Education Commons^™

Social Presence As A Predictor Of Social Construction Of Knowledge In Discussion Forums In Asynchronous Online Higher Education Courses, Austin Megli

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

The three research papers completed and compiled to make up this dissertation explore the relationship between social presence and social construction of knowledge in asynchronous online discussion forums in higher education courses in the instructional technology field. Paper 1 is a literature review of the interaction analysis model (IAM) (Gunawardena et al., 1997) as a methodology, which is used to measure and determine the social construction of knowledge in online discussion forums. This literature review identified and highlighted the need to determine how the social environment of online learning influences the social construction of knowledge. This led to the second …

A Case Study Exploring The Motivating Factors And Needs That Influence Older Adult Learners’ Decisions To Enroll And Persist In One University System Of Georgia Emajor Collaborative Program, Jennifer Angela Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study seeks to examine older adult learners' views toward technology use and their motivation, needs, and experiences while enrolled in the eMajor online Organizational Leadership bachelor's degree program offered by the University System of Georgia (USG). The research will investigate what motivates students to enroll in and advance through a degree program and their present technological competencies in relation to online learning management systems. The case study will also strive to identify the demands of older adult learners and the influence online learning has on their drive for program completion. Qualitative data were collected from twelve older …

Community College Faculty Members’ Experiences Using Instructional Technology: The Sudden Transition To Emergency Remote Teaching, Joy Bauer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rapid spread of COVID-19 during the spring of 2020 warranted an unprecedented change as faculty were required to convert course content and quickly learn to use new instructional technology in order to prepare for emergency remote teaching. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how faculty experienced this sudden disruption of learning and rapid transition to emergency remote teaching. How do we assist faculty in continuing to use innovative technology? What resources or support are needed to lessen faculty resistance to change? By applying Kübler-Ross’ Change Curve as an overarching model, the researcher seeks to show …

Examining Digital Proficiency Perceptions And Differences In Achievement During The Covid-19 Pandemic In A Rural Mid-Western High School, Tiffany Rae James Young

Dissertations

In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, schools worldwide were forced to react quickly to meet the needs of all students in an unprecedented time of change for all facets of society. Through a mixed-method approach, this study aimed to explore the effect of hybrid learning on student achievement, as well as the effect, if any, of teachers’ perceptions of their own digital abilities on student achievement. The research also examined the thoughts of students and teachers as it pertained to teaching and learning during the global pandemic. To analyze the effect of hybrid learning on student achievement, the researcher compared …

The Impact Of Learner & Instructor Expectations On L2 Online Motivation, Sara Kate Simon

Masters Theses

Post-pandemic L2 learning is a landscape of new challenges and opportunities for language learning. One of these challenges is maintaining learner motivation in an online environment. Motivation plays a crucial role in L2 learning success, which requires educators to better understand how to support learner motivation, a focus that had not yet been widely researched for the online environment. This study begins to address this gap in research by examining the relationship between learner and instructor perspectives in online L2 classrooms and learner motivation. Using a survey instrument to measure learner perceptions of four variables; class design, teacher presence, and …

Exploring Success And Challenges Of Black Students Taking An English Course Online At An Urban Community College, Latoya N. Bond

Theses and Dissertations

Community colleges have expanded access to higher education and were early adopters of online courses. Among literature on online course performance, Black students are least successful in online learning despite being one of the growing populations at community colleges. This case study investigated the experiences of Black community college students taking an online English course for the first time. These experiences were particularly unique because the students participated during the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that students navigate multiple priorities outside of school, technology challenges, and desire for increased preparation, representation, and support from the campus community. This study assists …

Impact Of Gamification On An Online Middle School Classroom, Jeremy R. Hein

Masters Theses

Gamification is defined as the use of game elements in non-game contexts. The gamified element explored in this thesis is a leaderboard with various forms of engagement being tabulated. This study investigates the impact a leaderboard has on the behavioral engagement of an online middle school classroom. Research has revealed that elements of gamification can increase engagement but there is a gap in research that focuses solely on a leaderboard as an intervention to increase engagement. Also missing from the literature were studies conducted in middle school settings. The study presented in this thesis addresses these limitations and provides value …

Teacher Perceptions Of Pedagogical Change Using 1:1 Chromebooks In Classrooms, Brunetta Evelyn Adams

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined teacher perceptions of pedagogical change while using 1:1 Chromebooks in their classrooms. With effective professional development and implementation of 1:1 Chromebooks to meet the needs of 21st century learners, technology was integrated to allow students to collaborate, explore, inquire, and supply opportunities for students to engage in higher order thinking and activities. In this study, teachers’ perceptions of pedagogical change varied.

With a focus on self-organized group of teachers on Facebook, the researcher examined teacher perceptions and how these impacted pedagogy when delivering instruction using 1:1 Chromebooks. Increase usage of Facebook as a teaching tool and teacher …

Success Of Online And Face-To-Face Secondary Algebra I Students, Andrea Nicole Rohde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research results from the past decade on the efficacy of online instruction for high school students varies. While many researchers suggested that younger students, mathematics students, and already struggling students who take online classes were underperforming compared to their classmates in the same course taken face-to-face (f2f), other researchers noted the advantages of online courses in providing flexibility, especially in pacing. Online education remains a popular course option for these learners despite the conflicting evidence of being able to truly support them in getting closer to graduation. Framed by Moore’s transactional distance theory, a nonequivalent group quasi-experimental design was used …

Community College Faculty Perceptions Of Online Student Engagement, Teri R. Cruzan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low student engagement and high attrition rates in online classes were observed at community colleges in a Western U.S. state. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore online faculty members’ perceptions of student engagement and how they described their teaching practices and experiences. The study was grounded in the community of inquiry, a collaborative and constructivist model, which posits that social, cognitive, and teaching presences are critical to engagement and online learning. Data were collected from 10 online faculty members who provided responses to an online qualitative survey. Data analysis involved coding by hand in several stages to …

The Discover Model: A Prescriptive Method For Instructional Tool Selection And Use In Seeking To Boost Instructor Immediacy And Social Presence In Online Courses, Lee O. Silverman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Higher education faculty who teach online can face numerous challenges in providing optimal experiences for their students. Besides their potentially limited instructional design expertise and understanding of how to optimize technology to support learning, faculty may have difficulties in finding ways to make themselves be perceived as real people who are approachable, caring, and likeable due to online nature of the learning context. As a preliminary means to address these issues, the current study focused on the development of the DISCOVER Model, which was designed to provide higher education faculty with a framework to develop actionable plans in the creation …