research Foundation For Andragogy And The Implications For Adult Education Practice, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

This study searched the literature providing an international research foundation for andragogy. Six themes have emerged: The evolution of the term; historical antecedents shaping the concept; comparison of American and European understandings; popularizing of the American concept; practical applications; and theory, research, and definition. Implications are provided for the practice of andragogy within the fields of adult, continuing, community, extension, and human resource development education.

The Experience Of E-Learning: Progress Towards A New Learning Paradigm, Audrey Martin, Eugene Mcgovern, Kevin Mooney

Conference papers

This paper reviews the use of E-Learning in the spatial information science programmes of the Technological University of Dublin (DIT).

The spatial information science programmes are placed within the context of the use of E-Learning across the Institute and this paper draws on the experiences of the DIT Learning Technology Team (LTT). The LTT has just completed the initial brief given to it by the DIT strategic planning group charged with ensuring the implementation of E-Learning as a resource in support of the change from a teacher-centred to a learner-centred paradigm.

E-Learning was first introduced in the Department of Spatial …

And Finally … If It Is Intellectual, Can It Be Property?, Michael Simonson

Faculty Articles

Excerpt

Carol Twigg, executive director of the Center for Academic Transformation, has written and spoken extensively in the area of intellectual property and ownership of online courses and course materials. A reading of the abstract of her excellent monograph Intellectual Property Policies for a New Learning Environment is a requirement for any serious distance educator (Twigg, 2000). It is wellwritten, informative, and thought-provoking.

Assessment Of Emotional Competencies In Educational Leaders: Applying Daniel Goleman’S Work In Emotional Intelligences As A Means Of Evaluating Dispositions Related To The Work Of The School Leader, Paul T. Hackett, James W. Hortman

Perspectives In Learning

The study of best practices related to educational leadership is an emerging area for universities with programs training leaders in school improvement. Practices taught in educational leadership programs have long been related to the technical issues of school operations with emphasis in the areas of finance, law, organizational theory, and strategic planning. More recently, educational leadership programs have begun to focus on the skills required of a leader of instruction (Hallinger, 2003; Jason, 2001). Among areas of concentration for the instructional leader are assessment, collaboration, professional development, and curriculum design. Although the focus of educational leadership programs has changed, the …

Alcohol And Drug Use: The Negative Effect On Health And Academic Achievement, Judson Mccarley, Heather Holloway

Perspectives In Learning

Most know the damaging and lethal effects that drugs and alcohol pose upon our children and young people today. Parents and schools work hard at limiting these terrible and devastating results. However, is this effort enough and what is the latest research on alcohol and drug use by school age children? Although there are significant effects from drug and alcohol use on health and academic achievement, there are a variety of interventions used in keeping children clean. Alcohol and drug use by school-age children poses serious health and safety risks. The three leading causes of death for 15-24 year olds …

Student Achievement Through Early Truancy Reduction, Nanette K. Jackson, Susan Taylor

Perspectives In Learning

Truancy is a concern for all grade levels of all schools. According to Capps (2003) the average student misses thirteen days of school each year. Many students entering middle school have already accumulated 180 days of questionable absences, the equivalent of a full year of school. Studies of school dropouts show students begin distancing themselves from school at an early age. These students are absent more often than other students as early as the first grade (Epstein & Sheldon, 2002). There is a pattern of increasing absenteeism throughout a student’s entire school career. It is not too early to begin …

Career-Related Issues In Secondary Schools: A Literature Review, Jennifer E. Mcghee

Perspectives In Learning

The career counselor’s role over the past 100 years or so has evolved from being a placement tool in the industrial revolution to that of providing a more holistic approach to meeting both the career and personal concerns of individuals. More and more counselors are beginning to focus on the person as a whole, including values, interests, abilities, skills, and work-life experiences, as they counsel on career-related issues (Zunker, 2006). As a focus on human development and the whole person enters the counseling field, school counselors are faced with developing comprehensive school guidance systems that meet the needs of students …

Curriculum Alignment Matrix: A Systematic Framework For Aligning Educational Leadership Program Curriculum, Martha C. Hall

Perspectives In Learning

The emphasis on educational accountability and the necessity of training highly qualified administrators and leaders, prompted changes to Columbus State University’s Educational Leadership programs. Curriculum alignment was the foundation of this initiative. There has been an evolution in thinking about the important ingredients and benefits of curriculum for the 21st Century leader. Lashway (2002) advanced the idea of totally revamping the leadership preparation program to stay current with the ever-changing world. Jacobs (1997), through her work with curriculum, saw a need for obtaining course overviews. Cunningham & Cordiero (2000) envisioned futurist thinking for the practitioners and purported changing the pedagogical …

Charting A New Course: Professional Development Strategies For Improving Literacy Education Across The Curriculum, Vikki K. Collins, Dawn Upshaw, H. Marguerite Yates

Perspectives In Learning

This paper reviews the effects of a program of professional development for literacy teachers in an urban, southeastern elementary school. During academic year 2002-2003, only 67% of fourth grade students met or exceeded state standards for achievement in reading as measured by the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), and only 77% of fourth grade students met or exceeded state standards for achievement in English/language arts as measured by the CRCT (Georgia Department of Education, 2005).

