Educational Technology Commons^™

The Nature Of Adolescent Learner Interaction In A Virtual High School Setting, J. Borup, Charles R. Graham, R.S. Davies

Faculty Publications

This study used survey data to measure the effect of learners’ reported interactions with content, peers, and instructors on several course outcomes in two virtual high school courses that emphasized interactive learning. Surveys found that the large majority of students viewed all investigated types of interaction as educational and motivational. Students perceived learner–instructor and learner–content interactions to have significantly higher educational value (a < 0.01) than learner–learner interactions, and viewed learner–instructor interaction to be significantly more motivational (a < 0.01) than learner–content interaction. Furthermore, nine significant correlations were found involving the time students reported spending on human interaction and course outcomes. Seven of the significant correlations were related to the time students reported spending in human interaction and the more affective outcomes, such as course satisfaction and disposition towards the subject area. Outcomes also indicate that learner–learner interaction had higher correlations with course outcomes than learners’ interactions with the content or their instructor. Students’ perceived learning was not significantly correlated with any type of interaction, and only students’ total reported time spent on learner– learner interaction and students’ social learner–learner interaction were significantly correlated with their grade.

A Framework For Institutional Adoption And Implementation Of Blended Learning In Higher Education, Charles R. Graham, Wendy Woodfield, J. Buckley Harrison

Faculty Publications

There has been rapid growth in blended learning implementation and research focused on course-level issues such as improved learning outcomes, but very limited research focused on institutional policy and adoption issues. More institutional-level blended learning research is needed to guide institutions of higher education in strategically adopting and implementing blended learning on campus. This research investigates six cases of institutional adoption of blended learning to examine the key issues that can guide university administrators interested in this endeavor. Cases were selected to represent institutions at various stages of blended learning adoption including (1) awareness/exploration, (2) adoption/early implementation, and (3) mature …

The Nature Of Parental Interactions In An Online Charter School, Jered Borup, Charles R. Graham, Randall S. Davies

Faculty Publications

A belief commonly held in the K–12 education community is that parents can have a positive impact on their child’s learning. However, little research has examined parental involvement in an online learning environment. In this study, researchers using survey data found that generally students and parents viewed parent–instructor and learner–parent interactions as motivational. Students viewed learner–parent interaction as significantly more motivational than did their parents. The quantity of reported parental interactions was generally negatively correlated with course outcomes. These negative correlations may be the result of parents’ tendency to increase interaction levels following poor student performance and may not reflect …

An Analysis Of Research Trends In Dissertations And Theses Studying Blended Learning, Jeffrey S. Drysdale, Charles R. Graham, Kristian J. Spring, Lisa R. Halverson

Faculty Publications

This article analyzes the research of 205 doctoral dissertations and masters' theses in the domain of blended learning. A summary of trends regarding the growth and context of blended learning research is presented. Methodological trends are described in terms of qualitative, inferential statistics, descriptive statistics, and combined approaches to data analysis. Research topics are divided into nine topics (learner outcomes, dispositions, instructional design, interaction, comparison, demographics, technology, professional development, and other), each containing several sub-topics. Patterns in these topics are analyzed to identify gaps in research and to highlight opportunities for future research as the field of blended learning continues …

Developing Caring Relationships In Schools: A Review Of The Research On Caring And Nurturing Pedagogies, Andrea Velasquez, Richard West, Charles R. Graham, Richard Osguthorpe

Faculty Publications

Education has been criticized for a disproportionate focus on the technical aspects of teaching with less focus on its ‘human’ aspects. Consequently, many researchers and theorists have expressed a need to answer what role care plays in education. Our purpose in this review is to examine the definition of caring pedagogies and synthesize relevant research helpful to understanding its application. We briefly consider moral development and ethical care theories pertinent to teaching and learning and synthesize the research findings related to defining and measuring caring pedagogy; as well as developing caring characteristics in teachers and students, caring classroom communities, and …

The Influence Of Asynchronous Video Communication On Learner Social Presence: A Narrative Analysis Of Four Cases, Jered Borup, Richard E. West, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

