Education Commons^™

Course Design…Online: Helping Students Perform In The Digital Age, Joseph W. Harris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study sought to test the relationship between course design, as described by the rubric produced by Quality Matters, and online university student performance. Due to the link between student motivation and active learning behaviors, and thus performance, it was predicted that the better-designed courses would facilitate student motivation. It was also predicted that goal orientation would moderate this relationship. While a significant relationship was observed between student motivation and course performance, no relationship was observed between course quality, as measured by the QM Rubric, and motivation, or performance. Only slight evidence was found for a moderating effect of …

Reimagining The Chalk Talk: Animated Handwriting As A Social Cue To Improve Motivation In Multimedia Video Lessons, Hillary C. Kaplowitz

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Animated handwriting in multimedia video lessons, such as those popularized by the Khan Academy, has reimagined the classic teaching technique of writing on a chalkboard while lecturing for online delivery. This digital chalk talk effect mimics classroom lectures where words are written letter by letter on a chalkboard as they are spoken. Low-cost applications, tablets, and document cameras allow instructors at all levels to easily create their own animated handwritten videos. As adoption increases, it is important to understand the effects of this strategy.

This study employed a true experimental, between-subjects, posttest design that compared multimedia lessons with different text …

Factors Affecting Employee Persistence In An Online Management Development Certificate Program, Todd D. Chester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An important approach to prepare new managers for increased responsibility is participation in online management development programs; however, there is a lack of information about the factors that affect employee completion of these programs. This study addressed how chief executive officers (CEOs) can implement these programs to rapidly develop new managers who are qualified to serve in the leadership roles left behind by many retirees. This qualitative descriptive case study explored employees' perceptions about persistence in an online management development certificate program at a U.S. nonprofit organization. Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory and Rovai's composite persistence model provided the conceptual framework for …

Middle School Students' Experiences In An Online Problem-Based Learning Environment, Teri A. Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of implementing educational reform is to improve the academic achievement and social skills of graduating students, but evaluating the benefits of a particular instructional method or curriculum design can be complicated. In an online and problem-based learning environment that allows students to choose content and assessment projects and self-pace, the motivation of students to learn and their engagement in the learning process significantly influences the success of the program. This generic qualitative study focused on the experiences of middle school students participating in an online and problem-based educational setting. The study included interview data and self-evaluation questionnaires about …