Education Commons^™

Comparing Online And Traditional Assessment Practices In Middle School Mathematics, Maxwell Krueger, Kathy Enger

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers across the world have been forced to explore different modalities of assessment, many of them virtual. Now that many of the most restricting policies for schools due to pandemic have been lifted, the use of these virtual assessments remain. Due to the recent nature of their use though means that not many studies have looked into the implications of these assessments on students let alone middle school students. This study aims to help fill in some of the gaps in this research. In this study, students will take one of two assessments …

Program Evaluation Of Online And Face-To-Face College And Career Readiness And Its Effect On Degree Utilization In Community College Graduates, Tyson M. Riskas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Salt Lake Community College has adopted the Pathway initiative as a part of its long-term strategic plan. Pathway is a student-centered approach to redesigning the college experience by assessing student experience to reorganize and re-present degree programs. Currently, SLCC focuses on adjusting class pedagogy and curriculum to equip students with core college and career readiness (CCR) skills and determine if graduates are utilizing their degree. The Gail Miller School of Business offers students the option of completing their degree online or face-to-face and choosing between degrees aimed at transferring to other institutions or entering a career. However, they are currently …

Exploring Time Management Decisions On Persistence Among Non-Traditional Learners: A Phenomenological Study In Online Learning, James Dale Lawrence

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to understand the time management decisions of persistent non-traditional online learners over 30 at large institutions offering online programs in the United States. The central research question is: What are the shared time management experiences of persistent non-traditional online students over 30 enrolled in large institutions in the United States? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, journal prompts, and focus groups. The sample comprised 12 participants. Saturation began to visualize after the ninth interview. Data collection continued until all 12 participants were interviewed and their journal prompts were completed. The study was conducted in a …

Evaluation Of An Online Physical And Mental Wellbeing Program For Ust Crs Students: A Feasibility Study, Catherine Joy Escuadra, Jordan Barbra Nava, Arlene Chiong Maya, Neil Zachary Aningalan, Beatriz Joy Borhillo, Llana Eunice Duya, Marco Celso Francisco Iii, Katrina Angela Jarobel, Darlene Sofia Lim, Jan Mikaela Ramos, Julia Vanesa Villocillo, John Emmanuel Wycoco

Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy

Introduction: With the recent transition to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students experience academic difficulties, which affect their wellbeing. There is a need for an online wellbeing intervention program for students to address such concerns. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a six-week online educational wellbeing program for the physical and mental wellbeing of the University of Santo Tomas College of Rehabilitation Sciences (UST-CRS) students.

Methods: This is a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest study that recruited UST-CRS students without physical and mental conditions. Physical and mental wellbeing modules developed by experts were deployed using Wix. …

Many Lenses With One Focus: Making Philosophy Learning Meaningful Through Collaborative Design, Jonathan Kaplan, Tianhong Shi

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Utilizing the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, a lead philosophy instructor and an instructional designer collaborated with seven other faculty members to create Great Ideas in Philosophy for online asynchronous delivery. We presented a broad array of topics in philosophy and provided substantial practices in “doing” philosophy, aiming to create a welcoming space for a diverse student body, to help students see philosophy as a diverse field, and to provide an engaging and meaningful learning experience for students. Student feedback and final project presentations demonstrated significant learning growth in students taking this newly designed Great Ideas in Philosophy. This …

Motivation In Student Retention: A Phenomenology Of Non-Traditional Undergraduate Students In Online Learning, Jasmine Monique Reynolds

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology study was to understand the experiences of non-traditional undergraduate students taking online courses at a public or a private university in Virginia. The self-determination theory, which guided this study, explained the motivated behaviors of intrinsic and extrinsic needs that affect the determination in non-traditional students completing a task. Self-determination theory provided the theoretical framework to answer the central research question for this study as well as the sub-questions: (1) What are the lived experiences of non-traditional students while taking online courses at a public or private university in Virginia? (2) What influences non-traditional students …

Best Practices For Edd Comprehensive Exams And Capstone Projects: Students' Attitudes And Perspectives Of Outcomes In An Online Program, Masha Krsmanovic, Holly A. Foster

Faculty Publications

This research was guided by a problem of practice experienced by an EdD program, which transitioned to a fully online modality during the pandemic and rapidly grew in enrollment. The problem evaluated was ensuring the redesigned program milestones – capstone and comprehensive exam – are feasible given the size of the program. The current study utilized descriptive research design to provide a comprehensive description of educational phenomena. The study was conducted at a large, public research university in the South. A total of 316 students enrolled in the program and were invited to complete the survey, of which 131 responses …

