Education Commons^™

Guiding Undergraduate Researchers In The Virtual World: Mentoring Experiences Of Globally Distributed Students, Emily Faulconer, Brent Terwilliger, Robert Deters, Kelly George

Publications

The advancement of technology has led to an increase in undergraduate students pursuing degrees online. The translation of undergraduate research to the online environment is relatively new, though gaining momentum, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mentoring is a key undergraduate research support, particularly for those engaged online, as it fosters a supportive environment for online students to develop their skills and knowledge in their field of study. This study aims to explore the positive impacts of mentoring undergraduate research for fully online students. A single case study methodology was used, with interview data collected from four research mentees completing …

Strategies For Engagement Of Non-Traditional Students In Engineering-Related Courses, Kimberly T. Luthi Dr., David Harvie, Keith Wilson, Monica Surrency

Publications

Project Goals

Overview

• Goal #1: Increase students' commitment to engineering pathways.
• Goal #2: Increase academic performance and persistence in engineering.
• Goal #3: Increase persistence of Veterans in engineering pathways.

Research Questions

• How does students' participation in peer-led team learning activities in online engineering courses correlate to their a) commitment to engineering, b) engineering identity, and c) self-efficacy.
• How do students in peer-led team learning activities compare to students in non-PLTL groups in terms of a) academic performance and b) persistence in engineering pathways?

Humanizing Online Stemm Education, Emily Faulconer

Publications

The instructor and course design can make a difference in online STEM course persistence.

Humanizing Online Stemm Education, E. K. Faulconer

Publications

Students want to see themselves in the curriculum and learning environment. How to foster the formation of STEM identity: studying diversity in an authentic learning environment. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00254-z

•Students notice diversity in the curriculum •Students intertwine their gender and ethnic identities with STEM identity

•Attention to diversity and inclusion can build positive STEM identities Engaging in science practices in classrooms predicts increases in undergraduates’ STEM motivation, identity, and achievement. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21623

• Recognition as a scientist and positive classroom climate related to learning outcomes for underrepresented minority students

Cognitive Load In Asynchronous Discussions Of An Online Undergraduate Stem Course, Emily K. Faulconer, Beverly Wood, Charlotte Bolch

Publications

Purpose – As online course enrollments increase; it is important to understand how common course features influence students’ behaviors and performance. Asynchronous online courses often include a discussion forum to promote community through interaction between students and instructors. Students interact both socially and cognitively; instructors’ engagement often demonstrates social or teaching presence. Students’ engagement in the discussions introduces both intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load. The purpose of this study is to validate an instrument for measuring cognitive load in asynchronous online discussions. Design/methodology/approach – This study presents the validation of the NASA-TLX instrument for measuring cognitive load in asynchronous online …

Cognitive Load In Asynchronous Discussions Of An Online Undergraduate Stem Course, Emily Faulconer, Beverly Wood, Charlotte Bolch

Publications

Purpose

As online course enrollments increase, it is important to understand how common course features influence students' behaviors and performance. Asynchronous online courses often include a discussion forum to promote community through interaction between students and instructors. Students interact both socially and cognitively; instructors' engagement often demonstrates social or teaching presence. Students' engagement in the discussions introduces both intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load. The purpose of this study is to validate an instrument for measuring cognitive load in asynchronous online discussions.

Re:Thinking Virtual Faculty Learning Communities, Angela Atwell

Publications

Kickstarted with a POD Early Researcher Grant in 2016 and subsequent Research Grant in 2017, Virtual Faculty Learning Communities (V-FLC) have become a staple offering at our center. Since their inception, times and conditions have changed but the idea of reconnecting with colleagues, specifically remote colleagues remains at the heart of these V-FLC experiences. In this session, participants will explore the value and flexibility of V-FLCs by reviewing the development process, analyzing the concept of community, and scrutinizing the impact of size on a V-FLC. Participants will also leave with access to a framework for creating Virtual Faculty Learning Communities. …

Cognitive Load In Asynchronous Discussions In A Fully Online Course, Emily Faulconer

Publications

This study was designed as a quantitative descriptive investigation.