Online courses are increasingly using asynchronous video communication. However, little is known about how asynchronous video communication influences students’ communication patterns. This study presents four narratives of students with varying characteristics who engaged in asynchronous video communication. The extrovert valued the efficiency of making video comments but saw little value in viewing the video comments of her peers. Somewhat inversely, the English language learner valued the video comments of her peers but lacked the ability to fully participate herself. The introverted student valued the flexibility and richness of asynchronous video but spent an inordinate amount of time recording her videos. …

The Role Of Heads Of Departments In Enhancing The Quality Of Education In Secondary Schools In Tanzania, Perpetua J. Urio

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Heads of department are perceived as instructional leaders. This paper is based on a study that aimed to find out how heads of departments in Tanzanian secondary schools deal with their tasks in enhancing the quality of education, and the support accorded to them by the school administrative system in the performance of their duties. The study was conducted in Arusha and Coast regions, comprising a sample of 72 respondents from eight secondary schools. Data were collected through interviews, questionnaires and documentary review. Data collected were subjected to content analysis and numerical data were summarized into tables. Findings revealed that, …

Teacher Resource Centres: A Strategy For Secondary School Teachers’ Professional Development In Tanzania, Gadi Moses Koda

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The overall education level in Tanzanians has increased in terms of schooling and even in fundamental literacy. While enrolment in secondary schools has been increasing rapidly, Form IV examinations results since 2010 have been discouraging, showing that there is a problem in the education system (NECTA, 2010). To address the situation, this article presents the needs for alternative strategies for secondary school teachers’ professional development in Tanzania. It focuses on the Teacher Resource Centre (TRC) approach as a strategy for secondary school teachers’ professional development in Tanzania. The paper also discusses equipment, materials, accessibility and management as well as teachers’ …

Identifying And Preventing Cyberbullying Among Adolescents, Matthew Michael Keller

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This project examines the ways adolescent children use the internet to pick on peers; look at ways this so-called “cyberbullying” mirrors traditional schoolyard bullying; and postulate ways to stop the violence. After reports of cyberbullying began appearing in the mainstream media from around the United States, it became imperative to find more detailed and scientific information about this phenomenon. Information from the Cyberbullying Research Center (2004) showed that more than 20 percent of children had been harassed online in 2010. With this type of growth, it is important to identify what makes a person become a cyberbully and more importantly, …

Analyzing Online Asynchronous Discussions With A Visual Data Analytic Tool (Snapp), John Mccormick, Heather Tillberg-Webb

Staff Scholarship

In the “age of globalization,” construction of effective learning environments takes into account the development of a community of inquiry and incorporates visual tools for quick evaluation of the vibrancy of the learning environment. Discussion forums are an essential tool for co-construction of knowledge in a community of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and for supporting a Community of Inquiry model (Garrison et al, 2003). For the purposes this session, effective online discussions are communications that build community and take place in forums designed for threaded, text-based interaction that help learners:

• Attain course learning outcomes

• Understand course content through collaborative …

Cirt Newsletter--November 2012, Center For Instruction & Research Technology (Cirt)

CIRT News

This issue contains:

Faculty Spotlight: Creating an Oral History of Jacksonville's Hispanic Community

Maintaining Instructional Presence in Online Courses

Upcoming Events

Digital Thinking: Qualtrics

Best Practices Online: Improving Student Learning with Assessment

Blackboard News: Maintenance Window and Future Upgrades

CIRT Online Scheduling for Instructional Design Consultations and Scantron Grading

App Review: Flipboard

News from ITS: Cyberawareness and IT Reorg

New in CIRT: Kindle Fire, iPad Class Set and Department Promotions

Improving Stem Education In Research: Preliminary Report On The Development Of A Computer-Assisted Student-Mentor Research Community, David A. Rios, Artem Chebotko, Christine Reilly, Ralph Carlson, Emmett Tomai, Amy A. Weimer, Nicholas Weimer, Thomas Pearson, Francis Andoh-Baidoo, Robert Winkle, David Ammons, Joanne Rampersad-Ammons

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Research education in STEM disciplines currently suffers from 1) The inability to feasibly collect highly detailed data on both the student’s and mentor’s activities; 2) The lack of tools to assist students and mentors in organizing and managing their research activities and environments; and 3) The inability to correlate a student’s assessment results with their actual research activities. Together these three problems act to impede both the improvement and educational quality of student research experiences. We propose a computer-assisted student-mentor research community as a solution to these problems. Within this community setting, students and their mentors are provided tools to …