Examining The Impact Of Course Modality And Course Content Presentation Modality On Undergraduate Grade Outcomes And Course Evaluations, Valerie E. Hogan-Sandi

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was conducted with students previously enrolled in an introduction to educational psychology course during the fall 2019 “F2F”, fall 2020 “online”, and fall 2021 “mixed” semesters, (N =515). The primary goal of this study was to examine how course modality, online and F2F, impacts certain course variables. Specifically, research questions examine how course modality impacts overall course performance, exam performance, homework completion, homework timeliness, and student ratings. Overall course grade, exam grades, and homework completion information were downloaded from Canvas and students identifying information were removed. De-identified student evaluation data were shared with the investigator.

A Kruskal-Wallis H …

Perceived Teacher Confirmation And The Online Classroom: Capturing Student Descriptions Of Experiences With Faculty Online, Ashley Jones-Bodie, Lindsey Anderson, Jennifer Hall

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study explored and examined students’ perceptions of teacher confirmation, those behaviors that teachers engage in that make students feel confirmed as valuable, significant individuals, as experienced in online courses. With over 450 students’ written descriptions of experiences in online classes across three different universities, this study provides an important initial examination of teaching practices in the online context. While prior research has situated study of students’ perceptions of teacher confirmation in the traditional in-person course experience, the current project extends understanding of teacher confirmation into the online setting. The study provides detailed descriptions, in students’ own words, of specific …

What Are They Thinking?: A Qualitative Study Of Secondary Students’ Critical Thinking In Online Classes, Scott Allan Nolt

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study emerged in response to students’ struggle to understand what critical thinking is and teachers’ corresponding struggle to develop students’ critical thinking skills. In my role as an instructional designer, I studied student and teacher reactions to interdisciplinary course design that used disciplinary inquiry, problem-posing, and concept-based online learning. The primarily qualitative study focused on students’ reflections across five different social studies and English courses, along with interview data from their teachers and post-course survey data. Exploring how students experience instruction designed to develop their critical thinking skills and how instruction in critical thinking impacts students’ critical …

The Translation Of Inclusion/Acceptance, Accessibility, And Empathy With Online Community Engagement, Jessie C. Feng

VA Engage Journal

Service-learning at Virginia Commonwealth University traditionally involves students performing community service to address community needs, coupled with guided reflection for holistic growth. In the spring of 2020 in-person courses were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, necessitating a transition to online classes. This study aimed to determine if online service-learning provided the same benefits as in-person experiences, focusing on students' perceptions of inclusion/acceptance, empathy, and accessibility. Online surveys were administered to students enrolled in service-learning courses during the semester. Results showed reduced levels of support compared to Fall 2019, but increased social activism and awareness. The study noted that remote …

Effective Resources For Online Learning A Study On Elementary Aged Children, Marlene Mora-Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify which resources have been most effective by examining an elementary school site with 22 parent and teacher participants. The increase in online learning in the past 5 years across kindergarten through 6^th grade students required educators and students to know which are the most effective and relevant resources that supplement learning. Online Google surveys were used to gather data which was inputted into SPSS to examine a univariant analysis. The results determined Lexia Core 5 to be the best resource for academic improvement and Google Classroom to be the most effective …

Fit For Purpose? Taking A Closer Look At The Uk’S Online Media Literacy Strategy, Poppy Gibson, Steve Connolly

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Now more than ever, media literacy is essential as we navigate our daily lives (Mesquita-Romero et al., 2022). The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how we need to frequently navigate media spaces filled with changing, and not always credible, information (Austin et al., 2021). Media literacy affects our habits as well as our social connections (Hobbs, 2021). This short opinion piece from two educators in the field provides an exploration of the Online Media Literacy Strategy (OMLS) published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, UK, in 2021. The aim of the OMLS was to predict how media literacy may evolve …

Supporting Undergraduate Research For Globally Distributed Students And Mentors, Emily Faulconer, Brent Terwilliger, Robert Deters

Publications

Undergraduate research is widely viewed as a high-impact practice. However, participation in undergraduate research among students completing degree programs exclusively online may be impeded due to barriers such as access limitations, time poverty, and adequate institutional support. Through an NSF I-USE project (#2021221), we formed a framework of support, including a research independent study course and a mentoring program, where we deliberately separated and defined the roles of research supervisor and research mentor. In this session, we will discuss interview data on the experiences of faculty and students in both the credit-bearing active research as well as the non-credit-bearing research …

Exams In The Time Of Chatgpt, Margaret Ryznar

Washington and Lee Law Review Online

Invaluable guidance has emerged regarding online teaching in recent years, but less so concerning online and take-home final exams. This article offers various methods to administer such exams while maintaining their integrity—after asking artificial intelligence writing tool ChatGPT for its views on the matter. The sophisticated response of the chatbot, which students can use in their written work, only raises the stakes of figuring out how to administer exams fairly.

