Education Commons^™

The Spiritual Therapeutic Preferences Of Online Learners And On-Campus Learners At A Christian College, Debra Masterson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to see if there was a difference in the spiritual therapeutic preferences of students at a Christian college who stay on-campus or students who take classes online. This study also investigated for differences in preferences between males and females as well as graduate students compared to undergraduate students. This study tested to see if there was a relationship between stress and spiritual therapeutic preferences among on-campus students and online students. Relative spiritual therapeutic preferences were assessed by the Nurse Spiritual Therapeutic Scale, and relative levels of stress were assessed by the Perceived Stress …

The Relationship Between Online College Students' Learning Style And Response To Literature, Katie Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students entering the "Composition and Literature" classroom find themselves presented with a number of challenges as they learn to analyze literature beyond reader comprehension. The online learner experiences even more obstacles while approaching an often-difficult curriculum without the guidance of a residential instructor. For this reason, the online learner must adapt and develop autonomy in learning. Reader Response literary critics place great emphasis on the reader while determining meaning in a text, and Louise Rosenblatt explored the connection between the reader and the text in her Transactional Theory. To assist online learners in their endeavor, this study aimed to determine …

If You Build It, They Will Use: Creating And Sharing Open Educational Resources To Advance Information Literacy, Philip Russell

Philip Russell

Since 2010, the library at the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT Dublin) in South County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, has been developing a suite of interactive online information literacy tutorials covering research, referencing, plagiarism and core academic skills. These open educational resources (OERs) provide users with a vibrant, challenging learning environment and facilitate flexible, 24/7, independent learning. The learning objects are accessible via multiple delivery platforms and are available for reuse under Creative Commons licence via national and international teaching and learning repositories. This paper outlines the development of these OERs and how the creation of these learning tools has …

Strategies For Developing A Sustainable Learning Society: An Analysis Of Lifelong Learning In Thailand, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

Today's world may be characterized as the dawn of the new millennium of the learning society, where knowledge is considered as a country's most valued asset and primary source of power. In the increasingly intense competition among international communities, Thailand has been respected for advancing the concept of transforming communities, cities and regions into learning societies engaged in a sustainable development strategy which promotes the continual learning of individuals - the smallest unit of society. The learning society approach aims to balance economic, social, natural and environment aspects and resources of society; and is transforming the Thai people into knowledge …

Online Professional Development: Criteria For Selection By Teachers And Evaluation By Administrators, Joshua C. Elliott

Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current qualitative case study was to explore which criteria administrators in a mid-sized public school district in Connecticut use when evaluating whether an online professional development program meets the needs of both the district and the teachers. The study also explored which criteria teachers use when they are selecting an online professional development program. The first research question was, what criteria do school administrators use in evaluating online professional development programs as effective professional development for teachers? The second research question was, what criteria do teachers use in selecting online professional development programs? Data were collected …

Software Agents In Large Scale Open E-Learning: A Critical Component For The Future Of Massive Online Courses (Moocs), Roxana Bassi, Thanasis Daradoumis, Fatos Xhafa, Santi Caballé, Ardiana Sula

Jandrisevits Faculty Publications

MOOCs or massive open online courses are a recent trend in online education. They combine online resources with social tools and have unique challenges due to the large number of simultaneous participants. This paper analyzes some of the challenges in the areas of MOOC design, delivery and assessment. Then the authors present an approach using software agents to overcome some of the challenges that have been identified, as well as optimize efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure the pedagogical effectiveness and educational quality of large scale online learning courses. This paper is a first step towards research in the usage of …

Perceptions Of Instructors And Students With Respect To Synchronous Video Learning, John Griffith, Marian C. Schultz

John Griffith

Providing The Fuel (And Passing The Flame), Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

At the risk of opening with a cliché statement- at the heart of the most effective mentor is a burning passion. The fuel for this passion is a desire to convince, not just try to, but actually convince your mentee that you care about their success (be it in the classroom, career, or personal life). I am guilty of believing in, and living by, this cliché. However, despite passion being my primary motivator, I am not unwilling to admit that rationale for mentoring can sometimes transcend this ethically normative line of thinking. I believe that there are also sometimes quantitative, …

Exceptional Senior Student Affairs Administrators’ Leadership: Strategies And Competencies For Success, Joshua W. Bass

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Soar Study Strategy For Learning From Multiple Online Resources, Tareq Daher

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation investigated the effects of the SOAR study strategy for learning from multiple online resources. SOAR includes the components of Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation. In past research, the effects of SOAR training were investigated with one online resource and with students studying provided or partially provided materials following training. This dissertation examines the effects of SOAR when learning from multiple online resources and when students create their own study materials following training and thus addresses this research gap. One hundred thirty-four (134) college students were assigned randomly to the control or experimental groups. All students participated in online …