Is A Framework Of Support Enough? Undergraduate Research For Online Stem Students, Emily Faulconer, Brent Terwilliger, Robert Deters, Kelly George

Publications

While undergraduate research is known as a high-impact practice, little research has been conducted for the online educational setting. Early research suggests that online students and faculty have similar interest in undergraduate research as their residential (face-to-face) counterparts. This point of view presents the framework of support developed for fully online students distributed globally and shares some of the challenges faced in online undergraduate research, including the issue of low recruitment (despite stated interest) that could be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Identifying Sources Of Anxiety In An Introductory Online Undergraduate Chemistry Course, Emily Faulconer, John C. Griffith

Publications

Learning chemistry in an online environment may have multiple sources of anxiety for students, including chemistry anxiety, math anxiety, computer anxiety, and trait anxiety (personality attribute of proneness to experience anxiety). While previous research has explored relationships between math and chemistry anxiety in a traditional setting, no studies have explored these anxieties in the online modality. Survey data were collected using existing scales (some with minor modifications), with a response rate of 31%. The scales used in this study demonstrated strong reliability. Highest sources of anxiety for each scale were presented. The perceived ease of use scale score was used …

Does "Significant Difference" Hold True? Comparing Student Performance In Online Vs. Traditional Science Courses, Emily Faulconer, John C. Griffith

Publications

Meta-analysis studies comparing student outcomes in online and traditional courses indicate no significant difference (or a slight improvement in online courses)

Scientific And Information Literacy In Online Discussion Forums, Emily Faulconer

Publications

Scientific Literacy

• identify a valid scientific argument
• analyze scientific evidence including graphical representations of data
• use mathematical information, and critical thinking in decision-making processes

Does Instructor Quality Affect Student Grades?, Emily Faulconer, John C. Griffith, Bobby Mcmasters

Publications

High quality instructors positively influence student outcomes.

• Course design with strong organization
• Feedback
• Community of inquiry presences
• Cultural responsiveness

Bias And Trends In Student Evaluations In Online Higher Education Settings, Cheryl Lynn Marcham, Ann Marie Ade, Patti Clark, James Marion

Publications

End-of course evaluations have been frequently used to assess teaching effectiveness and influence critical decisions about faculty contract renewal, future course assignment, tenure and promotion in higher education. This quantitative study sought to determine whether there are differences in student perceptions of faculty performance based on gender or faculty status (full-time vs. adjunct) in an online higher education environment. It also sought to answer these questions: 1) Do adjunct faculty tend to grade more leniently than full time faculty, and as such, do adjunct faculty receive higher evaluation ratings than full time faculty, who may be more stringent in grading? …

Perspectives On Undergraduate Research Mentorship: A Comparative Analysis Between Online And Traditional Faculty, Emily K. Faulconer, Zachary Dixon, John Griffith, Laura Faulconer

Publications

With an increase in distance faculty, it is important to understand how faculty perceptions of undergraduate research mentorship differ between distance and traditional faculty. Perceptions were examined in a medium sized, not-for-profit university with both residential and distance faculty. Residential faculty were more likely to mentor or were very interested in undergraduate research, but overall interest in mentorship was similar across campuses. Faculty status or career experience was not correlated to interest or engagement in research mentorship. Traditional faculty were more likely to report time commitment as a significant barrier than distance faculty. Other barriers and benefits were aligned between …

Avoiding Death By Discussion Board: Asynchronous Online Chats In Aviation History, Austin T. Walden Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Universities and colleges are increasingly turning to online course offerings, especially in aviation education. Faculty are increasingly asked to turn their in-person courses into online flavors. Typically, faculty are creating online courses with discussion boards to mimic the scholarly community that exists in a face-to-face classroom. Faculty often create discussion boards, with varying degrees of effectiveness, to provide for the immersion of community. However, the actual effectiveness of discussion boards is debated in recent research.

This research examines Asynchronous Online Chats as a replacement for the "Death by Discussion Board" model. Data from the past two semesters will be examined …

Book Review: High-Impact Practices In Online Education, Emily Faulconer

Publications

This document is Dr. Faulconer’s review of High-Impact Practices in Online Education, 2018. 221p ISBN 978-1-62036-847-3 (paperback), $35.00.

Leading The Charge To Implement Strategic Engagement Initiatives To Capture Enhanced Online Learning Opportunities, Peter O'Reilly

Publications

Presentation objectives:

• Making Online Courses Feel More Like In-Person Courses
• Discussion on Various Effective Engagement Activities
• Results of Engagement Activities Pilots
• Next Steps…

Formative Assessment Techniques For Online Learning, Emily Faulconer, Beverly Wood

Publications

While most faculty think of assessments as used to measure learning after the fact, formative assessment classroom techniques (FACTs) give an instructor a snapshot of where students are in their learning so as to address any gaps in their understanding. Online instructors have a variety of tools at their disposal to incorporate engaging FACTs into their courses that will improve learning outcomes.