Establishing A Sense Of Community While Meeting The Needs Of Online Adjunct Instructors, Melissa Weber

Dissertations and Theses

As online adjunct instructors continue to fill an instructional role and meet the needs of online learners, university leaders need to look for ways for professional development to increase online adjunct instructors’ sense of community and meet their diverse needs. The critical problem of this study recognized that online adjunct instructors have different needs than those of on campus faculty; these needs are not being met by traditional means currently used in university settings. Therefore, the overall goal of this qualitative phenomenological study sought to explore how university leaders could establish a sense of community while meeting the professional development …

Novice Teacher Experiences Of Online Reading Instruction During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Deyanira M. Echevarria Candales

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation documented novice teacher experiences providing online reading instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the researcher captured educators’ first-hand accounts of their experiences shifting to fully online reading instruction, adapting instructional materials that were designed for in-person instruction for online learning, confronting challenges and successes during this period of uncertainty, and transitioning back to in-person instruction amidst the then ongoing pandemic.

The following research questions were posed: 1. How do novice elementary reading teachers, in a large public school district in South Florida, describe their experiences teaching reading online during a global pandemic? 2. How do novice elementary …

Primary Teacher Experiences With Kinesthetic And Tactile Learning In Virtual Settings, Audrey Lorraine Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The primary grade levels traditionally consist of highly kinesthetic and tactile activities supporting learning and student engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers urgently transitioned these learning activities to virtual settings. However, research shows a need for more literature on primary teacher experiences and their move toward innovative learning activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore primary teacher experiences with kinesthetics and tactile activities in virtual settings. The combined conceptual framework of the study were Dewey’s theories on active learning and Siemens’ theory on the changing curriculum and learning in virtual settings. Eight primary teachers …

Students With Hidden Disabilities’ Perceptions Of Online Versus On-Campus Education, And Disability Support Services, Susan Young

Theses

A focus on widening access and participation in Higher Education has resulted in increased numbers of tertiary students with hidden disabilities in recent decades, globally. While academic supports at an institutional level are available for this student population, issues are reported with them consistently, which often leads to their non-utilisation. This is one possible explanation for why these students experience inequitable academic circumstances compared to their peers concerning lower grades and welfare levels, and higher withdrawal and failure rates. There is a paucity of research available on adequate accommodations that support the academic success of students with hidden disabilities in …

University Faculty Perceptions Of Mandatory Online Training As Related To Training Self-Efficacy, Motivation, And Utility, Tori Austin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Organizations spend millions of dollars training employees in ways to improve their skills –recently through mandatory professional development delivered virtually or through online asynchronous platforms. This research investigated how social exchange theory and self-efficacy theory inform faculty participants’ motivation to transfer such knowledge and skills from mandatory online trainings into their workplace practices. Faculty who had attended mandatory online training were asked to complete a 25-item survey about their motivation to transfer information from the training into their workplace practice as well as their perceived utility of training and their training self-efficacy. This study examined the extent to which motivation …

Facilitating Online Communities For Educators, Managers, And Leaders, Lily Drabkin

Adult Education Research Conference

This paper explores strategies for promoting social learning among adult peers in online classrooms and workspaces. It examines the challenges faced by facilitators and leaders in fostering social learning in an increasingly digital context and offers solutions for overcoming these challenges.

A Model For Children’S Digital Citizenship In India, Korea, And Australia: Stakeholder Engagement Principles, Emma Jayakumar, Kylie Stevenson, Harrison See, Yeonghwi Ryu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This white paper communicates research activities and findings investigating digital safety and digital citizenship through multistakeholder collaborations in three countries—India, South Korea, and Australia. Performed by an Edith Cowan University-based research team from the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, supported by the LEGO Group, this research additionally responds to many recent policy and practice reviews arguing for institutional and policy engagement in the Asia Pacific (APAC) that build children’s digital safety, literacy and citizenship. These include the UNESCO data-driven report, Digital Kids Asia Pacific (DKAP): Insights into children’s digital citizenship (UNESCO, 2019), an earlier UNESCO review of …

Call To Action: The Impact Of Cyberbullying In The Covid Era, Katherine A. Graves, Monica Romero, Chad Rose, Lindsey Mirielli, Cannon Ousley, Tracey K. Milarsky, Evan Simpkins

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

Given the recent COVID-19 pandemic, research suggests that students are spending an increased amount of time online. Consequently, the opportunity for students engaged in, or students who are a victim of cyberbullying has increased as well. Bullying no longer begins and ends with the school bells, it has infiltrated every aspect of students’ lives through the internet. Similarly, to bullying, cyberbullying leads to negative outcomes; the purpose of this article is to identify support, prevention, and intervention suggestions for parents, educators and schools, and mental health providers to decrease students’ cyberbullying involvement.