University Administrators' Perception Of Online And Blended Doctorate Degrees, Ashley Tharpe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of university administrators regarding prospective faculty candidates with online or blended doctoral degrees from accredited institutions located in Central Virginia. Administrators were interviewed to gauge their perceptions and completed a survey adapted from DePriest (2009) who adapted it from Levernier (2005). Data were collected through questionnaires, documents, and individual interviews. Data were analyzed using Creswell's (2007) data analysis spiral. Analyses were conducted using transcription, thematic coding, textural and structural descriptions, and a description of the essence of the experiences. The results indicated that administrators had a positive perception of …

What Do You Mean You Never Got Any Feedback?, Irma S. Jones, Dianna Blankenship

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Students are continuously using their cell phones, iPads and text or video messaging services to obtain instant feedback on virtually every aspect of their lives. This mindset of gaining an immediate response to questions asked translates into the classroom environment as well. Although online learning and virtual classes offer students freedom from traditional classroom constraints, the need for constructive and immediate feedback on assignments continues to be a main focus for online students. Over a period of one year, this study focused on learning the perceptions of students to detailed instructor feedback on online assignments, how they wanted to receive …

Inventing The New Classroom, Jennifer Mart-Rice, Debra Denslaw, Susan Boland, Jesse Bowman

Jennifer Mart-Rice

No abstract provided.

Student-Directed Blended Learning With Facebook Groups And Streaming Media: Media In Asia At Furman University, Tami Blumenfield

Asian Studies Publications

Furman University prizes itself on being an engaged learning, liberal arts institution with extensive faculty-student interaction. 96% of students live on campus, leading some to question whether reducing face-to-face instructional time makes any sense pedagogically. Coming from a different institution that encouraged faculty to create hybrid courses, and seeing the creativity and freedom that offered, I wanted to experiment with the format in this new institutional environment. Would it still be effective? What adaptations would be necessary, and how would students react to this different course format?

In Fall 2013, I taught a carefully designed blended learning course that met …

Faculty Attitudes About Distance Education, Esther Smidt, Brian Mcdyre, Jennifer Bunk, Rui Li, Tanya Gatenby

Languages & Cultures Faculty Publications

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in distance learning in higher education. Given this, it is extremely important to understand faculty attitudes about distance education, not only because they can vary widely, but also because it is the faculty, through their design and implementation of online courses, that will shape the future of distance education. The purpose of the present study is to uncover faculty attitudes about distance education in a specific context, namely that of a mid-sized mid-Atlantic state university. Data sources consist of posts from two of six discussion boards written by 21 faculty participants …

A Case Study Investigating The Impact Of A Blended International Partnership On Perceptions Of Learning And Global Mindedness In A North Carolina High School, Jennifer Ricks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the ever-increasing popularity of international partnerships that blend study abroad and virtual learning, very little data exists to understand their impact on student attitudes and achievement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the impact of a blended international school partnership on perceptions of learning and global mindedness in a North Carolina high school. Data was collected, in two phases, from stakeholder interviews, observations, an online Global Mindedness Scale survey, the NC School Report Card, and teacher lesson plans. Global mindedness was found to have increased as participants gained a multifaceted understanding of, and appreciation for, …

A Case Study Of The Characteristics Of A Lead Administrator Of A Full-Time Faith-Based Virtual School, Todd English

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this instrumental case study is to investigate the leadership characteristics of the lead administrator at East Online Academy (EOA). At this stage in the research, characteristics will be generally defined as the daily actions that affect the success or failure of leading the organization. The term "lead administrator" will refer to any individual who is the overall leader of the organization. The lead administrator for this study will be the director of the online school. The rationale for the study is a void in the literature addressing the characteristics of an administrator in the daily operation of …

An Investigation Of The Variables That Predict Teacher E-Learning Acceptance, Juliette Attis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Because of advancements in information communication technologies (ICT), education has evolved in terms of how the students are taught and how students learn. Education can take place in a traditional setting and/or a virtual learning environment (VLE). Consequently, the purpose of this quantitative predictive study was to examine variables that best predict the e-learning acceptance of public school K-12 e-learning teachers. Using a hierarchical regression analysis to analyze 112 teacher survey responses, results demonstrated that the model consisting of the predictor variables (i.e., demographics and experience variables, computer anxiety, computer self-efficacy, technological complexity, perceived convenience, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease …

Microblogging As A Facilitator Of Online Community In Graduate Education, Vincent Anthony Rhodes

English Theses & Dissertations

Part-time and distance-learning students can experience a sense of isolation from their peers and the university. Concern about this isolation and resulting student attrition has increased in the midst of explosive growth in online course enrollments. One possible solution: building a stronger sense of community within the online graduate classroom using microblogging technology such as Twitter. Unfortunately, scholars across disciplines define community in different ways with some rejecting the concept altogether in favor of other theoretical constructs. And, few scholars have examined the notion of online classroom community from an English Studies perspective exploring the rhetorical exigencies that underpin this …

Google Glass In Education, Sivakumar R

Sivakumar Ramaraj

Google Glass increases the flexibility of delivery of education so that learners can access knowledge anytime and from anywhere. It can influence the way students are taught and how they learn as now the processes are learner driven and not by teachers. This in turn would better prepare the learners for lifelong learning as well as to improve the quality of learning.

