Education Commons^™

Efficacy Of A Basic Public Speaking Course Delivered Via A Virtual Community College, Stephen Bradley Bailey

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: (a) determine if taking the basic public speaking course in face-to-face, hybrid, and online format statistically significantly reduces public speaking anxiety; (b) determine which course format, if any, reduces public speaking anxiety to the greatest extent; (c) determine if students’ satisfaction with learning is statistically significantly different in the three course formats; (d) determine faculty’s perceptions of students learning in the basic public speaking in the three course formats.

Pre- and post-data were collected from 263 participants taking the basic public speaking course in a virtual community college in January 2012 and in …

Community College Students' Perceptions Of Effective Communication In Online Learning, Donna Alice Hill Parker

Dissertations

This quantitative research project analyzed the application of instructional communication tools and techniques used by community college students to determine how they perceive communication in their online classes. Online students from a community college participated in this study by completing an electronic survey. Data analysis revealed that these participating students communicated primarily through written online communication tools such as posting of class notes, email, and discussions. Students lack exposure to more innovative communication tools such as teacher-made audio and video presentations or live conversations and demonstrations through the use of Wimba or other tools, which are readily available in the …

A Study Of The Effect Of Appreciative Inquiry On Student-Course Engagement And Attendance In The Community College, Frances Virginia Turner Robbins

Dissertations

his mixed-methods research study investigated the effects of Appreciative Inquiry on student-course engagement and attendance in core academic classes at a community college in central Mississippi. In an increasingly competitive global economy, most individuals need education or technical skills beyond high school to secure employment offering self-supporting wages. However, graduation and completion rates at colleges and universities show many students who embark on the education journey do not successfully reach their goals. Researchers (Friedman, Rodriguez, & McComb, 2001) suggest poor attendance rates remain linked to lower student engagement and contribute to student attrition. Attrition, in turn, lowers enrollment, hinders institutional …