Understanding Neuroanatomy In A Virtual 3d Environment: Creation And Use Of A New Survey Tool To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of 3d Software In Neuroanatomy Education For Understanding Superficial And Deep Brain Structures., Akash Khare

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studying cross-sections is a critical approach to learning and testing knowledge in neuroanatomy and the role of 3D technologies have been gradually increasing in medical education, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. A study was conducted in a quasi-experimental one-group pre-post interventional design in an online setting by creating and evaluating the effectiveness of a virtual lab in neuroanatomy for all neuroscience students enrolled in the Fundamentals of Neuroscience course in our department at the University of Louisville. Study modules were created using the 2D resources used in previous years and 3D web applications of Visible Body and AnatomyLearning.com software. A …

A Comparison Of Student Final Grades In College Algebra Based On Face-To-Face And Online Course Modalities, Christopher Michael Lafata

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As community colleges emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic there may be a tendency to rely on technology to facilitate more online coursework. Online education has been a fixture of higher education since the mid-1990s, but there’s always been a question as to whether it is effective as traditional, face-to-face coursework. This is especially important in College Algebra, already viewed as a barrier course for many students. If more students take College Algebra online, will the results be as good as students taking the course in a classroom? The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study is to identify the relationship between …

The Role Of Instructor Presence And Class Size In Promoting Engagement Among Adults Pursuing Undergraduate Degrees Online: A Preregistered Study., Ken S. Muessig

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adult learners who pursue undergraduate degrees online are an understudied group who have characteristics that separate them from traditional younger students or graduate students who might be the same age. These characteristics could give them a different experience in online courses. Do adult learners experience instructor presence in a way that makes them engage in their courses more? Is that measurable by a validated measurement of student engagement? This preregistered study seeks to answer how the student engagement of adult learners seeking an undergraduate degree in a 100% online environment is effected by the presence of the instructor. The data …

Students' Perceptions Of Online Equine Courses And Their Impacts On Learning Outcomes, Blaire (Gibbens) Speck

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Post-secondary education is always changing and evolving. Over the last few years, significant changes in education have resulted in an increased number of online courses. Approximately 28% of students seeking higher education participate in at least one online course and 14% are enrolled exclusively in distance or online programs (Allen & Seaman, 2016). However, courses that are typically hands-on, like equine science, may be more challenging online. The hands-on experiences in equine science classes help prepare students for future careers. Due to an increase in students choosing to take courses online, a review of online teaching methods was conducted to …

Interaction Effects Of Undergraduate Students' Factors And Two Instruction Modalities On Academic Performance In A Stem Course, Olubusayo Foluso Adebusuyi Dr., Ademola K. Badru Dr

Essays in Education

Presently, schools are changing from a face-to-face (F2F) teaching mode to an online or virtual mode of teaching. Research has shown the two instruction modes to affect students' success positively. However, studies investigating the interaction effects of students' factors that could enhance the effectiveness of the two modes of instruction are limited. This study examines how age, socioeconomic status (SES), and course of study affect how well students do in both face-to-face and online settings.

The study employed an ex post facto design. Students' assessment results and demographic data were utilized to collect data for the study. The sample comprised …

Navigating Microaggressions In Online Learning Environments, Shreya Vaishnav, Donya D. Wallace

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Microaggressions are prevalent in academic online spaces and harm those involved. This showcase paper explores the literature around microaggressions and their impact in academia. The authors offer practical tips and tools for navigating microaggressions in the classroom, including how to engage in difficult dialogues with peers, students, and colleagues. Finally, strategies to create inclusive spaces in academia are discussed, specifically in a classroom setting or one-on-one interactions.

Ungrading An Online Counseling Course, Leah K. Clarke

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Ungrading, or alternative assessment, is an educational practice that is growing in use and can be effective in online counselor education. Alternative assessment aligns with social justice, competency-based, and community of learning educational philosophies. Assessment that is meaningful for teachers and learners can increase engagement, openness to feedback, and intrinsic motivation for counselors-in-training. A counselor educator describes how one online course was ungraded.