Cirt Newsletter--September 2012, Center For Instruction & Research Technology (Cirt)

CIRT News

This issue contains:

Faculty Spotlight: Using Video Walk-Throughs to Illustrate Problem-Solving Processes

New in CIRT

Upcoming Events

Digital Thinking: CIRT's New Video Setup

Best Practices Online: Managing Media Files in Blackboard

Blackboard News: Bb World 2012, Mobile Testing, and DEV Course Deletes

New Survey Tool Coming to Campus: Qualtrics

App Review: UNF Mobile

News from ITS: Technology Assistance Center in the Carpenter Library

Simulating Real Lives: Promoting Global Empathy And Interest In Learning Through Simulation Games, Christine Bachen, Pedro F. Hernández-Ramos, Chad Raphael

Communication

In response to an increasingly interdependent world, educators are demonstrating a growing interest in educating for global citizenship. Many definitions of the “good global citizen” value empathy as an especially important disposition for understanding others across national borders and cultural divides. Yet it may be difficult for people to achieve empathy with others who are perceived as psychologically and geographically distant. Can computerized simulation games help foster global empathy and interest in global civic learning? This quasiexperimental classroom study of 301 Northern California high school students in three schools examined the effects of playing REAL LIVES, a simulation game that …

Applying The Fifth Outcome: Techno-Planking The Composition Classroom, Jacob William Craig

Theses and Dissertations

In 2008, the Council of Writing Program Administrators (C-WPA) passed an amendment to their Outcomes Statement, a fifth section that expresses a new expectation, students' ability to compose in digital environments. To create teaching practices that meet the expectations of the amendment, I have adopted a framework designed for teaching writing in the twenty-first century classroom, spaces that are characterized by an abundance of writing tools, shifting notions of contexts, nuanced learning goals, and interdisciplinary content, creating unique problems for student writers and writing instructors. The C3T framework, a model comprised of rhetorical concepts designed by Johnson-Eilola and Selber to …

Teaching Online Seminar: A Focused Approach To Designing And Delivering Courses For Distance Learning--Summer A, Center For Instruction & Research Technology (Cirt)

Teaching Online (TOL) Cohorts

A teaching seminar on designing and delivering courses for distance learning in Summer term A

Teaching Online Seminar: A Focused Approach To Designing And Delivering Courses For Distance Learning--Summer B, Center For Instruction & Research Technology (Cirt)

Teaching Online (TOL) Cohorts

A seminar on designing and delivering courses for distance learning in Summer term B 2012

Serious Game Design Principles: The Impact Of Game Design On Learning Outcomes, Michael W. Martin

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the research question "How do video game design principles affect learning outcomes in serious games?" This research first develops a theoretical foundation concerning the meaning of the terms "game" and "serious game". This conceptual clarification is broken down into analytic propositions, which state that games have participants, rules, goals and challenges, and synthetic propositions, which state that the games should be intrinsically compelling, provide meaningful choices, and be self encapsulated. Based on these synthetic propositions, three hypotheses were developed. The hypotheses are that games with an enhanced aesthetic presentation, more meaningful choices, or provide player competition will …

Using Decision-Making Techniques In Support Of Simulation Training Transfer Selections, Jane Taylor Bachman

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A general methodological approach for determining the selection of military training simulations with respect to military training requirements has not been developed. This thesis undertakes a literature review, which indicated that there was a need for a multi-criteria decision making model to assist acquisition and/or training planners in making training selection decisions. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Model was selected from a multi-criteria decision-making model candidate list for evaluation of its efficacy in selecting military training simulations based upon the military training requirements. Four separate trainee populations, Alpha, Beta, Charlie, and Delta, were evaluated. Results from the Alpha study case …

Overcoming Barriers: How Community College Faculty Successfully Overcome Barriers To Participation In Distance Education, Matthew Meyer

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

To determine the primary barriers encountered by community college faculty in participating in distance education, community college faculty and administrators from community colleges in North Carolina and Virginia were surveyed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Two separate online surveys were provided to faculty and distance education administrators (including chief academic officers) that included demographic questions and barrier assessment questions for both groups. Follow-up interviews were conducted among faculty and administrators at colleges that self-reported having successful or poorly performing distance education programs. To further frame the attributes of faculty participators and non-participators in distance education, the diffusion of innovations …