Interaction By Design: Exploring The Impact Of Communication Channel Selection On Social Presence In Asynchronous Online Learning Environments, Rachel Vigness

Publications

Building Small Commercial Airport Clusters to Increase Marketing Capability was presented at MBAA International, Chicago, IL in April, 2019.

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Grades And Learning Modes In An Introductory Research Methods Course, Donna L. Roberts, John C. Griffith, Emily Faulconer, Beverly L. Wood, Soumyadip Acharyya

Publications

Education researchers have conducted studies on the relationship of learning mode to student performance, but few studies have evaluated pass rate, grade distribution and student withdrawal rate in an introductory research methods course. In this study, researchers examined 2,097 student grades from the 2015-2016 academic year to determine if such a relationship existed. In this study, learning mode was significantly related to failure rate, grade distribution and withdraw rate. Synchronous video home students had a significantly higher failure rate than traditional In-Person or online students. Online student grade distributions were significantly different than In-Person classroom, synchronous video home or synchronous …

Arriving At A Better Answer: A Decision Matrix For Science Lab Course Format, Emily K. Faulconer, Laura S. Faulconer, James R. Hanamean

Publications

At first glance, scientific laboratory experiences might appear to be challenging to move to the cloud. Skeptics may point to sensory feedback limitations and inequivalence of student outcomes. However, emerging data increasingly provide evidence that scientific laboratory courses are not only amenable to online learning, but also can deliver student outcomes at or above traditional in-person courses. In identifying a science lab format, each institution weighs factors like lab course goals, budget, program growth, access, and safety. This article presents a single case study and a decision matrix for how one institution informed their choice for the modality of a …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Grades And Learning Mode In An English Composition Course, Debra T. Bourdeau, Kelly V. Griffith, John Griffith, John R. Griffith

Publications

The education community has conducted studies on failure rates and withdrawal rates between learning modalities in the past, but few studies have evaluated grade distribution between learning modes or focused specifically on English Composition. Using 2,919 student grades from the 2015 – 2016 academic year for an English Composition course, researchers examined failure rates, grade distribution, and withdrawal rates between In-Person learning, Online learning, and Synchronous video learning modes. In this study, learning modes and failure rates were related. Synchronous video modes of instruction had higher failure rates than traditional In-Person classes. Synchronous video classroom students failed at a higher …

Developing Critical Thinking Within A Master Of Science In Leadership Program, Daryl V. Watkins, Matthew P. Earnhardt

Publications

Critical thinking involves an important set of competencies, skills, and behaviors that can be systematically developed and cultivated. Critical thinking is fostered within the Master of Science in Leadership Program to help students achieve higher levels of thinking through the program and also to help them improve their leadership acumen. The paper describes critical thinking, provides background on the Paulian view of critical thinking used within the program, and presents the approach used to infuse critical thinking into the curriculum. The Master of Science in Leadership Program introduces critical thinking in the first required course and weaves critical thinking concepts …

Social Networks In Higher Education: A Study Of The Relationship Of Social Structural And Proximity Factors To Teacher Credibility And Perceived Quality Of Academic Life, Gordon R. Haley

Publications

As Berge (1998) tells us, learning is a lifelong process that is important to effective participation in cultural and economic life in a democratic society. In their research on cultural issues in distance education, Enoch and Soker (2006) note one of the major concerns of modern societies today is to ensure increased access to higher education, and to include members of formerly under-represented social groups and categories, such as ethnic and racial minorities, women and people who live in distant rural or disadvantaged areas or who have to combine their studies with full-time or part-time jobs. Building on the work …

Adult Student Motivators At A University Satellite Campus, Janet Cosman-Ross, Diana Hiatt-Michael

Publications

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine what factors motivated the adult learners at a Southern California university complex. Using surveys and interviews, the study also provided insight into the expectations of the students in relation to their careers and personal growth. In addition, analysis of the data uncovered information on how employer reimbursement of education costs affected the students’ motivation, who influenced the students to attend school, and why the students chose this university over others in the area.