E-Learning Enhances Both Student Achievement And Career Change Options, Rochelle P. Ripple

Perspectives In Learning

It seems as if everyone is using e-learning (online learning) these days. There are many options available, including self-paced courses, skills-based courses, virtual classrooms (and their cousins, live web seminars), web-enhanced courses, and asynchronous courses. There is a plethora of technological methods that can be utilized for course delivery. Which of these technologies and methods of use will maximize e-learning’s effectiveness? In other words, for the university, the instructor and students, which seems to work the best? In a nutshell - all of them. The beauty of e-learning is that there are so many options that can be tailored to …

Where Are We Now?: A Study Of Gifted Program Availability By Region, Urbanicity And Ses, Elizabeth A. Romey

Perspectives In Learning

There is considerable diversity among gifted programs and program availability in the United States. This is at least in part due to the fact that there is no national mandate for gifted programming, despite the existence of the Javitts Act. Instead, decisions about gifted programming are left up to the individual states, which may then choose to allow individual counties or districts to set their own standards. This in turn creates a situation in which parents and teachers of the gifted have no ready access to information about the type of gifted programming options available in their area. Many of …

Introduction To School Counseling Services Articles, Lisa Shaw

Perspectives In Learning

Introduction to School Counseling Services Articles

Piecing Together The Diversity Puzzle, Rochelle Ripple, Jose' Villavicencio

Perspectives In Learning

Current literature focuses on the importance of listening to students’ voices and the insights they have on their experiences. According to Dewey (1916/1944), having interactions with other groups helps in the process of democratic growth because one is better able to understand other perspectives. Freire (1985) added another layer of richness to Dewey’s ideas about reflection and experience. He believed that people exist “in and with the world.” Fraser (1994) describes the need for different voices and different views in educating children in a public sphere of critical inquiry and multiple voices (different genders and people of all colors). In …

Support Groups For Children Whose Parents Have Deployed To Iraq, James Blount

Perspectives In Learning

Findings among army researchers, many of whom have published their work on Army Knowledge Online (AKO), have consistently shown that children are affected negatively by the deployment of their parents to Iraq or, for that matter, any war. This is cause for great concern as the War on Terror could go on for many, many years to come. However, since it is known in general what the negative effects on children are, strategies and techniques have been formulated to offset the damage done to children. Some of the questions that remain to be answered follow: At what ages are children …

The Effects Of Eating Disorders On Student Academic Achievement And The School Counselor’S Role, Dana Livingston, Lori Sammons

Perspectives In Learning

Eating Disorders have become an increasing reality among today’s youth. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “approximately one out of every 100 adolescent girls develops anorexia.. .another two to five out of every 100 young women develop bulimia nervosa” (Understanding Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders, 2005, p. 6). Although eating disorders are usually seen as affecting girls, studies have shown that hundreds of thousands of boys experience eating disorders as well (Boys and Eating Disorders, 2004). Factors that make anorexia and bulimia painful, such as intense fear of weight gain and lack of self-esteem, cannot be …

Using The Film Crash To Promote A Multicultural Identity In Students, Richard P. Long

Perspectives In Learning

This review demonstrates how the film Crash can be used in the classroom to show students a nonthreatening way to reconsider stereotypical views of racism. Until the film Crash was released in 2005, Hollywood timidly made movies such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? and To Kill a Mockingbird, in which the underlying theme was that other people are racists, not us. Crash, literally and figuratively, questions that stereotypical view of racism. Crash suggests that each of us is indeed racist and, when placed in a threatening situation, these prejudices control our behavior. Using selected scenes from the film, …

The Trouble With Ed Schools: A Book Review, Justin M. Finney

Perspectives In Learning

American schools of education, whose two primary objectives are to prepare highly qualified teachers and to conduct valid and reliable education research, are often decried as “weak institutions” by many in academia and society in general. American schools of education are very often scorned by scholars and academia as intellectually inferior, referred to by teachers in the field as the “ivory tower” and considered to be out of touch and completely unrelated to what really transpires in schools, perceived by political leaders at all levels to be a primary contributing factor to the substandard state of contemporary public education. These …

Children And Grief: Understanding The Grieving Process And Counseling Strategies Of Elementary School Children To Ensure Academic Success, Georgia Fielding, Jacob Crowder

Perspectives In Learning

The 2005 U.S. Bureau of Census states that more than 2 million children and adolescents under the age of 18 have experienced the death of a parent. One of the most stressful events for children and their families is the death of a parent or other loved one. The surviving parent may have difficulty coping with the loss of his or her partner, and this difficulty in coping may affect how the children work through the grieving process. If the children do not deal with grief effectively, they may have to deal with major psychiatric problems and social dysfunctions throughout …

The Beast: A Book Review, Tim Bolen

Perspectives In Learning

In vivid and candid detail, Tracy Thompson’s The Beast is an honest attempt to pull back the curtain on depression. This reveal gives both clinician and layman a behind the scenes look at the destructive and debilitating effects on a life suffering with illness that the brain can’t quite understand. Tracing her roots and upbringing, Thompson discloses that mental illness has always been a part of her family. As a teenager she would write the word depression in her journal, not knowing that the “beast” would unfortunately accompany her throughout the rest of her life. As the title suggests, this …

Assessing Students’ Online Learning: Strategies And Resources, Patricia Comeaux

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Explore key strategies used by experienced online instructors, and learn about the wealth of resources for designing assessment instruments integral to online learning.