Five Excellent Linux Operation Systems And Applications, Zhi-Xue Xu

Zhi-Xue Xu

Linux computer operation system for Intel x86-based personal computers has become a good and stable operation system for desktops and servers since Linux kernel first released on 5 October 1991. Linux operation system has been accepted as a more important computer operation system in the IT fields. Meet Linux operation system, fast, free and incredibly easy to use, the Linux operating system powers millions of desktop PCs, laptops and servers around the world. There are some important areas where Linux has significant advantages over both Windows 7 and Mac OS X.

Linux is one of popular version of UNIX operating …

Promoting Cultural Heritage Through Video, Claudia J. Dold

Claudia J. Dold

Cultural heritage is an ephemeral commodity: If it is not preserved, it will disappear. Capturing cultural heritage on video uses current technology that offers exciting opportunities for librarians. They may record, document, and preserve cultural heritage, including the local languages, in their archives.

Ipads For Stem Teachers: A Case Study On Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Proficiency, Intention To Adopt,And Integration In K-12 Instruction, Haihong Hu, Uma Garimella

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

With the rapidly growing popularity of mobile learning and the trend for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in the United States, there is an emergent need for up-to-date training on the use of mobile technologies for K-12 STEM teachers. This article will discuss the implementation of and results from an exploratory case study conducted within a summer professional development focused on cultivating teacher readiness for mobile learning on iPads in the STEM fields.

Table Of Contents

Perspectives In Learning

Table of Contents

Reviewers For Volume 15

Perspectives In Learning

Reviewers for Volume 15

Is The Executioner Wrong? How Controversy And Creativity Can Enhance College Students’ Written Performance, Frederick Gordon

Perspectives In Learning

College is one of the most significant watershed moments in a person’s life. We measure students’ ability to master classes through grades, yet how actual learning occurs is often complex and unchartered. The selected class for this study was Introduction to American Government. Students were introduced to the highly controversial topic of whether or not lethal injection is a form of cruel and unusual punishment. The class took pre- and post-test surveys to measure their comfort level in writing. The study reveals that students are receptive to controversial topics which could be used as a tool to enhance student writing …

Purpose Of Attending College: A Factor For Success?, Amanda Andrews, Jeniffer Brown

Perspectives In Learning

As higher education accountability increases and financial resources decrease, concerns over student retention rates and the reasons why students remain at a post-secondary institution have moved to the forefront. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on freshman students’ performance at a university in the southeastern region of the United States. The researchers conducted an exploratory observational study using pre-existing data from the Freshman Orientation Survey (Brown, 2012), which included a sample of 209 participants. A series of descriptive and frequency analyses were conducted. Then, a series of correlational analyses were conducted …

Essential Skills For Success: Feedback From Beginning Teachers Of Students With Emotional / Behavioral Disorders, Jane Finn, Vicky Lynn Holmes

Perspectives In Learning

This exploratory, case study used qualitative measures to investigate the perceptions of recent college graduates who were teaching students with emotional impairments / behavioral disorders on their preparedness to teach in the field. Structured open-ended interviews were conducted to explore how well their teacher education programs prepared them to work with this population and to meet the mandate of preparing students for entry in a global society. Findings garnered positive comments regarding global competencies and suggestions for improvements in teacher preparation. Effective communication and collaboration with school personnel and parents, organizing paperwork and data collection, decision making, and more relevant …

Teaching In Times Of Changing Administrations And Stringent Budgets, Kimberly Gill, David Kerr, Kyle Christensen

Perspectives In Learning

This paper explores the organizational and administrative changes occurring at Columbus State University as a result of changes in the University System of Georgia occurring from a progression and degree completion emphasis. Developments in this paper focus on changes at the departmental level to promote and enhance student learning in the context of reduced financial support. These efforts include the use of mentoring, peer tutoring, and improved pedagogical techniques in the online and traditional in-class settings for both undergraduate and graduate education. The goal of this paper is to highlight best practices and lessons learned for other institutions facing similar …

Heads Up! Georgia Teacher Preparation Programs Threats, Sallie Miller

Perspectives In Learning

This article explores the changing landscape for the evaluation of Georgia Teacher Preparation Programs (GaTPPs). The author presents disconcerting perceptions driving changes which could threaten some of Georgia’s programs and will certainly result in significant reforms. A summary is provided of the known reform proposals that will be required of the GaTPPs. The paper concludes with a recap of the threats and some defensive opportunities to neutralize them. The information contained in the article will highlight that it’s not business as usual.