Online and Distance Education Commons^™

Student Satisfaction With Michigan Community College Distance Education Courses, Eugene H. Mckay Iii

Dissertations

Distance education courses offered by community colleges and other higher education institutions are becoming popular options for students who seek a more convenient method to obtain a college education. Community colleges are actively expanding their offerings of distance education courses, both nationally and in Michigan. Yet minimal research has been conducted on a large scale to discover the factors which contribute to satisfaction with distance education courses at community colleges.

This study consists of a cross-sectional survey of over 6000 Michigan community college students in Michigan, who completed a distance education courseduring the fall semester of 2002. Sixteen of Michigan's …

Student Ecosystems Problem Solving With Computer Simulation, Melissa A. Howse

Dissertations

Computer simulations, such as the BioQUEST Environmental Decision Making (EDM) program, represent a viable supplement or alternative to traditional science teaching approaches. This study concentrated on the manner in which knowledge is acquired and then disseminated through the use of the simulations. In addition, the study took into account the nature of science by revealing what notions of ecosystems and simulation were revealed when students encountered concepts imparted to them via this method. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What content knowledge do students use to solve ecology problems? (2) What procedural knowledge do students use to solve …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Application Of Instructional Design Elements In The Distance Teaching Process, Lihua Zheng

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Educators use an instructional design process to improve instruction and to ensure learning. Faculty who teach at a distance must rely heavily on the instructional design process because of constraints in distance instruction. Thus, it is especially important for instructors to know, understand, and apply instructional design elements when planning to teaching at a distance. However, little research has been done in this field. Therefore, additional research has become the focus of this study. This study examines the perceptions of instructors at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Cedar Falls, Iowa, regarding how they understood and applied instructional design elements …